A Fistful of Diamonds

Action packed thrill from the first chapter, Robinson takes us through the shady world of African politics, con men and the shady characters in his trip through Afric and the congo. The horrors of the geniside of the African people and the ruthless persute of arms for diamond, "blood diamonds" ... we meet Islamic jihadist, Isrelia agents, corrupt Ukrienian, arm dealers, Robinsons facts and research are the top of the line and will inhance your knowledge of gemstones, to the clariety of diamonds. Reading this thriller was a sheer pleasure, I was left wirh a sadness of knowledge for the African people and the lives of people in the Congo , the horror and illimation of people who's only thoughts of the day are that of survuval. I would recommend this book to all who love the adventurers and realist facts. 2 thumbs up for A Fistful of Diamonds.

A quick read but by no means lightweight. While the plot is perhaps a bit thin, the action is disquieting and breathtaking. I assume that Mr. Robinson draws on fact to paint a staggering portrait of Central African chaos, genocide, and the attendant human toll. And all of us with our diamond specks on golden chains--who actually knew the untold cost of bling?

The setting of this short novel is the real "character" -- war-shattered Rwanda and the Congo. The story is the unresolved and unresolvable moral battleground of honorable and meaningful behavior in a meaningless world. The hero is a self-centered self-described "playboy" who is a diamentaire", an expert in diamonds and an opportunistic buyer/trader. He is on a greedy mission for the money and glory of locating a set of green diamonds. The mission is made more complex by his reluctant commitment to a few other people -- the elusive and quite worldly novitiate that he first uses as his cover for entry into the killing fields and takes on as his responsibility, the driver who guides and protects them -- and has his own history of surviving by playing all sides in the Hutu-Tutsi wars where victims have also been vicious aggressors and vice versa and he himself has massacred and acted out the insanities and brutality of the killing field (Cambodia is in the background for the hero and for is -- and his daughter back in New York, the only person he ever ascribes the word "love" to. Both he and the nun have complex commitments to their fathers; the mechanics of the plot center on her parent's corrupt and uncaring scams that directly lead to the same diamonds and a deep trap he pulls his child and the diamantair into. The scenes are gruesome and unsparingly described -- the slaughtered, maimed, diseased and starving of the genocidal wars where there is only a fiction of authority, government and truth; killers and crooks are everywhere along the journey. Killings and betrayal are just minor occurrences. In the background is the noted "blood diamond" curse that drives so much greed and so much corruption. The climax puts the hero in a situation where all the complexities of moral choice, personal survival and that of the nun come together. Perhaps the resolution is a little contrived but the only other ending would be that nihilism wins out. This is a very good book; it does not really fill out the world it describes but goes beyond just using horror as a plot device. The characters are convincing though sketchy. The style is workmanlike, which somewhat buffers the reality of the world it describes.

This is the first "gemstone thriller" book I have read and found it to be an exciting, fast-paced reading experience, filled with contemporary themes and topics which held my interest from start to finish. The characters are very well described and easy to visualize. A diamond gem expert Lonny Cushman becomes the chaperone to a nineteen year old graduate theology student of the Episcopalian denomination. She takes a daring journey into the heart of Africa to search for her father. In the not to distant past, Lonny Cushman had traveled to this part of the world to make deals on rare and exotic diamonds and other gems. He accompanies this theology student as a favor to the Bishop of the Church. Cushman had made a huge donation to the church in memory of his mother. He was soon named a Board of Trustee by the Bishop and asked to do this one special favor ... In Africa, they were supposed to be staying at the home of the Bishop of Rawanda but learned he is a narrow-minded man whose interpretation of theology varies quite a lot from the American church. Cushman and Ms Alice Carpenter left his residence and took matters into their own hands to locate Alice's father. Although believed to be a tourist, like themselves, they suspect he may have been kidnapped. Cushman learns from Alice that her father absconded with money from the church which he essentially embezzeled. It was Cushman's donation which was missing and the Bishop had failed to enter the donation into the books of the church. Now, it would make Cushman look very bad given his location and the gems he was considering purchasing. Cushman feels he was set up by the Bishop and therefore has added incentive to locate Alice's father, Ted Carpenter, the real thief. Cushman could be made to appear as an accomplice or worse. The author builds suspense as Lonny Cushman attempts to make a deal with a diamond merchant to obtain the rare green diamond. The temptation to partake in his gem trade while visiting this part of the world could not be avoided. Along with this theme, the author ties in fascinating history of the recent atrocities which occurred in Rawanda between the Hutus and the Tutsis. Alice Carpenter decides to use this journey as coursework toward one of her classes in the graduate seminary she is attending. Her eyes and mind are opened to much more than she could ever have imagined. The author creates tension between these protaganists which lands them eventually into some fascinating situations. However, it is Lonny Cushman and his African connections, his daring adventurous spirit and gut instincts for survival that untangles a very complex web of social, political and cultural knots. This is a highly exotic and exciting novel which provides a whole new world of conflicts and clashes on many levels. This novel explores the very heart of Africa and brings forth many thought-provoking ideas and values about how the world outside of the United States may at times operate. I whole hearted

Highly recommended. Has the addictive qualities of the best "action" fiction (for lack of a better genre descriptor), but is considerably better-written than the vast majority of stuff out there and also, assiduously researched (or, the author might simply know his stuff; Robinson, according to the book jacket, lived in Africa and dealt gems: a place, and an activity, that feature prominently in the book). The characters are interesting and dimensional, the plot is lively, and I read it front to back in one sitting ... it's that kind of book. A fantastic buy for a long plane ride or for some total escape during the holidays or on vacation. There are heavy moments (genocide's aftermath is tough to stomach at times) but I expect that is the point. I think Robinson is hiding a work of fiction in the genre of pulp ... it's an action-packed adventure story but at the same time, tilts to the literary and takes on serious and timely subjects like post-colonial Africa, the vast chasm between the likely reality on the ground in that continent and how the western press chooses to understand, interpret and report on it, the diamond (and gem) trade, and the hideous reality that was the Rwandan genocide. Not to mention, the near certain demise of the mountain gorilla ... which was just in a recent news story as the Congo militia now has taken over the wildlife refuge that is the setting for one part of the novel. It's almost like Robinson's book, continued. And, it's sad. Buy this. You won't regret it.