Diamond Men

by Doug Macdougall

Set against the backdrop of the diamond mining boom in Canada's far north, this is a story of money laundering, a Russian criminal gang, and bank accounts in tax havens. Mining engineer William Thompson is leading a double life at a remote diamond mine where he works in the Northwest Territories. He's made a bargain with the devil, and it’s drawing him ever deeper into an abyss from which he’s desperate to escape. But his carefully laid plans to leave it all behind and regain his freedom spawn consequences he could never have imagined. In the swirl of international intrigue that follows, Ed Zelensky, a maverick officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, finds himself immersed in one of the biggest cases of his career, with Thompson at its center. What links Thompson and his activities at the diamond mine to a brutal assault in Mexico, a Russian criminal gang, and large-scale money transfers to banks in the Cayman Islands and Switzerland? Zelensky has to use every trick he knows to get to the truth.

Genres: Ebooks, Fiction, Mystery

428 pages, Paperback

Published March 21, 2016

About the author

Doug Macdougall is a former Professor of Earth Sciences (now Emeritus) at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. Born in Toronto, he currently resides in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Reviews

[Elin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good book that kept you engaged and wanting to read more! It’s a self published book so also worth reading if you’re into supporting this too.

[Marvin Fender · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from the Goodreads Giveaway program on 4/27/2019. Diamond Men is a very well written book with a clever plot and a fast pace. Very easy reading for a nice evening of mystery and escapism. I really liked the story since some of its locals were in Seattle, WA. where I once lived and made the everything more vivid. I would recommend this author she is very good.

[Doreen Ashbrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually a very engrossing story. Well written, with some twists and turns. Thank you Goodreads Giveaways.

[Chester A. Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very intriguing.

Real, authentic individuals caught in a complex scheme by unscrupulous criminals.
Would recommend to anyone who enjoys real, page-turning suspense.

[Janet Kellar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!

[Mrs A · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real page-turner with believable characters. A captivating mystery that reveals the less shiny side of the diamond trade.

[Texjim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book as a intriguing, lengthy, but very fast read. The author takes a very novel and interesting approach. In the first twenty pages one of the main characters is killed and it is obvious to the reader exactly why. The author then carefully guides the reader back and forth between past and present to allow the other participants to gradually uncover the details and solve the mysteries. The plot revolves around a Russian mafia guns for blood diamonds operation and an ingenious scheme to launder the pariah diamonds through a legitimate but highly automated diamond mining operation in the artic of the Canadian Northwest Territories. The tainted rough diamonds are added to the crude ore buy a corrupt mechanical engineer on site and then they emerge as much more valuable newly found gemstones of certified origin. The excess profits are quickly siphoned off back to the criminal enterprises. Ed Zelensky is a dedicated member of the RCMP tasked with investigating criminal organizations. As a Russian speaker he is asked to evaluate a series of Russian language phone taps acquired by NSRA that seem to deal specifically with Canadian activities. A few serendipitous events convince him there is more to this than the banal conversations at first glimpse. At this point the story moves primarily into the present, where it gets productive help from Rick Doucet, the love struck company geologist and Sarah , the comely graduate student object of his affection. The story picks up steam and quickly becomes more exciting.

I found this to be a very enjoyable, easy read, page turner. Although there is lots of action it is not really a high tension thriller. It just has a lot of interesting and satisfying twists and turns. The author did a good job of tying up most of the loose ends with the exception of from where the smuggled diamonds were coming. That single paragraph explanation was pretty lame. The book is suitable for most audiences with some violence, but no adult situations or abusive language. I have to say I enjoyed this one, completing the 410 pages in less than three days.

[Wilma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway. I found it interesting and easy to read.
The story starts out with an engineer who works for a diamond mine in the Northwest Territories of Canada.
He has gotten into himself into a jam involving the Russian Mafia and diamond smuggling and is desperate to find a way out. The other main character is a geologist friend of his who gets sucked into the problem; but finds love while trying to solving it.
Along the way we meet an unorthodox officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who finds himself in his biggest case ever.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had received this in a Goodread giveaway, but it unfortunately had been under other books and I finally got to it. I read it and it was a good quick read. When you start you just can't stop and I just had to finish reading it. It was very thought provoking. I knew about the conflict diamonds and I had never thought about them being billed as being legit before. This is why I just stay away from diamonds period. Over all it was a very good book just little things like grammar and things like that.

[Laura Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this novel from the Good Reads giveaway contest.
Having taken some geology courses in college many years ago, I was intrigued with the premiss of the novel. Except for the start of the book, I really enjoyed it.

[Denise]

Never knew why diamonds are called ice. Now I do. Good adventure, believable characters, great setting. Makes me interested in the diamond industry of Canada. Recommend it for a great recreational read.