Death by Diamonds

Bromo Perkins #3

by Tony Berry

Former British secret agent Bromo Perkins’ bid for a quiet life as a one-man travel agency in Melbourne is about to explode… Bromo survives mainly on coffee and malt whisky and blends street-wise hardness with a soft touch with the ladies. But before he can say ‘Laphroaig’ events are swirling around him and he doesn’t know why – starting with a murdered girl, Tamsyn, who is found to have swallowed diamonds. Why had she been taken under the wing of one of Bromo’s lady loves who then directs him to a seedy diamond merchant? Why does the jeweller warn him off and who would mug Bromo shortly after? And why are there youths stalking him, delivering cryptic messages attached to dodgy diamonds and taking their orders from a gun-toting undercover agent using past liaisons to coerce him into action? It is a whirlpool with no visible source. And Bromo’s past seems set to haunt him. When all he wants is to be left alone why are his former masters so closely watching him? They may have unjustly banished him to the far side of the globe for one small stuff-up, but they have never forgotten him – or set him free. The tentacles of intrigue stretch far beyond his adopted city in Australia – back to London and across the Indian Ocean to the ancient rock fortress of Sigiriya in civil war-torn Sri Lanka. He struggles to decipher events – from his early contacts with the Sri Lankans, the explosive raid on their café and the warning from the jeweller, a bruising hit-run attack and an encounter with the enigmatic Mr Blood. Bromo also experiences an emotional reunion with his daughter Jess, who is committed to the worldwide war on a deadly diamond trade… Death by Diamonds is a gripping thriller, filled with mystery, suspense and violence on an international scale.

271 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 20, 2013

About the author

A lifelong journalist in the UK and Australia, Tony eventually got around to penning the novel (Done Deal) he had long hankered to write but had never found time to start. It met immediate success by winning a New South Wales Genre Fiction Award.

A sequel, Washed Up, followed a year later and that, too, won a NSW Genre Fiction Award plus a mentorship from the Australian Society of Authors. He is now working on the third book in the series - all crime novels and all set in the inner Melbourne suburb of Richmond - while being kept busy as a professional editor of other writers' works.

He has also turned to non-fiction with the enthralling story (From Paupers To iPads) of his search for lost ancestors and their hitherto unknown stories.

Tony's other main pursuit is long-distance running and he recently broke the Australian age-group record for the half-marathon and, during a trip to the UK, became the year's fastest runner in his age group for the 10km, 10 miles and the half-marathon.

Reviews

[Nancy Vega · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bromo is on the run again!

Thugs, Thugs, and more thugs as he tries to come up with a plan to phase out the Diamond smuggles, the mastermind, and also work with the cops, Mr Blood, etc