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Diamond Fever!: A True Crime Story in the Wild West
A fun, high-stakes true crime story story set in the Wild West. Perfect for fans of MONA LISA VANISHES!
"Steve Sheinkin is more than an author―he’s a time traveler whose deep research and fabulous writing whisk readers on thrilling rides through history. Kids will be transfixed by this unbelievable-but-true story of Gilded Age diamond hunters, swindlers, and train robbers. It is one of my absolute favorites!" ―Lauren Tarshis, bestselling author of the I SURVIVED series
"A rollicking―and well-researched―adventure story... A sparkling accomplishment. " ― Kirkus, starred review
Late one night two travel-weary miners, Philip Arnold and John Slack, show up at a businessman’s office in San Francisco. The miners seem nervous. They’ve got something that needs to be locked in a safe overnight. What is it? Well, that really has to stay secret, but it’s…
DIAMONDS! And lots of them.
Had these two miners just discovered America’s first diamond mine? Well, this is the Gold Rush era after all. Plenty of people are striking it rich. Anything is possible.
When word of the find hits the streets, diamond fever sweeps the country. Wealthy investors are desperate to elbow Arnold and Slack aside and seize control―but can they persuade the miners to reveal the location of their bonanza? At the same time, thousands of prospectors fan out across the mountains and deserts of the West―will one of them find the site before greedy bankers grab everything for themselves?
In this high-stakes Western adventure, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Steve Sheinkin tells the true story of the Great Diamond Hoax of 1872, a rollicking tale of heists and hijinks, scams and scoundrels―and the last-minute triumph of a most unlikely hero.
"Steve Sheinkin is more than an author―he’s a time traveler whose deep research and fabulous writing whisk readers on thrilling rides through history. Kids will be transfixed by this unbelievable-but-true story of Gilded Age diamond hunters, swindlers, and train robbers. It is one of my absolute favorites!" ―Lauren Tarshis, bestselling author of the I SURVIVED series
"A rollicking―and well-researched―adventure story... A sparkling accomplishment. " ― Kirkus, starred review
Late one night two travel-weary miners, Philip Arnold and John Slack, show up at a businessman’s office in San Francisco. The miners seem nervous. They’ve got something that needs to be locked in a safe overnight. What is it? Well, that really has to stay secret, but it’s…
DIAMONDS! And lots of them.
Had these two miners just discovered America’s first diamond mine? Well, this is the Gold Rush era after all. Plenty of people are striking it rich. Anything is possible.
When word of the find hits the streets, diamond fever sweeps the country. Wealthy investors are desperate to elbow Arnold and Slack aside and seize control―but can they persuade the miners to reveal the location of their bonanza? At the same time, thousands of prospectors fan out across the mountains and deserts of the West―will one of them find the site before greedy bankers grab everything for themselves?
In this high-stakes Western adventure, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Steve Sheinkin tells the true story of the Great Diamond Hoax of 1872, a rollicking tale of heists and hijinks, scams and scoundrels―and the last-minute triumph of a most unlikely hero.
Audible Audio
Published May 12, 2026
About the author
Steve Sheinkin
49 books727 followersFrom: http://stevesheinkin.com/about/
I was born in Brooklyn, NY, and my family lived in Mississippi and Colorado before moving back to New York and settling in the suburbs north of New York City. As a kid my favorite books were action stories and outdoor adventures: sea stories, searches for buried treasure, sharks eating people… that kind of thing. Probably my all-time favorite was a book called Mutiny on the Bounty, a novel based on the true story of a famous mutiny aboard a British ship in the late 1700s.
I went to Syracuse University and studied communications and international relations. The highlight of those years was a summer I spent in Central America, where I worked on a documentary on the streets of Nicaragua.
After college I moved to Washington, D.C., and worked for an environmental group called the National Audubon Society. Then, when my brother Ari graduated from college a few years later, we decided to move to Austin, Texas, and make movies together. We lived like paupers in a house with a hole in the floor where bugs crawled in. We wrote some screenplays, and in 1995 made our own feature film, a comedy called A More Perfect Union (filing pictured below), about four young guys who decide to secede from the Union and declare their rented house to be an independent nation. We were sure it was going to be a huge hit; actually we ended up deep in debt.
After that I moved to Brooklyn and decided to find some way to make a living as a writer. I wrote short stories, screenplays, and worked on a comic called The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey. In 2006, after literally hundreds of rejections, my first Rabbi Harvey graphic novel was finally published.
Meanwhile, I started working for an educational publishing company, just for the money. We’d hire people to write history textbooks, and they’d send in their writing, and it was my job to check facts and make little edits to clarify the text. Once in a while I was given the chance to write little pieces of textbooks, like one-page biographies or skills lessons. “Understanding Bar Graphs” was one of my early works. The editors noticed that my writing was pretty good. They started giving me less editing to do, and more writing. Gradually, I began writing chapters for textbooks, and that turned into my full-time job. All the while, I kept working on my own writing projects.
In 2008 I wrote my last textbook. I walked away, and shall never return. My first non-textbook history book was King George: What Was His Problem? – full of all the stories about the American Revolution that I was never allowed to put into textbooks. But looking back, I actually feel pretty lucky to have spent all those years writing textbooks. It forced me to write every day, which is great practice. And I collected hundreds of stories that I can’t wait to tell.
These days, I live with my wife, Rachel, and our two young kids in Saratoga Springs, New York. We’re right down the road from the Saratoga National Historical Park, the site of Benedict Arnold’s greatest – and last – victory in an American uniform. But that’s not why I moved here. Honestly.
I was born in Brooklyn, NY, and my family lived in Mississippi and Colorado before moving back to New York and settling in the suburbs north of New York City. As a kid my favorite books were action stories and outdoor adventures: sea stories, searches for buried treasure, sharks eating people… that kind of thing. Probably my all-time favorite was a book called Mutiny on the Bounty, a novel based on the true story of a famous mutiny aboard a British ship in the late 1700s.
I went to Syracuse University and studied communications and international relations. The highlight of those years was a summer I spent in Central America, where I worked on a documentary on the streets of Nicaragua.
After college I moved to Washington, D.C., and worked for an environmental group called the National Audubon Society. Then, when my brother Ari graduated from college a few years later, we decided to move to Austin, Texas, and make movies together. We lived like paupers in a house with a hole in the floor where bugs crawled in. We wrote some screenplays, and in 1995 made our own feature film, a comedy called A More Perfect Union (filing pictured below), about four young guys who decide to secede from the Union and declare their rented house to be an independent nation. We were sure it was going to be a huge hit; actually we ended up deep in debt.
After that I moved to Brooklyn and decided to find some way to make a living as a writer. I wrote short stories, screenplays, and worked on a comic called The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey. In 2006, after literally hundreds of rejections, my first Rabbi Harvey graphic novel was finally published.
Meanwhile, I started working for an educational publishing company, just for the money. We’d hire people to write history textbooks, and they’d send in their writing, and it was my job to check facts and make little edits to clarify the text. Once in a while I was given the chance to write little pieces of textbooks, like one-page biographies or skills lessons. “Understanding Bar Graphs” was one of my early works. The editors noticed that my writing was pretty good. They started giving me less editing to do, and more writing. Gradually, I began writing chapters for textbooks, and that turned into my full-time job. All the while, I kept working on my own writing projects.
In 2008 I wrote my last textbook. I walked away, and shall never return. My first non-textbook history book was King George: What Was His Problem? – full of all the stories about the American Revolution that I was never allowed to put into textbooks. But looking back, I actually feel pretty lucky to have spent all those years writing textbooks. It forced me to write every day, which is great practice. And I collected hundreds of stories that I can’t wait to tell.
These days, I live with my wife, Rachel, and our two young kids in Saratoga Springs, New York. We’re right down the road from the Saratoga National Historical Park, the site of Benedict Arnold’s greatest – and last – victory in an American uniform. But that’s not why I moved here. Honestly.
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August 7, 2026This was a little hard for me to follow at the beginning but I ended up loving it
July 4, 2026
Great story! Confusing to keep track of who's who/important in some places;) Should have read the paper copy more... Perhaps it had a timeline drawn out.
June 10, 2026
Steve Sheinkin is a master storyteller! I loved every second of this book. What a story to tell! Great illustrations by Jon Chad as well.
June 8, 2026
Kids who are interested in true crime and/or the "Wild West" may find this account of the Great Diamond Hoax of 1872 compelling. It's well written and humorous, though it's not a page-turner like so many of Sheinkin's other books. For me, a Wikipedia page would've satisfied. This account includes so many white men that I gave up trying to keep them straight, and the events started to feel repetitive, with men constantly searching for the location of the diamond mine (or being led on winding, purposely misleading expeditions toward it). The inclusion of a few pages of comics here and there was fine; I'm not sure they really served a purpose beyond giving a bit of visual interest. Maybe kids can't read a book without some pictures in it nowadays (or maybe I'm just a cynical 30-something-year-old).
May 25, 2026
Richie’s Picks: DIAMOND FEVER! A TRUE CRIME STORY IN THE WILD WEST by Steve Sheinkin and Jon Chad, ill., Macmillan/Roaring Brook, May 2026, 256p., ISBN: 978-1-250-26574-6
“A kiss on the hand
May be quite continental
But diamonds are a girl's best friend
A kiss may be grand
But it won't pay the rental
On your humble flat
Or help you at the automat
Men grow cold
As girls grow old
And we all lose our charms in the end
But square-cut or pear-shaped
These rocks don't lose their shape
Diamonds are a girl's best friend”
– Leo Robin & Jule Styne (1949)
“About an hour after midnight on November 5, 1870, five men with bandanas tied over their faces huddled by the tracks in Verdi, Nevada. It was a freezing night, with a dusting of snow on the hard ground. Finally, the men saw what they were waiting for—the beam of a train’s headlamp, growing brighter as it approached. The eastbound train, loaded with payroll for miners in nearby Virginia City, stopped briefly in Verdi.
As it clattered out of town, the masked men leapt aboard.
Led by A. J. Davis, the gang detached the passenger cars at the back of the train. These cars, and their snoozing travelers, fell behind and were soon out of sight. Pulling pistols from their belts, the bandits forced the engineer to drive on. Davis stopped what was left of the train at a remote spot between Verdi and Reno. His men banged on the door of the express car, where valuable shipments were stored.
‘Who’s there?’ asked the guard inside.
One of the gang growled ‘Marshall’—the name of the train’s conductor.
The lock clicked open. The thieves charged in, disarming the guard and busting open strongboxes. They tossed sacks of $20 gold coins into the brush by the side of the rails, jumped
down, divvied up the plunder, and rode off on horses they’d stashed nearby—leaving tracks in the shallow snow.
The entire gang was chased down and captured. Lawmen forced A.J. Davis to lead them to the spot he’d hidden his loot, a clump of sagebrush near a bridge over the Truckee River. An officer kicked away loose dirt, uncovering a freshly dug hole. Davis looked on, ‘sick at heart,’ as one newspaper writer put it, at the sight of gold coins glinting in the sun.
All of the stolen money was recovered—except for 150 coins, which one of the thieves claimed to have buried somewhere on the banks of the Truckee. People have been searching for this treasure ever since. The gold alone in each coin is worth over $3,000 today, and the actual coins, with their unique history, would be worth far more than that.
As far as we know, they’re still out there.
Meanwhile, the Verdi heist went down in history as the first train robbery west of the Rocky Mountains. The gang had stolen $41,600, over a million in today’s money. This was exactly the sort of crime—masked bandits, bags of gold, horses and lawmen and buried treasure—that would be dramatized in magazines and stage plays in the late 1800s, in movies and comics in the 1900s. It was a crime that helped create the image of the Wild West.
But it was nothing compared to the crime about to begin in San Francisco.”
Man, oh, man! How’s that for a Prologue to suck you in?
When a new piece of Steve Sheinkin nonfiction appears, the only thing to do is drop everything else and dive headfirst into his latest fascinating history lesson.
DIAMOND FEVER is a read-it-in-one-night story for young people about a very big historic scam in the Wild West. Two crooked prospectors, cousins from Kentucky, “salted” a made-up mine with uncut diamonds-in-the-rough that they surreptitiously purchased. Then they purposely did a lousy job of keeping their “find” a secret. Selling their shares in what was seen as “the richest diamond find in the history of the world,” they left town with an immense, ill-gotten fortune. The news of the spectacular find spread like wildfire, and the original suckers…err…purchasers sold shares in the mine to others, including to the Rothschilds and Tiffanys.
The punchline is that the Kentucky cousins who imagined and created the fake mine were the only ones who knew where it was. Having led the original buyers over a great distance and a convoluted route to the location of the “mine,” no one but the cousins really knew where it was.
Of course, opportunists immediately looked for a way to make a buck (or a million bucks) off of the action:
“Diamond fever soared higher and higher, turning into a nationwide frenzy. Optimistic investors launched at least twenty-five new diamond companies, preparing to issue the modern equivalent of many billion dollars’ worth of stock.”
Eventually, as you might surmise, the whole scene reaches critical mass, and all hell breaks loose. Indeed, a true story, Steve Sheinkin does a masterful job of developing the story’s real-life, long-ago characters into a corral full of colorful lowlifes you won’t soon forget. My one sorta spoiler is that you should pay full attention to Clarence King, a guy whose sharp mom knew about researching for answers and about whetting a young person’s curiosity.
DIAMOND FEVER is a serious hoot that will thoroughly entertain middle grade and tween readers. Given that the Sibert Medal (the American Library Association’s nonfiction award for young people’s literature) takes into account both text and illustrations, this one, which employs comics to tell bits of the story, certainly merits consideration by that award’s current committee. It is a definite purchase for all collections serving elementary and middle schoolers.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
“A kiss on the hand
May be quite continental
But diamonds are a girl's best friend
A kiss may be grand
But it won't pay the rental
On your humble flat
Or help you at the automat
Men grow cold
As girls grow old
And we all lose our charms in the end
But square-cut or pear-shaped
These rocks don't lose their shape
Diamonds are a girl's best friend”
– Leo Robin & Jule Styne (1949)
“About an hour after midnight on November 5, 1870, five men with bandanas tied over their faces huddled by the tracks in Verdi, Nevada. It was a freezing night, with a dusting of snow on the hard ground. Finally, the men saw what they were waiting for—the beam of a train’s headlamp, growing brighter as it approached. The eastbound train, loaded with payroll for miners in nearby Virginia City, stopped briefly in Verdi.
As it clattered out of town, the masked men leapt aboard.
Led by A. J. Davis, the gang detached the passenger cars at the back of the train. These cars, and their snoozing travelers, fell behind and were soon out of sight. Pulling pistols from their belts, the bandits forced the engineer to drive on. Davis stopped what was left of the train at a remote spot between Verdi and Reno. His men banged on the door of the express car, where valuable shipments were stored.
‘Who’s there?’ asked the guard inside.
One of the gang growled ‘Marshall’—the name of the train’s conductor.
The lock clicked open. The thieves charged in, disarming the guard and busting open strongboxes. They tossed sacks of $20 gold coins into the brush by the side of the rails, jumped
down, divvied up the plunder, and rode off on horses they’d stashed nearby—leaving tracks in the shallow snow.
The entire gang was chased down and captured. Lawmen forced A.J. Davis to lead them to the spot he’d hidden his loot, a clump of sagebrush near a bridge over the Truckee River. An officer kicked away loose dirt, uncovering a freshly dug hole. Davis looked on, ‘sick at heart,’ as one newspaper writer put it, at the sight of gold coins glinting in the sun.
All of the stolen money was recovered—except for 150 coins, which one of the thieves claimed to have buried somewhere on the banks of the Truckee. People have been searching for this treasure ever since. The gold alone in each coin is worth over $3,000 today, and the actual coins, with their unique history, would be worth far more than that.
As far as we know, they’re still out there.
Meanwhile, the Verdi heist went down in history as the first train robbery west of the Rocky Mountains. The gang had stolen $41,600, over a million in today’s money. This was exactly the sort of crime—masked bandits, bags of gold, horses and lawmen and buried treasure—that would be dramatized in magazines and stage plays in the late 1800s, in movies and comics in the 1900s. It was a crime that helped create the image of the Wild West.
But it was nothing compared to the crime about to begin in San Francisco.”
Man, oh, man! How’s that for a Prologue to suck you in?
When a new piece of Steve Sheinkin nonfiction appears, the only thing to do is drop everything else and dive headfirst into his latest fascinating history lesson.
DIAMOND FEVER is a read-it-in-one-night story for young people about a very big historic scam in the Wild West. Two crooked prospectors, cousins from Kentucky, “salted” a made-up mine with uncut diamonds-in-the-rough that they surreptitiously purchased. Then they purposely did a lousy job of keeping their “find” a secret. Selling their shares in what was seen as “the richest diamond find in the history of the world,” they left town with an immense, ill-gotten fortune. The news of the spectacular find spread like wildfire, and the original suckers…err…purchasers sold shares in the mine to others, including to the Rothschilds and Tiffanys.
The punchline is that the Kentucky cousins who imagined and created the fake mine were the only ones who knew where it was. Having led the original buyers over a great distance and a convoluted route to the location of the “mine,” no one but the cousins really knew where it was.
Of course, opportunists immediately looked for a way to make a buck (or a million bucks) off of the action:
“Diamond fever soared higher and higher, turning into a nationwide frenzy. Optimistic investors launched at least twenty-five new diamond companies, preparing to issue the modern equivalent of many billion dollars’ worth of stock.”
Eventually, as you might surmise, the whole scene reaches critical mass, and all hell breaks loose. Indeed, a true story, Steve Sheinkin does a masterful job of developing the story’s real-life, long-ago characters into a corral full of colorful lowlifes you won’t soon forget. My one sorta spoiler is that you should pay full attention to Clarence King, a guy whose sharp mom knew about researching for answers and about whetting a young person’s curiosity.
DIAMOND FEVER is a serious hoot that will thoroughly entertain middle grade and tween readers. Given that the Sibert Medal (the American Library Association’s nonfiction award for young people’s literature) takes into account both text and illustrations, this one, which employs comics to tell bits of the story, certainly merits consideration by that award’s current committee. It is a definite purchase for all collections serving elementary and middle schoolers.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
August 30, 2026
What worked:
This narrative is based on factual information, as it retells one of the greatest hoaxes in the 1870s. The first part of the book sounds like a rags-to-riches tale, as two men bring a bag of raw diamonds to a potential investor. The investor determines the diamonds are real and convinces others to put up more money. The whole story sounds like a fantastic opportunity to make millions until the narrator informs readers that the diamond mine never existed! The next section reveals what was happening behind the scenes, as the devious scheme of two small-time miners unfolds. Philip Arnold and John Slack cheat investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars (about 15 million today), and the book shows what really happened as they contacted investors. The pair set up a scenario about an untapped diamond mine, and the initial investor, George Roberts, spreads the story. The lie grows a life of its own!
The book includes black-and-white drawings and short comic strips to support the tale and break up the text. The author inserts interesting anecdotes about other events happening during this same time in history. A comic and pages of text describe Clarence King’s six-year mission to study hundreds of miles of land around the fortieth parallel. His efforts are instrumental in uncovering the fraud. Other parts talk about President Grant being arrested for racing his horse-drawn carriage down a city street, and Susan B. Anthony illegally voting in an election. The last section of the book shares the author’s abundant resources and an index to locate specific topics. Readers also learn that the author visited the actual diamond field from the story while he researched the topic.
What didn’t work as well:
The narrative is a recounting of events, so it may sound dry to young readers. There’s little character development, and the story isn’t embellished to make it sound more creative. However, the book’s purpose is to inform readers through a dramatic retelling of the Wild West hoax.
The final verdict:
The story teaches the lesson that if something seems too good to be true, then it probably isn’t. Young readers may be amazed that the diamond conspiracy actually happened! Overall, I recommend you give this book a shot.
This narrative is based on factual information, as it retells one of the greatest hoaxes in the 1870s. The first part of the book sounds like a rags-to-riches tale, as two men bring a bag of raw diamonds to a potential investor. The investor determines the diamonds are real and convinces others to put up more money. The whole story sounds like a fantastic opportunity to make millions until the narrator informs readers that the diamond mine never existed! The next section reveals what was happening behind the scenes, as the devious scheme of two small-time miners unfolds. Philip Arnold and John Slack cheat investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars (about 15 million today), and the book shows what really happened as they contacted investors. The pair set up a scenario about an untapped diamond mine, and the initial investor, George Roberts, spreads the story. The lie grows a life of its own!
The book includes black-and-white drawings and short comic strips to support the tale and break up the text. The author inserts interesting anecdotes about other events happening during this same time in history. A comic and pages of text describe Clarence King’s six-year mission to study hundreds of miles of land around the fortieth parallel. His efforts are instrumental in uncovering the fraud. Other parts talk about President Grant being arrested for racing his horse-drawn carriage down a city street, and Susan B. Anthony illegally voting in an election. The last section of the book shares the author’s abundant resources and an index to locate specific topics. Readers also learn that the author visited the actual diamond field from the story while he researched the topic.
What didn’t work as well:
The narrative is a recounting of events, so it may sound dry to young readers. There’s little character development, and the story isn’t embellished to make it sound more creative. However, the book’s purpose is to inform readers through a dramatic retelling of the Wild West hoax.
The final verdict:
The story teaches the lesson that if something seems too good to be true, then it probably isn’t. Young readers may be amazed that the diamond conspiracy actually happened! Overall, I recommend you give this book a shot.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
True Crime books are very popular with my students now, and I've even been surprised at how many of my students will read Day and Helquist's The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity. While I love history, I'm not as big a fan of true Crime, and while I enjoy mysteries, I am rubbish at keeping all of the clues straight.
Diamond Fever will be a popular choice for nonfiction projects, and comes in at 256 pages, which meets the "over 200 pages" requirements. I could give a synopsis of all of the characters and the back and forth of the story, but since there is a list complete with thumbnails of the participants at the front of the book, there are just too many characters for me.
Suffice it to say, there were two very wily and somewhat evil men, cousins Philip Arnold and John Slack, who is 1871 put in place a very elaborate hoax that there was a diamond mine somewhere in the west. They got all manner of well respected men drawn into the hoax, and strung them along for years, trying to get legal rights to the mine so they could see stocks. There were even some British connections to this, and men like Charles Lewis Tiffany and Henry Janin were involved. Land was salted with diamonds and rubies that were probably bought in London, and it took a government surveyor, Clarence King, to uncover the hoax. This no doubt was covered sensationally in the newspapers, and I sort of want to travel to Elizabethtown, Kentucky to see the Arnold sites.
Students will enjoy the travels, the intrigue, and the snarky tone that Sheinkin employs. Even narrative nonfiction can be a little dry, and when you're working on a project for a month or more, it's good to have an engaging title. This will be right up there with Fleming's The Curse of the Mummy and Seiple's Byrd and Igloo for handing to students who are reluctant to read nonfiction. The inclusion of comic style panels throughout won't hurt!
True Crime books are very popular with my students now, and I've even been surprised at how many of my students will read Day and Helquist's The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity. While I love history, I'm not as big a fan of true Crime, and while I enjoy mysteries, I am rubbish at keeping all of the clues straight.
Diamond Fever will be a popular choice for nonfiction projects, and comes in at 256 pages, which meets the "over 200 pages" requirements. I could give a synopsis of all of the characters and the back and forth of the story, but since there is a list complete with thumbnails of the participants at the front of the book, there are just too many characters for me.
Suffice it to say, there were two very wily and somewhat evil men, cousins Philip Arnold and John Slack, who is 1871 put in place a very elaborate hoax that there was a diamond mine somewhere in the west. They got all manner of well respected men drawn into the hoax, and strung them along for years, trying to get legal rights to the mine so they could see stocks. There were even some British connections to this, and men like Charles Lewis Tiffany and Henry Janin were involved. Land was salted with diamonds and rubies that were probably bought in London, and it took a government surveyor, Clarence King, to uncover the hoax. This no doubt was covered sensationally in the newspapers, and I sort of want to travel to Elizabethtown, Kentucky to see the Arnold sites.
Students will enjoy the travels, the intrigue, and the snarky tone that Sheinkin employs. Even narrative nonfiction can be a little dry, and when you're working on a project for a month or more, it's good to have an engaging title. This will be right up there with Fleming's The Curse of the Mummy and Seiple's Byrd and Igloo for handing to students who are reluctant to read nonfiction. The inclusion of comic style panels throughout won't hurt!
August 7, 2026
Although well-researched, and written in the same captivating style of Sheinkin's other wonderful non-fiction books, this one dragged in telling this story of a very specific incident of swindlers and fraudsters and their targets; people who thought they could get rich quick from someone else's discovery of a rare natural resource.
I would have loved this book IF it had included information about the REAL diamond mines, the labor conditions there, the greedy landowners and others who have exploited those people and those regions for generation after generation, and those who got rich quick from mining those resources, who consolidated their power and influence, and who pumped up the value using wild claims and also controlling the supply.
There IS a fascinating and relevant story in how human beings have done this with rare or scarce resources - but in this case, Sheinkin decided to keep a narrow focus on one incident that in the end was not particularly memorable. The focus is on the ridiculousness of the claim, and the unlikelihood of people at the time to recognize it and figure out what was happening.
However, IF it was related to similar incidents by others in different epochs, or to the background assumptions that make this sort of swindle possible (then and NOW), it would be incredibly relevant and useful to young readers - to learn how to spot the difference between a factual claim and a hoax, or (if that's not possible) to learn how to not risk funds or reputation without solid reasoning.
The very sad thing is that there will always be people willing to perpetrate hoaxes, and others gullible enough to fall for them, although the specifics of what it concerns and how the swindlers manage it will be updated with new technology. That is WHY it would have been so great if Sheinkin had used this one incident as a metaphor, while explaining more about the history of hoaxes and where we are today.
I would have loved this book IF it had included information about the REAL diamond mines, the labor conditions there, the greedy landowners and others who have exploited those people and those regions for generation after generation, and those who got rich quick from mining those resources, who consolidated their power and influence, and who pumped up the value using wild claims and also controlling the supply.
There IS a fascinating and relevant story in how human beings have done this with rare or scarce resources - but in this case, Sheinkin decided to keep a narrow focus on one incident that in the end was not particularly memorable. The focus is on the ridiculousness of the claim, and the unlikelihood of people at the time to recognize it and figure out what was happening.
However, IF it was related to similar incidents by others in different epochs, or to the background assumptions that make this sort of swindle possible (then and NOW), it would be incredibly relevant and useful to young readers - to learn how to spot the difference between a factual claim and a hoax, or (if that's not possible) to learn how to not risk funds or reputation without solid reasoning.
The very sad thing is that there will always be people willing to perpetrate hoaxes, and others gullible enough to fall for them, although the specifics of what it concerns and how the swindlers manage it will be updated with new technology. That is WHY it would have been so great if Sheinkin had used this one incident as a metaphor, while explaining more about the history of hoaxes and where we are today.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2026
Saddle up, readers! This week’s Middle Grade Book Mail takes us straight into the Wild West for a true crime story filled with diamonds, greed, mystery, and plenty of drama.
I was excited to receive this book because I haven’t read many books about the Wild West, and honestly, who can resist a true crime story involving missing diamonds?
From the moment I opened the book, I knew I was in for a fun ride. Each chapter includes comic panels, telegrams, notes, and humorous illustrations with speech bubbles. These creative elements blend seamlessly with the factual information, making history come alive in an engaging and accessible way.
I started reading the physical copy that @mackidsbooks generously sent me, but with my busy schedule, I also picked up the audiobook—and wow, am I glad I did! The audiobook was fantastic. The narration, combined with music inspired by the time period, made the story feel even more immersive. Whether you choose the print edition, the audiobook, or both, you really can’t go wrong.
If you enjoy history, true crime, science, or stories about greed gone wrong, this book delivers a little bit of everything. It reminded me of The Mona Lisa Vanishes because it reads like an exciting fictional adventure, yet every surprising twist is true.
I can see why Patti @mamadaughterbookclub selected this title for the #NewberyContenderChallenge. With its unique subject matter, creative format, and engaging storytelling, it’s a book that keeps readers riding along until the very last page. I already know my grandson is going to love this one.
A big thank you to @mackidsbooks, Steve Sheinkin (@stevesheinkin), Jon Chad (@jonchlaunch), and Roaring Brook Press for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
❓Do you enjoy true crime books for middle grade readers, or are you more likely to pick up a historical fiction adventure?
I was excited to receive this book because I haven’t read many books about the Wild West, and honestly, who can resist a true crime story involving missing diamonds?
From the moment I opened the book, I knew I was in for a fun ride. Each chapter includes comic panels, telegrams, notes, and humorous illustrations with speech bubbles. These creative elements blend seamlessly with the factual information, making history come alive in an engaging and accessible way.
I started reading the physical copy that @mackidsbooks generously sent me, but with my busy schedule, I also picked up the audiobook—and wow, am I glad I did! The audiobook was fantastic. The narration, combined with music inspired by the time period, made the story feel even more immersive. Whether you choose the print edition, the audiobook, or both, you really can’t go wrong.
If you enjoy history, true crime, science, or stories about greed gone wrong, this book delivers a little bit of everything. It reminded me of The Mona Lisa Vanishes because it reads like an exciting fictional adventure, yet every surprising twist is true.
I can see why Patti @mamadaughterbookclub selected this title for the #NewberyContenderChallenge. With its unique subject matter, creative format, and engaging storytelling, it’s a book that keeps readers riding along until the very last page. I already know my grandson is going to love this one.
A big thank you to @mackidsbooks, Steve Sheinkin (@stevesheinkin), Jon Chad (@jonchlaunch), and Roaring Brook Press for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
❓Do you enjoy true crime books for middle grade readers, or are you more likely to pick up a historical fiction adventure?
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Follow a motley crew of shady characters -- swindlers, grifters, and spin doctors -- on this fantastic adventure-heist-detective story, with a hint of The Amazing Race and Survivor during the Gilded Age about 15 years after the Gold Rush.
Full of twists, political bribes, showdowns, and little-known vignettes about well-known men and women. Throw in some confirmation bias that greatly impacts what happens. It's also a story about how science prevailed and managed to prevent what would likely have been an unprecedented economic disaster. What transpires was only made possible by the one-year-old Transcontinental Railroad, along with the lack of knowledge about the the geography of the West, where vast parts of the country had not yet been mapped.
As with all of his books, Sheinkin showcases his comprehensive research for details, including the colorful language of the time, along with his ability to structure a complex story with clear connections between characters and events while contextualizing them through a wider lens of history.
Sheinkin, along with artist Jon Chad, interweaves comics throughout the book -- a combination of graphics and narrative that will be especially appealing and interesting to middle grade and YA readers. At one point, Sheinkin and Chad outline clues that some surveyors gathered about the location of the diamond field with explanations for the significance of each clue -- helping readers synthesize information and think like a detective along with them. Even the epilogue holds surprises.
A fun and fascinating read!
Full of twists, political bribes, showdowns, and little-known vignettes about well-known men and women. Throw in some confirmation bias that greatly impacts what happens. It's also a story about how science prevailed and managed to prevent what would likely have been an unprecedented economic disaster. What transpires was only made possible by the one-year-old Transcontinental Railroad, along with the lack of knowledge about the the geography of the West, where vast parts of the country had not yet been mapped.
As with all of his books, Sheinkin showcases his comprehensive research for details, including the colorful language of the time, along with his ability to structure a complex story with clear connections between characters and events while contextualizing them through a wider lens of history.
Sheinkin, along with artist Jon Chad, interweaves comics throughout the book -- a combination of graphics and narrative that will be especially appealing and interesting to middle grade and YA readers. At one point, Sheinkin and Chad outline clues that some surveyors gathered about the location of the diamond field with explanations for the significance of each clue -- helping readers synthesize information and think like a detective along with them. Even the epilogue holds surprises.
A fun and fascinating read!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Sheinkin has done it again, delivering a beautifully-written, fast-paced, cinematic true story packed with fascinating historic details. Gold fever had ebbed, fortunes had been made, and San Francisco was a boom town in 1870 when two small-time miners stepped into the office of an investor, needing his safe to store a sack that must be locked up and keep secret. Poured out on the desk were a pile of rough stones—diamonds! Chad’s deft, greyscale cartoons engage and ground readers. A visual cast of characters helps keep the complex story straight, and multi-page comics introduce each of the six parts of the story. Sheinken’s exemplary research and framing deliver both a rip-roaring adventure and the momentous moments in U.S. history that set the stage for diamond fever. Readers learn how the transcontinental railroad, the mapping of the frontier, and the glittering Gilded Age were all essential to the diamond-hunting frenzy that gripped the country. Back matter includes an epilogue, author’s note, source notes, and bibliography. Most characters are white, but African Americans and Native Americans are part of the story. Includes California-specific content. Review based on an ARC. Thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Brook fro a review copy in return for an unbiased review.
June 25, 2026
Sheinkin delivers another great non-fiction book for middle schoolers.
Although I didn't love it quite as much as Bomb, it tells a little-known story about a diamond scam in the late 1800s. Kids will learn that scamming is nothing new; people have always been trying to get rich quick by fooling someone else.
Two men lure a number of people into investing into a diamond field that only they know the location of. The field was verified by an expert, then a company was formed, then the land was surveyed. Meanwhile, the two original men sold their shares for a small fortune.
Since there are a number of people in this story, there is (wisely) a two-page spread at the beginning of the book with names and illustrated faces. Each major section begins with a graphic novel-like introduction, to which kid readers will definitely pay attention.
I found it easy to forget who was who in the story, but the plot really drives the story. Will the two instigators get away with it? How was everyone so fooled? Sheinkin presents many sides to the story, especially since we are now so far removed from the time that it would be difficult to determine just how guilty various people were.
Although I didn't love it quite as much as Bomb, it tells a little-known story about a diamond scam in the late 1800s. Kids will learn that scamming is nothing new; people have always been trying to get rich quick by fooling someone else.
Two men lure a number of people into investing into a diamond field that only they know the location of. The field was verified by an expert, then a company was formed, then the land was surveyed. Meanwhile, the two original men sold their shares for a small fortune.
Since there are a number of people in this story, there is (wisely) a two-page spread at the beginning of the book with names and illustrated faces. Each major section begins with a graphic novel-like introduction, to which kid readers will definitely pay attention.
I found it easy to forget who was who in the story, but the plot really drives the story. Will the two instigators get away with it? How was everyone so fooled? Sheinkin presents many sides to the story, especially since we are now so far removed from the time that it would be difficult to determine just how guilty various people were.
August 31, 2026
I read this for Juvenile Book Club and I'm planning an escape room. It took me a minute to get all of the characters straight, and I could see how some of the sentences in this book would be tricky for the ages 9-12 that this is recommended for: "'The information thus gathered was rather meagre,' Samuel Emmons later said, 'and might seem to some of a very trifling petty character, but with our intimate knowledge of the geology and topography of the region it was sufficient to determine for us the precise locality, within a radius of perhaps fifteen miles.'" I think it would've been cool to have some of these primary source sentences broken down beneath, as a special feature of the book, with a text box and a magnifying glass graphic or something. Or, maybe that sentence is considered a fourth grade level and I'm just underestimating 9-12 year-olds. But... I don't really think so based on the kids I know and what I've read about literacy levels in our country. Overall, I think interplaying the graphic novel sections with the text created a nice stepping stone for children to reach beyond picture books/graphic novels. They get the best of both worlds, to quote Hannah Montana. I'm giving the book four stars because, personally, this story just wasn't my kind of thing.
Read
September 4, 20269.4.26. 7+. RO Book. Clean. Comics make accessible.
1870's San Fran & US West
Late on a November night in 1870, 2 mining cousins walked into an investor's office in San Fransisco. Philip Arnold & John Slack had a bag full of uncut diamonds & needed a safe place to store them. The investor (George Roberts) said he'd be happy to store them in his safe. But where had the diamonds come from? Arnold & Slack wouldn't say, though they hinted they had found a diamond mine somewhere in the American West. Not surprisingly, Roberts couldn't keep such a potentially massive investment a secret, and soon, the diamond rush of 1870 was started. It would go on to involve not only wealthy investors in San Fran, but extend to NYC to involve those as famous as Charles Tiffany. There was just 1 problem: the whole thing (the diamonds, the mine, the investment) was a hoax.
Contains comics at beginning of each section. Fast-paced. Connects to modern-day Ponzi schemes at the end w/ discussions of Madoff and internet scams.
1870's San Fran & US West
Late on a November night in 1870, 2 mining cousins walked into an investor's office in San Fransisco. Philip Arnold & John Slack had a bag full of uncut diamonds & needed a safe place to store them. The investor (George Roberts) said he'd be happy to store them in his safe. But where had the diamonds come from? Arnold & Slack wouldn't say, though they hinted they had found a diamond mine somewhere in the American West. Not surprisingly, Roberts couldn't keep such a potentially massive investment a secret, and soon, the diamond rush of 1870 was started. It would go on to involve not only wealthy investors in San Fran, but extend to NYC to involve those as famous as Charles Tiffany. There was just 1 problem: the whole thing (the diamonds, the mine, the investment) was a hoax.
Contains comics at beginning of each section. Fast-paced. Connects to modern-day Ponzi schemes at the end w/ discussions of Madoff and internet scams.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I loved reading about this little know historical nugget about 1870 America. The events that unfolded in this book is now known as the Great Diamond Hoax.
With gold fever in the air, it was just a matter of time when the possibility of finding other precious stones can be found in wild untamed American West.
The scammer of the diamond hoax came in at the right time. Philip Arnold and John Slack convince some investors that they have found the real deal. Readers will follow along as they reel investors in and also how they really screwed them over.
If you love true-life stories that are also entertaining, this is the book to pick up.
Additional review here :
https://www.theepochtimes.com/bright/...
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.
With gold fever in the air, it was just a matter of time when the possibility of finding other precious stones can be found in wild untamed American West.
The scammer of the diamond hoax came in at the right time. Philip Arnold and John Slack convince some investors that they have found the real deal. Readers will follow along as they reel investors in and also how they really screwed them over.
If you love true-life stories that are also entertaining, this is the book to pick up.
Additional review here :
https://www.theepochtimes.com/bright/...
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.
August 14, 2026
Steve Sheinkn is an excellent nonfiction author. He has written books for a wide level of readers. This is an easier reading level like Lincoln’s Grave Robbers. The addition of graphic novel pages dispersed through the book is an excellent hook for reluctant readers or for readers that have been turned off to nonfiction from sitting around a kidney shaped table reading dry nonfiction booklets with an alphabet letter on the back- leveling the books. I thought the brief note connecting to modern day scams like Madoff was excellent- this would be a great springboard into researching modern day scams and doing some comparing and contrasting. This book, as most nonfiction, will probably not get any Newbery notice- but wish it would as 2026 has not been a great year so far for Children’s Literature. This title would get my vote.
August 15, 2026
Steve Sheinkin has a way of finding strange but true American history stories that usually don't find their way into the history books. Back in 1870 two men Philip Arnold and John Slack claimed that they had discovered a diamond mine. They enlisted the help of various businessmen from San Francisco and engineer Henry Janin, who was a leading mine inspector at the time. Arnold and Slack took their possible investors to the site near the Wyoming and Colorado border where more diamonds were found and Janin claimed the mine was legit, so Arnold and Slack sold their shares of the mine. That's just the beginning of the story as the diamond discovery was nothing more than an elaborate con. Recommend for tween readers who like true crime stories blended with the history of the American west and the beginning of the Guilded Age.
August 16, 2026
This book is delightful! It's edge-of-your-seat narrative nonfiction for middle grade readers. In 1870, miners Arnold and Slack bring a bag of rough diamonds and rubies to a San Francisco banker for safekeeping. They ask him to keep it a secret, but (of course) he doesn't. Word gets out, and diamond fever takes hold. Meanwhile, the two miners bring back a much bigger load of gems. There's a race to make a claim on the mine before others find it. Everyone is so dazzled by the diamonds, they forget to slow down and do their due diligence. The author takes us through the story from beginning to the very end.
Plenty of illustrations, including comic pages showing key parts of the action, break up the prose, which is vivid and engaging. The author includes copious source notes, an index, and an interesting note about how he tackled his research.
Plenty of illustrations, including comic pages showing key parts of the action, break up the prose, which is vivid and engaging. The author includes copious source notes, an index, and an interesting note about how he tackled his research.
September 3, 2026
Cildren's nonfiction without the staying power of the author's " Bomb." Cousin prospectors Phil Arnold and John Slack walked into financier George Roberts's office in San Francisco in November 1870 and asked him to hold a bag of stones for them overnight. And thus, began what came to be known as the Great Diamond Hoax. Arnold and Slack soon had a group of investors eager to purchase the land on which the so-called diamond mine existed. Circumstances of the time permitted the cousins to pull off the crime by "salting" a remote corner of land—planting fragments of purchased rough diamonds and rubies—along the border of Wyoming and Colorado. Hundreds of people became involved directly or indirectly through newspaper reporting and rumors, further driving the diamond fever. Only the efforts of geologists interested in protecting their reputations led to the hoax's discovery.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I found this book fascinating! I was not familiar with the diamond fever that swept across the Wild West and Steve Sheinkin brought this real-life adventure to life just like a Wild West film! The entire story is absolutely bananas and you'd almost believe that it's the work of fiction, except for the extensive bibliography and Sheinkin's own adventure searching for the diamond field himself!
The characters are larger than life and honestly so conniving and clever, I loved learning about the well-known geographer, Clarence King, and I think. this will appeal to readers who love reading about history and real life stories, but will also appeal to adventure seekers looking for a page-turning story!
Thank you to Penguin Random House for a NetGalley eARC to read and review.
The characters are larger than life and honestly so conniving and clever, I loved learning about the well-known geographer, Clarence King, and I think. this will appeal to readers who love reading about history and real life stories, but will also appeal to adventure seekers looking for a page-turning story!
Thank you to Penguin Random House for a NetGalley eARC to read and review.
May 30, 2026
I thought this was a graphic novel, but it’s actually a regular chapter book with many chapters having several pages of drawings. That said, it was a really good book. Great for the 3rd-5th grade range, I feel. It was a fun read and I had no idea about the great diamond hoax! We all know about gold rush hoaxes, but I had never heard of this one and it was really interesting. I can’t imagine the ingenuity it took to pull this off, but they do indeed and it could have been much more catastrophic if they hadn’t been caught in the nick of time. This is a fun, fast paced adventure story that will appeal to a lot kids. When you make history interesting, kids will be more excited to learn. The author definitely achieved that! I received an advanced copy in return for my opinion.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Diamond Fever! Is a great heist-true crime story that was as entertaining as it was educational. This will be a perfect read for non-fiction school assignments.
Steve Sheinkin writes a well plotted story along with slang, travel and politics of the times. We travel along with Philip Arnold and John Slack as they swindle some of the most powerful businessmen and politicians of the age.
Illustrator, Jon Chad, provides a cast of characters at the start of the book that is a great help in keeping track of the story. The book interweaves graphic comics throughout that gives it a kid-friendly boost.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
An exploration of a true crime story that didn't involve dead bodies but gold out west in a true wild west story that intersperses comics with the full story introducing readers to a cast of upstanding an not-so-upstanding citizens out to make a buck in the west and mining diamonds.
It's a neat story, one that I'm sure took a lot of research as evidenced by Sheinkin's source notes. You can do a little diamond digging yourself (if you visit Herkimer near where I grew up) or even doing a little fun sandbox dig of discovery, it was just as much about making a few dollars as scammers and history collide. The combination of story and illustration is also a favorite element.
It's a neat story, one that I'm sure took a lot of research as evidenced by Sheinkin's source notes. You can do a little diamond digging yourself (if you visit Herkimer near where I grew up) or even doing a little fun sandbox dig of discovery, it was just as much about making a few dollars as scammers and history collide. The combination of story and illustration is also a favorite element.
May 27, 2026
Sheinkin's style of narrative nonfiction draws the reader in and keeps hold. You become invested in the people he is writing about and want to know more and more about them.
I was intrigued by the story - I had never heard of the Great Diamond Hoax - and entertained by the illustrations. The artwork was a great addition to the book and added an element of whimsy to a book that could have had a very different - and darker - tone to it.
As always, his book is well researched and provides LOADS of resources & references in the back.
A definite purchase for school libraries of all ages.
Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC!
I was intrigued by the story - I had never heard of the Great Diamond Hoax - and entertained by the illustrations. The artwork was a great addition to the book and added an element of whimsy to a book that could have had a very different - and darker - tone to it.
As always, his book is well researched and provides LOADS of resources & references in the back.
A definite purchase for school libraries of all ages.
Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Sheinkin does a great job of keeping the reader interested while juggling a large cast of characters who are easily confused. The comic sections work to keep things moving along, as the do the quick inserts of concurrent historical events like the Chicago fire. The author doesn't fail to point out the detrimental effects of european exansion in to North America on the land and the indigenous people, nor does he forget to outline what is still unknown about the story. This is a quick, high-interest read that should attract some reluctant readers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Sheinkin does excellent work again in researching a diamond mind hoax from the late 1800s right after the transcontinental railroad was build. The chapters are short and compelling with richly drawn characters. Extensive research notes are in the back and it is evident how much time and care was put into telling the true story. This will be great for upper elementary and middle school. The comics interspersed throughout are fun too. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.
March 8, 2026
I found this book very interesting and highly entertaining! I think my middle school students will enjoy learning about this diamond mining adventure that is a true story. The drawings and comic panels interspersed throughout enhanced the hijinks and “fever” of striking it rich during the late 1800s. I will add it to my middle school library collection and recommend it to students who enjoy graphic nonfiction and narrative nonfiction.
April 1, 2026
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.
A multi-media true crime heist?! My students will love this! The novel blends the mediums well. Though personally, I wish the prose had a more narrative structure to it to help blend the history and graphic panels. The first part was heavy on the background knowledge and exposition, which I understand due but it felt like it dragged a bit. Once I got halfway the pace of the book sped up!
A multi-media true crime heist?! My students will love this! The novel blends the mediums well. Though personally, I wish the prose had a more narrative structure to it to help blend the history and graphic panels. The first part was heavy on the background knowledge and exposition, which I understand due but it felt like it dragged a bit. Once I got halfway the pace of the book sped up!
June 21, 2026
This was so interesting and definitely worth the read if you are interested in this piece of history!
Recommend for ages 11+
Content Guide:
Language: none
Sexual Content: none (there might be mentions of stuff but no details and all within historical context)
Violence/gore: some mild violence
Substance Use: Some mild alcohol use
Prejudices: mentions of rascism
Religious Content: none
Other: scams, nothing major that I can remember
Recommend for ages 11+
Content Guide:
Language: none
Sexual Content: none (there might be mentions of stuff but no details and all within historical context)
Violence/gore: some mild violence
Substance Use: Some mild alcohol use
Prejudices: mentions of rascism
Religious Content: none
Other: scams, nothing major that I can remember
June 21, 2026
True crime heisty book will capture the attention of many kids—especially out in the Wild West. Read on my kindle though I would recommend reading the book book. It seemed longer than it was. Sometimes I struggled getting into it and especially the graphic novel components. But then it all sort of ended and I still had 32% yet to read. The setting of the 1870’s along the 40th parallel will be appealing to my readers.
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