WHITE FIRE by Stuart Murray

In 1828, frontiersman Dirk Arendt is guiding an archaeological expedition toward a lost city near Zululand when he learns that the leader of his party is an agent of a ruthless secret brotherhood. This agent is on a mission to find an ancient amulet said to be in the hands of Shaka, founder and lord of the Zulu nation.

The amulet and its central Stone of White Fire -- so named because it radiates a hypnotizing white glow -- has the power to reveal King Solomon's fabled diamond fields and gold mines. More than that, say the legends, the amulet can bring great wisdom if used in the right way. If misused, it dooms its bearer to a life of torment.

Dirk's expedition arrives in Zululand just as rebels are about to overthrow Shaka. The rebels, too, desire to possess the Amulet of White Fire as a token of Shaka's magic power.

Meanwhile, far to the southwest, the first Cape Colony pioneers (voortrekkers) journey northward into the wilderness in search of the Promised Land. These independent-minded folk include Dirk's own parents and an idealistic young woman, Rachel Drente. The trekkers do not yet know it, but the land they intend to settle on is rich in diamonds and gold just beneath its surface. The very wealth sought after by the secret brotherhood.

Dirk and Rachel fall in love, but there seems little hope when they are caught between Zulu regiments and the conspirators who are seeking the Amulet of White Fire.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Murray is the author of 24 books - 12 works of fiction and 12 nonfiction. Murray's nonfiction America's Song: The Story of "Yankee Doodle", was in Booklist's top ten books on music for 1999 and was awarded third place in the history category as ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year for 1999. Rudyard Kipling in Vermont: Birthplace of The Jungle Books was selected a national finalist in Independent Publisher's biography category in 1997. Having served as fiction editor for a leading book producer, Murray has worked on more than twenty historical novels, and with a number of best-selling authors.

A journalist, editor, and writer for more than twenty-five years, Murray lives with his family in New York's Hudson River Valley.

Ordering Information: 5 1/2" x 8 1/2"; 320 pages.
ISBN 1-884592-25-2 Hardcover: $26.00.
White Fire (HC) $26.00

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