Customer Reviews

Blood Diamonds (Ben Kamal and Danielle Barnea Novels)

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International thrillers do not get any better than this.

The main plot of this suspenseful novel involves the rebel leader of a group known as the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). They call her the Dragon. This group is trying to overrun the Sierra Leone government. The Dragon's subsequent plan is then to destroy the USA with a secret weapon known as the Black Death (not the Black Death you're familiar with either). Ben Kamal and Danielle Barnea, in a most unusual way, get back together in an effort to stop the Dragon and her secret weapon. Of course this is just one of their problems. Old enemies also return.

The story also has numerous subplots that each come together to make this one of the most satisfying thrillers I've read in some time. From the civil war in Sierra Leone to the secret weapons factory in Russia, this novel carries you non-stop from beginning to end. The timely subject of the Middle East also plays a prominent role.

Quote: You do this out of hate for the enemy, not love of the people.

Highly recommended!

Jon Land has topped himself in his latest novel, Blood Diamonds.
This book works on a lot of levels: it has the tight action and political intrigue we've come to expect from Land. Addtionally, the characters have been much more developed than in any of his previous novels, including the character of the Dragon.
The book also touches on the literary themes of love and loss, as well as how children related to the legacy of their fathers.

It is over a year since the events in New York and it appears that the relationship between detectives Palestinian-American Ben Kamal and Israeli Danielle Barnea is at an end. He is returning to America while she tries to reconcile with the National Police. On an undercover assignment for her old boss, a trap is sprung and Danielle is arrested supposedly for killing her immediate supervisor.

When Ben hears about this, he helps her escape from jail. The pair learns that African diamonds are exchanged for weapons using corrupt Israeli officers as well as Palestinians and the Internet. The United Revolutionary Front in Sierra Leone led by the fanatical Latisse Matabu is determined to unleash weapons of mass destruction on their own people and the United States unless the Palestinian and the Israeli can work together to stop her.

Jon Land authors a timely and believable political thriller that reflects the complexities of the global social and military infrastructure. His characters reflect the times and culture that they live in so when they intermingle, there is always a lot of action. BLOOD DIAMONDS is one of the author's best works to date and it will be interesting to see what will happen to Ben and Danielle in the next installment of the series.

Harriet Klausner

I have always enjoyed Jon Land as one of my favorite authors. I like this book because he puts the spotlight on a terrible situation in Africa. Sierra Leone is the site of uninaginable cruelty and greed. The rulers and owners of diamond mines use people as slaves to mine the diamonds. These evil people kill children, rape the women and kill anyone for nothing.

Do you know why they are called "Blood Diamonds"? It took some time but the U.S. finally banned anyone involved with this horrible trade. The characters portray the people who are stopping this trade little by little. I am so glad Mr. Land wrote about this.

Everyone in the world needs to know. I think it is against the law in the U.S. to sell Blood Diamonds.

Sara Howard, Author of "Something Funny Happened on the Way to The Moon" and "The Greatest Explosions in the Universe."

Blood Diamonds is the fifth book in the Barnea-Kamal series and Providence author Jon Land writes a brilliant tale of intrigue that is a true page-turner. Chief Inspector (Pakad) Danielle Barnea of the Israeli Police teams up with Palestinian Inpector Ben Kamal in a cooperative effort to solve crime. Together they show that there can be cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians and that the two sides may not be so far apart.
Sierra Leone is a diamond-rich nation but an ongoing civil war rocks the country. The instability is made worse by greedy, guerilla rebels who will stop at nothing to get the diamonds and use them to meet their own evil goals. The leader of the rebels is a fanatic named the Dragon who is not content to ravage her country, she plots a coup that will topple Western governments. Ben and Danielle must race against time and numerous obstacles to stop the Dragon.
Ben and Danielle face more than external enemies in this book as each must struggle with internal demons. Land writes, "She had felt nothing for so long it was good to feel even this. Years ago, during her tenure with the Sayeret, it was moments like this that had made her feel the most alive. To do that job you had to accept more than violence; you had to welcome it. After Beirut that had all begun to change, culminating sixteen months ago when pregnancy took away her taste for the very work that defined her. Her own mortality had suddenly become an issue." Her strength is tested even further when she faces an enemy from her past.
Ben also has demons to face as he uncovers pieces of the past and the truth about his father's death. The always colorful Colonel Al-Asi tells Ben, "Your father advocated that the Palestinians make their own peace with the Israelis or risk losing far more than they had already. His was the lone dissenting voice against a violent response."
In Blood Diamonds, Land brings back characters from previous books including Colonel Al-Asi whose loyalty to Ben is unwavering. Ben, Danielle and Colonel Al-Asi are like old friends at this point but just when you think you know them Land throws a few curve balls. The Dragon is not the only new character in Blood Diamonds. She is joined by the deceptive and dangerous assassin Jim Black.
It is the blend of old and new characters along with the unexpected plot twists that make Blood Diamonds a terrific read. Its timeliness reflects the constant changes in the Middle East without getting lost in the politics. Ben and Danielle are strong individuals whose combined strengths are a formidable match for any enemy even one as powerful as The Dragon.
Ben and Danielle are two human beings whose individual struggles do not take away from their strength as a team. Their struggles reflect those faced daily by Israelis and Palestinians, but if like Ben and Danielle they can set aside their differences and work together peace may not be impossible. These characters show us a great deal about ourselves and I look forward to following their exploits with each new book.
If a perfect diamond is flawless and rare, then Blood Diamonds is the literary equivalent of the perfect stone with just the right cut, color, clarity, and carat. As with all of Land's novels Blood Diamonds will leave you yearning for the next one.

This is in the greatest pulp tradtion told in short chapters designed to keep the reader on the edge of one's seat. Land uses iages to keep the pace going. There's the image of diamonds themselves, a driving force constantly inflaming greed. Indelible characters are also at the core of the story. Of course, there are our hero and heroine, Ben and Danielle. Thir nemesis is the 6 foot woman called the Dragon, relentlessly driven by her personal demons. Also, there's the colorful assassin, Jim Black, casting his cowboy image on the landscape.

This book once again has as it's heroes Ben Kamal and Danielle Barnea.In this story uncut diamonds(blood diamonds) mined in Sierra Leon are traded with a Russian crime figure for awsome weapons.One of these weapons is called the "Black Death".This
"Black Death" is going to be used by a vicious lady guerilla leader named the Dragon. The Dragon is planning on using this weapon on the United States.You have another character in this
story in the person of contract killer Jim Black.He is a stone killer who leaves a pile of bodies in his wake.This book has more
than it's share of action. It is exciting from start to finish.
You will enjoy this book.

This book once again has as it's heroes Ben Kamal and Danielle Barnea.In this story uncut diamonds(blood diamonds) mined in Sierra Leon are traded with a Russian crime figure for awsome weapons.One of these weapons is called the "Black Death".This
"Black Death" is going to be used by a vicious lady guerilla leader named the Dragon. The Dragon is planning on using this weapon on the United States.You have another character in this
story in the person of contract killer Jim Black.He is a stone killer who leaves a pile of bodies in his wake.This book has more
than it's share of action. It is exciting from start to finish.
You will enjoy this book.