Diamonds in the Dust

A short story from the national bestselling author of The Russian Concubine...

It is 1942, and the war has come to Darwin, Australia. Japanese planes bring fear to the streets as air raids spit death from the skies. The best way to survive is to keep your head down, but Hatti Hoot—red-haired and six foot tall—doesn't exactly blend in with the crowd.

When Hatti spots two men looting a jewelry shop during one of the raids, she intervenes and scares them off. The diamonds they had taken lay abandoned in the street, and Hatti is tempted. So is Maya, a willful young Malayan girl who also spots the treasure in the dust. But before either can react, a police officer steps in, accusing them of theft. Suddenly everything starts to go wildly wrong...