Romance and Intrigue During the Algerian War: ‘The Maghreb Amulet’

TRINITY, Fla., March 24, 2009 — Chantal’s life was ideal. She lived in the romantic city of Paris during the 60’s, had a job that she adored and a man that she loved madly. Everything was picture perfect; that is until the day that her lover Alex was arrested for murder. “The Maghreb Amulet” (published by iUniverse) by Vera Beaumont follows the harrowing adventure of Chantal de Betancourt in her desperate quest to free herself and her lover from the cruel grip of circumstance and intrigue.

Chantal’s life was turned upside down on the evening she approached her lover Alex’s apartment only to discover that he had been accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend. Believing unshakably that Alex was innocent, she became desperate to exonerate him. As if on queue, a dark and mysterious man named Guy appeared and offered to help her — for a price. He explains that he is part of the French military and if she aides them in their covert operations in Algiers, he will secure Alex’s release. Seeing no other choice, Chantal complies and embarks on her mission.

Once in Algiers, Chantal quickly realizes that she is not cut out for the clandestine life. A trusting and forthright person by nature, she struggles to adjust to her appointed task: a courier for the French military, or so she believes.

“You failed your mission. You should be sent back with shame. How could you be so stupid?”
“What do you mean? I delivered the package you gave me.”
Cassis rose and crossed her office with quick steps.
“What’s wrong, Monsieur Cassis? Didn’t my …”
He held his hand up to silence her, rose to open the door and looked up and down the hallway. Chantal stared at his rumpled suit and dusty shoes while he closed the door again. Deep furrows cut across his forehead.
“Didn’t anybody teach you the basic rules? You don’t take a taxi, you don’t attract attention. Your purpose is to stay unnoticed and find the designated person. All deliveries are to be made to that person only, nobody else. If you cannot find them, you keep the package and wait for further orders. You always make sure that nobody sees you. Didn’t anybody tell you that? You were lucky that your taxi wasn’t followed. I checked.”
As her adventure unfolds, Chantal encounters many more people, both nefarious and honorable, and comes to realize that she has become embroiled in an affair that is far more insidious than she could have ever imagined.

Vera Beaumont was born in Germany and attended University at the world famous Sorbonne in Paris. She eventually immigrated to the United States and earned a Ph.D. in psychology. She is now retired and lives in Florida. Dr. Beaumont based her novel on her experiences as a student in Algiers during the Algerian struggle for independence in the late 50’s and early 60’s. While she was not engaged in any type of clandestine activities, because she had come from Paris many people assumed she was. This became the impetus for “The Maghreb Amulet.”