The Silversmith's Secret

In April 1949, gifted silversmith Moishe Azani presses a note into the hand of an American pilot who has just delivered hundreds of Yemeni Jews like himself to the Promised Land of Israel. For over sixty years, the note sits untranslated and unread, until it comes into the possession of Hank Amato, the pilot's grandson. Unemployed and aimless, Hank seizes the opportunity to retrieve Moishe's abandoned jewelry, a decision that leads him-in the company of a charming female journalist-to a corner of the globe where poverty, corruption, and virulent terrorism have taken root. As Hank finds himself caught up in a dangerous terrorist scheme, he may also find the makings for a fresh start.

Stephen Seche learned of the remarkable immigration of some fifty thousand Yemeni Jews to Israel while serving as the US ambassador to Yemen from 2007 to 2010. A journalist before joining the Foreign Service, he spent thirty-five years moving between diplomatic postings in Latin America, Canada, South Asia, and the Middle East. He wrote frequently about developments in Yemen while serving as executive vice president of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington and also contributed op-eds on the subject to The Boston Globe. A sought-after analyst, he has appeared on PBS NewsHour, NBC, NPR, and the BBC.