‘Deadly Diamonds’ by Denise Rodgers drops you right into the action of a murder mystery. Not only are you given background as to main character Bella Blumer’s long-time marriage turned sour by cheating husband, Robert, but you find yourself immersed in a world that revolves around Bella’s jewelry business that she runs with her kids and sister. Also introduced are her nosy mother who wants nothing more than to set up her newly single daughter with a nice Jewish man, as well as her mother’s new husband, Albert, and her ex-husband’s lover turned new wife, Barbara, among a variety of other side characters who only serve to further the storyline through their interesting takes on the investigation into Robert’s murder.
One more character, Max Fosner, is a vital addition to the cast of characters, as he serves as Bella’s attorney while she works to defeat the charges against her claiming she was the one who murdered Robert. Bella’s relationship with Max mixes business and pleasure well, showing that even in the midst of a murder mystery, lighthearted conversations and relationships can take shape. The balance that Rodgers attains in making Bella a well-rounded character with many facets to her personality, including a newfound interest in solving mysteries – not only to save her own reputation, but to find the person who murdered the father of her children – is finely tuned.
Even though we never get to meet Robert in person, we learn a lot about him through the investigation that delves into his and Bella’s divorce, his relationship with and eventual marriage to Barbara, and the role he played in his children’s lives and in that of the jewelry business he himself ran when he was alive. The mystery is fashioned in a way that keeps you guessing throughout the entirety of the story, which is what any lover of mystery stories should find intriguing. The truth comes out in a way that is not predictable, and anyone who reads mysteries regularly should agree that the heart of a good mystery story relies on the lack of predictability and the ability to take readers on twists and turns that make them second guess themselves every chance they get.
I very much enjoyed ‘Deadly Diamonds’ and am eager to read the next novel in Rodgers’ Jeweltown series!
You can find ‘Deadly Diamonds’ by Denise Rodgers here: http://amzn.to/1NFtvCb