Taironian Gold

About the Book

    TAIRONIAN GOLD is an adventure/suspense story.  Farrine Munroe, a young Spanish teacher from Kansas, goes to Colombia  to claim the coffee farm, inherited from her aunt, who died there mysteriously.  On the way up the Sierra Nevada mountains the taxi driver, fearing landslides, abandons her in a thunder storm. Handsome Spanish-speaking Danilo Franco rescues her.  She is attracted to him, but suspicious of his motives.

    Attempts on her life begin the day after she arrives at the coffee farm, La Felicidad.  Someone wants her dead.  Is it the caretaker's son, Victor, who believes the farm is his?  The guerrillas, who kill farmers and take their land?  Grave robbers, who loot Taironian gold on her property?  Arms smugglers?  All are frightening possibilities.

    Farrine finds her aunt's shallow grave.  She had been murdered.  Victor catches Farrine spying on his meeting with arms smugglers and imprisons her.  She escapes and runs to an American neighbor for help, only to find he has been murdered.

     Danilo saves both Farrine and her farm, reveals his true identity and wins Farrine's trust and love.  They head for the airport with Victor in pursuit.

    In a wild chase Victor catches them as they arrive at an isolated airstrip to board a waiting plane.  He opens fire, hits Farrine's foot, but Danilo manages to pull her aboard and the small plane takes off.  Destination Danilo's penthouse in Miami with plans to return to La Felicidad.

About the Author

Elizabeth McNeill-Leicester made her career in the U.S. Foreign Service. She served as a Department of Army Civilian (DAC) in Occupied Japan, and in Public Relations in the Military Mission for Aid to Turkey in Ankara. The remainder of her career she served in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and was posted to the American Embassy in Iran, Pakistan, India, Senegal, Colombia and a second tour in Iran. Between Senegal and Colombia she took a sabbatical and studied French Civilization at the Sorbonne. She retired in 1969 and now, a widow, lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.