Heart of Diamonds: A Novel of Scandal, Love and Death in the Congo [Paperback]

Dave Donelson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008

The Congo is a very dangerous place for television journalist Valerie Grey in this tragic, fast-paced tale of avarice and betrayal. Amid the bloody violence of the country's endless civil war, Grey uncovers a deadly diamond-smuggling scheme that reaches the White House by way of a famous American televangelist. Grey is pursued by the soldiers of the country's dictator, the mercenaries of the diamond mine's owner, and the rebels seeking to take control of the mine. Aided by an altruistic doctor who struggles to bring medical care to Congo's poor, she must canoe down crocodile-infested rivers, dodge attacking helicopters, and race over teeth-rattling roads to bring their stunning story—one of government corruption, church greed, and brutality among warring factions—to the outside world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The ongoing tragedy of the Congo serves as the backdrop for this tepid thriller, Donelson's first novel. After TV newscaster Valerie Grey gets passed over for an evening anchor job at the MBS network, she tries to lose herself in Africa, where she stumbles on a diamond-smuggling scheme involving not only a sleazy American televangelist but also the George W. Bush–like U.S. president. Valerie quickly becomes the target of the conspiracy's members and, predictably, finds herself falling for the hunky idealistic doctor who runs a local clinic. Readers should be prepared for some clunky prose (Valerie's brown eyes flashed a warning, the green flecks in the irises dancing with anger). Those seeking a novel that explores human exploitation in 21st-century Africa on the level of, say, John le Carré's The Mission Song will be disappointed. (Sept.)
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From the Author

Heart of Diamonds is a high-concept romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo.  The plot involves the White House, the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and an American televangelist in a diamond smuggling scheme that is uncovered by a TV reporter, Valerie Grey. 
 
The idea came from research I did that was prompted by Michael Fay's fascinating 15-month, 2,000-kilometer megatransect of the Congo basin for National Geographic.  What a great achievement that was!  I've done some pretty hairy trips myself, but nothing like that.  I became fascinated with the Congo and delved into the politics and history of the country. 
 
The concept for Heart of Diamonds sprang from an item I came across in Time Magazine about the cozy relationship between Pat Robertson, the famous American televangelist, and Mobutu Sese-Seko, the dictator who raped the Congo for thirty years.  When I found out Robertson owned diamond mines and timber concessions in the Congo--making profits from slave labor, no less--I simply had to write a book about it.
 
The Robertson-Mobutu connection makes for quite a story.  Mobutu was essentially put in office by the CIA. He ran the country--which he renamed Zaire--with an iron fist and stole literally billions of dollars.  He also had one of the worst human rights records in Africa, which is saying a lot. 
 
Pat Robertson, on the other hand, is one of the most successful evangelical preachers of all time.  He founded the 700 Club, ran for President of the United States, and has millions of followers who subscribe to his version of Christianity.  You wouldn't think these two men would be buddies, would you?
 
But they were.  Robertson was deeply involved in business dealings in the Congo.  The Time article reported that once, in the late 1980's, Robertson and his wife and their entourage were flown from Paris to Kinshasa on one of Mobutu's personal Boeing 707s.  In Zaire, Mobutu personally took them on the presidential yacht on a ride up the Congo River to visit one of his estates.
 
Robertson had a relief program in the Congo--Operation Blessing, which is still operating today--as well as a private concern called the African Development Company, which made investments in mining, lumber, agriculture, transportation and power generation, supposedly with an eye to plowing the profits back into humanitarian efforts.  One of those investments was a diamond mine in a small town south of Tshikapa near the Congo's border with Angola.  That's where I placed the diamond mine in Heart of Diamonds.
 
One of the men who ran ADC for Robertson was Bill Lovick, a former minister who was dismissed by the Assemblies of God church in 1985 for questionable fund raising practices.  Readers of Heart of Diamonds may find some interesting similarities between these men and some of the characters in the novel, notably televangelist Gary Peterson, the missionary Thomas Alben who runs the diamond mine, and Moise Messime, the President of the Congo.
 
As I read more and more about these guys and the things they were doing in the Congo in the name of Jesus Christ, the more intrigued I became.  Heart of Diamonds obviously isn't their story--the smuggling scheme, the connection to the White House, the U.S. military involvement, and so on are completely fictional.  My heroine Valerie Grey and the other characters are figments of my imagination, too, although they certainly have personality traits similar to real individuals.
 
What is not fiction in Heart of Diamonds is the terrible plight of the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is the direct result of the unadulterated greed exhibited by people eager to control the vast natural resources of the country. Mobutu may be long gone and Pat Robertson's business interests gone with him, but the brutality continues.  --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Kunati Inc. (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1601641575
• ISBN-13: 978-1601641571
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #785,292 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

My career as a broadcaster, entrepreneur, and writer has taken me from the jungles of Australia's Cape York Peninsula to the minarets of Riyadh. I've climbed the spire of the Empire State Building, floated the Usumacinta River to the Mayan ruins at Piedras Negras in Guatemala, and photographed the tree-climbing lions and mountain gorillas of Uganda.
My most recent project is The Dynamic Manager's Guide series, a collection of ebooks, audio books, and trade paperbacks based on my work with hundreds of business owners and managers as well as my own experiences as a successful entrepreneur. I also wrote Creative Selling: Boost Your B2B Sales and two novels, Heart Of Diamonds and Hunting Elf.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars High Adventure - High Romance, August 14, 2008

By 

Nora - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heart of Diamonds: A Novel of Scandal, Love and Death in the Congo (Paperback)

This book offers both intricate, exciting action and compelling, well-drawn characters. The plot includes diamond smuggling, civil war in the Congo, intrigue that involves the White House, and a magnificent chase along crocodile-infested rivers, through raging gun battles, and into the sky in armed helicopters. There's enough sometimes-bloody action and intense suspense to please the most demanding thriller addict.

But there are also great characters who make Heart of Diamonds a good read for those who want to know why the bullets are flying and the diamond smuggling scheme must be revealed. The heroine, Valerie Grey, is a star TV reporter whose career hits a dead end just about the same time as her boyfriend and mentor, David Powell, decides they should get married. The problem is, Valerie isn't really sure she wants to marry David. Those internal conflicts run throughout the book, giving Valerie's character something to think about when she isn't dodging bullets and facing down bad guys.

The situation become more complicated when Valerie encounters Jaime Talon, a cynically altruistic doctor who runs a money-starved clinic near the diamond mine in the Congo village of Mai-Munene. Dr. Talon is actually the first character you meet in the book and his treatment of a child soldier, showdown with a guerrilla fighter, and run-in with the book's main bad guy, missionary Thomas Alben, give you fine insights into his life and character.

The two of them discover a diamond smuggling scheme that involves an American televangelist with ties to the White House. When the Congo civil war reaches fever pitch, Valerie Grey races to expose the scheme as American troops start pouring into the country. The Congolese army, the televangelist's minions, and even CIA-like assassins sent by the White House try to stop her while the countryside erupts in war around them.

Between the high-concept suspense, steamy love triangle, and action-packed portrayal of the Congo, Heart of Diamonds makes a great read.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast modern adventure, September 7, 2008

By 

Harvey Karp (Bronx NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heart of Diamonds: A Novel of Scandal, Love and Death in the Congo (Paperback)

This well-plotted thriller starts with a rebel attack on a Congolese village as told by a boy soldier who was captured and pressed into service in the raid. His tale sets the book's tone, which builds slowly to a high-octane finish.

The action and suspense centers around a diamond smuggling scheme uncovered by TV reporter Valerie Grey. Hatched by missionary Thomas Alben, who runs a diamond mine owned by American televangelist Gary Peterson. Peterson is in cahoots with the President of the Congo, but doesn't mind skimming some of the mine's profits, when Alben comes up with the idea of smuggling raw diamonds into the U.S. inside little dolls.

The slimy preachers use some of the diamonds to bribe a White House aide to recommend a U.S. military mission to the Congo supposedly to support Messime's government, but actually to protect the diamond mine. When Grey goes to the Congo to cover the action, she stumbles upon the smuggling scheme. She tries to get the story on air but the missionary, the Congolese army, even a Terminator-type secret agent sent by the White Hous try to stop her. It all happens in the middle of a civil war, which provides some horrible background scenery and complicates Grey's struggle to get away.

Grey has help along the way, from Jaime Talon, an altruistic doctor who runs a clinic in the village where the mine is located. A romance blooms between them. Even with all the fights, raids, battles, chase scenes along crocodile-infested rivers and over refugee-clogged roads, the story is fast-paced with the romance allowing the reader to breathe as it unfolds. It will make a great screenplay.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Super Heroine, September 6, 2008

By 

Betty R. Crumpton (Kansas City, MO) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Heart of Diamonds: A Novel of Scandal, Love and Death in the Congo (Paperback)

Valerie Grey, the heroine of Heart of Diamonds, is one of the more nuanced characters in a popular novel. She's brave and not afraid to confront forces bigger than her, but still has plenty of internal doubts about what she's doing and why she does it. Valerie is a star international TV reporter who has been under fire in war zones many times. She has also posed tough questions to world leaders without backing down.

Her internal doubts come out when she is turned down for a big promotion and can't find the words to argue with her boss about it. That makes her a lot more like a real person than some sort of super-woman.

She really comes across as real, though, when you read about her love life. It's kind of a mess. She's been kind of living with an executive at her network but, when he proposes marriage, she can't bring herself to do it. The whole subject just creates doubts in her mind about whether she really loves him or not. Then, in the Congo, she meets an altruistic doctor, Jaime Talon. That's when it gets really messy.

The two of them are thrown together as they try to escape the bad guys who are smuggling diamonds out of the Congo in a scheme that Valerie discovers. Their romance grows despite all the flying bullets and gruesome battles. I don't want to give away the ending, but suffice it to say that David Powell, the man who wants to marry her, re-appears in the end.