Ruth Zanger Barron

Not My Diamonds Ruth Zanger Barron

A teenager's brave escape from the clutches of Nazi Germany, an American World-War II soldier, and the killing of an FBI agent collide in this compelling tale.


Maddie Ellis, a.k.a Celeste Butler, has entrenched herself in financial fraud and money laundering as a tool of survival. As events spiral, her criminal ties connect her to an FBI homicide investigation. Set against the backdrop of decades-old historical events, her world and that of the victim's family become intertwined.


Maddie's contempt for her abusive father escalates when she discovers the story of her grandfather Jack, whom she had never known, and his military service. It is only after she learns of the death of her father, Titus Ellis, that she finds a trove of information about her family's past, and a deep mystery surrounding a vanished treasure of German Holocaust victims.


San Francisco attorney Sebastian Fisher helps Maddie claim her inheritance, and the romance that blossoms between them holds a promise for love and tranquillity. Maddie has now renounced all criminal activity, but will she ever be able to escape her past?