Michael Knight finished his gig as a piano player at two a.m. in the morning and was on his way out the door of the Boston Jazz Club owned and operated by his friend Big Daddy Hightower, when he was accosted by a giant who strongly encouraged him, at knife point, to accompany him to an unspecified location.

After a few interesting interactions, and a phone call to the person requesting Michael’s presence, he and the body guard precede to the clandestine meeting that will turn Michael’s life upside down.

Come to find out, the son of a local mob boss was inadvertently involved in a murder when he stole the car of a high level mobster for a joyride, and found a corpse in the trunk. His father turned to Knight for help in getting his son off the hook. As often happens, there was more to the story than first appeared.

The result of said meeting placed Michael and his partner Lex Devlon on a dangerous path involving feuds between the Italian mafia of North Boston and the Irish mafia in South Boston, as well as the blood diamond trade in Sierra Leone. At the time, Knight had no idea he would also become involved in the deadly war between certain elements of the IRA in Ireland and Sierra Leone and where not only diamonds were in demand, but also drugs and weapons.

Deadly Diamonds is the fourth novel in a series by John F. Dobbyn featuring lawyer Michael Knight and his partner Lex Devlin. As is typical of Dobbyn, the fast-paced legal thriller draws readers into an intriguing plot that leaves one surprised by the depth of the story.

The author has done his research and leaves no stone unturned as he describes the horrors of the diamond trade; the cruelty and mistreatment of human beings by human beings who are greedy and will do anything to make money and show their power over others.

While much of the story is pure entertainment, the author eventually brings readers to a level where it becomes difficult to continue reading without experiencing anger and horror at the injustice of crimes against humanity. In a sense, it is a tough story to read, but also important to follow through to the harsh but satisfying conclusion.

A special thank you goes to Oceanview Publishing for providing a complimentary advanced reading copy of Deadly Diamonds for our review. If you are interested in any of the novels in this series, they are available at Amazon.com.