Silence in the Land of Gold

Molly Durberville and George Wilford, foreign lawyers working in the country, are assigned to untangle the legal issues surrounding a plane crash. They are led to a struggle between the Burmese military and the Kachin Independence Army. Ultimately, they realize that the origin of the crash has been from within their law firm. Though Molly has been assigned to spy on George, through their adventures they become lovers. George is torn by his realization, however, that Molly is attracted to Zaw Dan, a general in the Kachin army. One facet of the novel examines the legal profession from the perspectives of two women lawyers—Molly and Khine San Myo, who is housebound because of her history and that of the country.

James Finch grew up in America. He began a career in international private law in Tehran, Iran. He later joined the US Foreign Service, serving in Ecuador, Trinidad and Argentina. Returning to the private sector, he worked over the rest of his career as a partner in law firms in the Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Thailand and Burma, where he spent twenty-two years. He has three published novels previous to Silence in the Land of Gold. Among his passions are photography and Burmese art. He has just finished the manuscript of a book on the sacred statue of Burma, a decades-long effort.