The Gem Merchants

In Ray Ferguson's exciting new novel ‘The Gem Merchants’, the young protagonist Mark Branson has achieved what every gem dealer dreams of. He is on the scene at the time and place of a major gem strike. In this case, the location was Zambia in Africa, after a major cache of emeralds had been discovered by local tribesmen - who noticed the bright green crystals embedded in rocks after a heavy thunder storm. Branson, the gem buyer for a small London firm, manages to purchase a king's ransom in rough emerald crystals. But to hold onto them and get them out of the country, Branson has to navigate his way through a series of obstacles including greedy politicians, sadistic military men and a grasping Indian money changer. The book is realistic and well paced. Ferguson shows an adept hand in character development and a good sense of place. No mere cardboard cutouts, his characters live, breath and are quite believable. Along the way, the author, himself a gem dealer currently living in Madagascar, teaches us a great amount about the gem trade and how it operates across the world.