Deadly Diamonds by John F. Dobbyn

By Terry DiDomenico

DEADLY DIAMONDS begins innocently enough. Michael Knight, a young lawyer, is asked to prevent an all-out mob war by brokering a deal between competing mobs over a stolen vehicle. As both sides respect his tough but fair method of operating, he seems an ideal choice. But to Michael things just don’t add up. Knowing this, he never expected to find himself involved with diamonds and learning more than is comfortable with the evil circumstances surrounding the blood diamond trade.

John Dobbyn brings back the entire Michael Knight/Lex Devlin crew in his fourth novel, DEADLY DIAMONDS. The car stolen for a joy ride has the misfortune of having a dead body in the trunk. Then there is the question of why the son of an Irish mobster decides to steal an Italian mafia car for his joy ride in Italian mafia territory. And yes, the dead man belongs to the Italian mafia. Michael knows there is more than meets the eye in all of this. As he tries to make sense of it all he finds himself involved in life-threatening situations and a quest for information that leads from Boston to Dublin, to Sierra Leone, to Antwerp, and back again. And in this journey he finds an incredible man, a survivor of the diamond pits, who will move heaven and earth to reunite his family.

DEADLY DIAMONDS is the second taut tale John Dobbyn has given readers that combine an international pursuit of information with heart-felt tales of fellow humans. The first that really nailed this expertise for me came with Dobbyn’s BLACK DIAMOND — a tale surrounding the death of a jockey on the racetrack. Michael was best friends with the deceased jockey and is asked to defend the jockey accused of his death. The search for truth covers the worst of horse racing as it works to determine who was behind his friend’s untimely demise.

So I was pleased that DEADLY DIAMONDS didn’t disappoint.

DEADLY DIAMONDS is no misnomer as John delves into the documented atrocities perpetuated by the diamond trade especially in poor countries like Sierra Leone. John said that better management of the countries resources, especially diamonds, could result in the entire country living a good life. As it is, children are taught violence and kept under the influence of drugs to encourage them to commit acts of inhumanity upon their peers. Children not wielding guns are trying to survive on a cup of rice a day as they work the diamond pits. Bringing this outrage to the attention of his readers is something John is passionate about. So much so, that for most of his sabbatical this fall, his speaking engagements to promote DEADLY DIAMONDS will focus on this.

For those who don’t know, John, a graduate of Harvard Law School, is a professor of law at Villanova University. During the academic year, his writing career takes a back seat to teaching, but summers and the upcoming sabbatical are times when his writing is the star.

When writing John sets an imposed goal of 2000 words per day. He starts each day by editing and revising the previous day’s work before setting out on the day’s goal. While writing John is used to having another pair of eyes on his work as Mickey, an African Grey Parrot, sits on his shoulder. Piper and Kelty, both shelties, wander in and out of his study for a reassuring pat on the head.

John’s wife, Lois, is an integral part of his career. She has orchestrated his publicity for DEADLY DIAMONDS with “a furious pace” of book signings and speaking engagements. She also shares in the research and her particular niche is providing the titles for the Michael Knight/Lex Devlin books. Fortunately for Dobbyn fans, he has plenty of adventures for his lawyers and if BLACK DIAMOND and DEADLY DIAMONDS are an indication of what’s in store, it will be quite a ride.

*****

John F. Dobbyn, graduate of Harvard College, Boston College Law School, and Harvard Law School was a trial attorney in Boston before becoming a professor of law at Villanova Law School. After 26 short stories appearing in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, he has had four legal thriller novels published by Oceanview Publications. This most recent, DEADLY DIAMONDS, will be released Sept. 3, 2013.

To find out more about the John and his Michael Knight/Lex Devlin series, visit his website.