The Garden of Burning Sand

The Garden of Burning Sand is a book intended to bring readers a message of hope. No matter how dark and desperate the world may seem to be, a determined young American woman can become a beacon of light. She’s a human rights lawyer working in Zambia when she becomes involved in the rape of a fifteen-year-old girl with Down Syndrome. Obviously, this is a disturbing crime and our hero decides to take a personal interest. This means befriending the girl and also attaching herself to a local police officer as he attempts to track down the criminal.

Things become complicated when the son of a very senior, politically connected family is suspected. The challenge is now to collect enough evidence to justify a prosecution. Except, of course, the family does not intend to make things easy. Key evidence disappears, witnesses are threatened. To add spice to the “message” of the book, our heroine is the daughter of a senior US senator who decides to run for President. This gives her a platform from which to preach to America about the virtues of generosity and charity when it comes to dealing with the poor and disadvantaged. If this matches your world view, this is the book for you.