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Jeweler's Gemstone Mystery #1
The Blue Diamond
A rare blue diamond
Wars have been fought over diamonds and the rarer the diamond, the fiercer the battle. So it's no wonder that someone would kill to possess a five-carat, flawless blue diamond. When Kimberley West interrupts a burglary at her grandfather's jewelry story, she discovers Grandpa bleeding on the floor. Before he's rushed to the hospital, Grandpa entrusts Kim with guarding the blue diamond worth millions.
An unsuspecting jeweler
Grandpa doesn't realize, however, that the would-be thief will stop at nothing to obtain the diamond -- and now he has Kim in his sights.
A determined killer.
With her grandfather in a coma, Kim must track the origins of the mysterious blue diamond -- without letting anyone know she has it. As the body count rises, Kim must match wits with a mastermind she suspects is close to home.
Can Kimberley West unmask the killer in time?
Wars have been fought over diamonds and the rarer the diamond, the fiercer the battle. So it's no wonder that someone would kill to possess a five-carat, flawless blue diamond. When Kimberley West interrupts a burglary at her grandfather's jewelry story, she discovers Grandpa bleeding on the floor. Before he's rushed to the hospital, Grandpa entrusts Kim with guarding the blue diamond worth millions.
An unsuspecting jeweler
Grandpa doesn't realize, however, that the would-be thief will stop at nothing to obtain the diamond -- and now he has Kim in his sights.
A determined killer.
With her grandfather in a coma, Kim must track the origins of the mysterious blue diamond -- without letting anyone know she has it. As the body count rises, Kim must match wits with a mastermind she suspects is close to home.
Can Kimberley West unmask the killer in time?
394 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2012
About the author
Lynn Franklin
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When Lynn Franklin was a child, she often accompanied her jeweler grandfather on his local buying trips. As they traipsed the grungy streets of Pittsburgh, Grandpa carried a battered briefcase filled with diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires. These trips provided fertile ground for Lynn's imagination, allowing her to search the shadows for thugs, thieves and spies.
So it came as no surprise when at the age of eight, she demanded a deerstalker hat and wrote her first mystery novel. To hone her sleuthing skills, she studied the case files of Nancy Drew, Frank and Joe Hardy and Trixie Belden.
In time, Lynn became a professional writer and an Accredited Jewelry Professional. But she never lost her fascination with gemstone history and lore. And so the Kimberley West Gemstone Mystery Series was born.
Lynn and her Pulitzer Prize winning husband Jon Franklin live in the Chesapeake Bay area with their standard poodle Dash. Dash and his best buddy, long-haired dachshund Bogie, conspire to create comic relief that Lynn can include in her books.
Don't forget to check out Lynn's web site for more details about her books:
LynnFranklin.com
Lynn loves to hear from her readers. Please feel free to email her at:
Lynn@LynnFranklin.com
https://landing.mailerlite.com/webfor...
When Lynn Franklin was a child, she often accompanied her jeweler grandfather on his local buying trips. As they traipsed the grungy streets of Pittsburgh, Grandpa carried a battered briefcase filled with diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires. These trips provided fertile ground for Lynn's imagination, allowing her to search the shadows for thugs, thieves and spies.
So it came as no surprise when at the age of eight, she demanded a deerstalker hat and wrote her first mystery novel. To hone her sleuthing skills, she studied the case files of Nancy Drew, Frank and Joe Hardy and Trixie Belden.
In time, Lynn became a professional writer and an Accredited Jewelry Professional. But she never lost her fascination with gemstone history and lore. And so the Kimberley West Gemstone Mystery Series was born.
Lynn and her Pulitzer Prize winning husband Jon Franklin live in the Chesapeake Bay area with their standard poodle Dash. Dash and his best buddy, long-haired dachshund Bogie, conspire to create comic relief that Lynn can include in her books.
Don't forget to check out Lynn's web site for more details about her books:
LynnFranklin.com
Lynn loves to hear from her readers. Please feel free to email her at:
Lynn@LynnFranklin.com
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 8, 2012
For decades, I’ve read almost exclusively historical mysteries. But a growing new breed of cozy mystery novel has lured me into reading books with contemporary settings. These books feature intelligent, interesting heroines with unusual and fascinating careers and hobbies, and the novels are often set in interesting places. I first got hooked by Kate Carlisle’s Bibliophile Mystery series, whose heroine restores old books and whose covers feature two of my favorite things, cats and books. Next I discovered Linda O. Johnston’s Pet Rescue Mystery series, with pets frolicking on the covers.
So when I heard about THE BLUE DIAMOND, which is set along the Chesapeake Bay and whose psychologist heroine is a near-expert on geology and gems, I was eager to read it.
THE BLUE DIAMOND more than lived up to my expectations. At the heart of the novel lies the strong bond between the heroine, Kim, and her grandfather, an expert jeweler who has taught her everything he knows about gems. After thieves almost kill Kim’s grandfather, Kim will do anything to discover who’s behind the crime and to stop them from finishing the job.
Among those helping Kim is her delightful standard poodle, Rorschach, whose bravery is tested many times and who saves Kim’s life.
What I liked best about this book:
• likeable, logical, believable heroine
• information about diamonds, real and artificial
• scary villains
• Kim’s varied and assorted helpers, which include several old ladies and a mischievous dachshund
• believable plot with lots of action
• a great potential boyfriend whose manhood isn’t threatened by independent, brainy, determined Kim
If you are tired of ditzy heroines who are TSTL (too stupid to live) or rude heroines who beat up huge bad guys while wearing short, tight miniskirts and stiletto heels, read this book. If you like mysteries in which the heroine’s family and pets liven things up, for good and for ill, read this book. If you like jewelry, read this book. In short, read this book.
If you are picky about ebook readability, have no qualms about THE BLUE DIAMOND. The book is a model for ebooks in its professionalism: It is excellently formatted, has fewer typos than most books pubbed by New York these days, and is beautifully written, with not a single sentence to stumble over.
So when I heard about THE BLUE DIAMOND, which is set along the Chesapeake Bay and whose psychologist heroine is a near-expert on geology and gems, I was eager to read it.
THE BLUE DIAMOND more than lived up to my expectations. At the heart of the novel lies the strong bond between the heroine, Kim, and her grandfather, an expert jeweler who has taught her everything he knows about gems. After thieves almost kill Kim’s grandfather, Kim will do anything to discover who’s behind the crime and to stop them from finishing the job.
Among those helping Kim is her delightful standard poodle, Rorschach, whose bravery is tested many times and who saves Kim’s life.
What I liked best about this book:
• likeable, logical, believable heroine
• information about diamonds, real and artificial
• scary villains
• Kim’s varied and assorted helpers, which include several old ladies and a mischievous dachshund
• believable plot with lots of action
• a great potential boyfriend whose manhood isn’t threatened by independent, brainy, determined Kim
If you are tired of ditzy heroines who are TSTL (too stupid to live) or rude heroines who beat up huge bad guys while wearing short, tight miniskirts and stiletto heels, read this book. If you like mysteries in which the heroine’s family and pets liven things up, for good and for ill, read this book. If you like jewelry, read this book. In short, read this book.
If you are picky about ebook readability, have no qualms about THE BLUE DIAMOND. The book is a model for ebooks in its professionalism: It is excellently formatted, has fewer typos than most books pubbed by New York these days, and is beautifully written, with not a single sentence to stumble over.
June 15, 2018
A Fast-Paced, Engaging New Series; Dare I Say, a True Diamond!
4.25 Stars!! It's wonderful to find a new cozy mystery author who can keep you wanting to read through the night! For me, Lynn Franklin is that author. I loved reading "The Blue Diamond." I don't know much about the precious jewels market, so it was educational and enjoyable to read such a well-written story. I also enjoyed getting to know Kim, her family, their friends, potential love interests, and Rory and Al! And, of course, it is always divine to read without the interruption of bad grammar and punctuation errors!! Those things, combined with no coarse language and no inappropriate sexual content, make Ms, Franklin an author whose work I will seek out, for many years to come!! Thankfully, there is already a second book in this series, which I will begin reading immediately!
4.25 Stars!! It's wonderful to find a new cozy mystery author who can keep you wanting to read through the night! For me, Lynn Franklin is that author. I loved reading "The Blue Diamond." I don't know much about the precious jewels market, so it was educational and enjoyable to read such a well-written story. I also enjoyed getting to know Kim, her family, their friends, potential love interests, and Rory and Al! And, of course, it is always divine to read without the interruption of bad grammar and punctuation errors!! Those things, combined with no coarse language and no inappropriate sexual content, make Ms, Franklin an author whose work I will seek out, for many years to come!! Thankfully, there is already a second book in this series, which I will begin reading immediately!
January 31, 2018
Good book
Very well written, from a reader who reads a book a day. Engaging storyline, personable protagonist, excellent worthwhile read.
Thanks for writing it.
Very well written, from a reader who reads a book a day. Engaging storyline, personable protagonist, excellent worthwhile read.
Thanks for writing it.
August 26, 2018
What a fun book. It's a fast read, and has great tidbits to learn from the author's knowledge of the gem world. Great summer read!
March 19, 2024
Fast paced and an easy read. Keeps your interest. Not a fan of clicker training but love poodles!
June 24, 2014
I mostly read thrillers but couldn't resist picking up this book with the combo of canine sidekick and OOOH, SHINY! gemstones. I'm known for my sparkly jewelry and so the details about diamonds, fake stones, grading gemstones, where they're found (in America, who knew?!) proved fascinating--and turned out to be key to solving the mayhem. Rory the Standard Poodle offered a fun and refreshing comic relief and acted like a real dog. He even got in on the mystery solution. The backstory of the main character, Kim, offers room for this young woman to grow as the series progresses. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more from this author.
March 4, 2016
Cute first book by the author Lynn Franklin. I learned quite a bit about the diamond world, which was interesting. The plot was interesting, but there was a lot of digression and stuff that seemed to hinder the real story. I'm not certain that I will read another of her books. Perhaps in a few years......
June 6, 2012
The Blue Diamond is a great start to a new series. The story will gripe you from the beginning. With the main characters being people that you want to meet and get to know better and know that there can be many more adventures.
June 10, 2012
This is a great first book in a new mystery series. Lynn Franklin really makes you care about her characters and what happens to them. I'd like to hear more about Osprey Beach, though. I definitely did not see the ending coming. Great job, Lynn! Looking forward to the next installment.
April 29, 2017
Keeps your attention
Maybe I'm alone, but I never suspected one of the final "villains." I really got sidetracked by a minor character, and even wondered about Scott briefly. Well-told tale, it kept my interest and gave me hope that I can more cheaply indulge my love for blue diamonds.
Maybe I'm alone, but I never suspected one of the final "villains." I really got sidetracked by a minor character, and even wondered about Scott briefly. Well-told tale, it kept my interest and gave me hope that I can more cheaply indulge my love for blue diamonds.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews