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Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #5
The Diamond Bubble
A peculiar diamond sale pits Captain José Da Silva against his cousin
It is an ancient scam: Offer a wealthy American a massive diamond for a bargain price, have a jeweler confirm the stone is genuine, and swap it for a fake as soon as the money changes hands. At first, Captain José Da Silva assumes Senator Hastings has been taken in by an ordinary conman, but the diamond is all too real. There is a more elaborate con in progress here, and only one man in Rio would be daring enough to execute it. He is Da Silva’s cousin Nestor, and he is a true genius of crime.
According to Nestor’s scheme, the senator was supposed to sail that afternoon on the Bolivar, along with three other targets of the plot. But Senator Hastings deviated from the plan and left the boat at the last minute, which means Da Silva still has a chance to set things right—assuming he’s quick enough to outwit his own flesh and blood.
It is an ancient scam: Offer a wealthy American a massive diamond for a bargain price, have a jeweler confirm the stone is genuine, and swap it for a fake as soon as the money changes hands. At first, Captain José Da Silva assumes Senator Hastings has been taken in by an ordinary conman, but the diamond is all too real. There is a more elaborate con in progress here, and only one man in Rio would be daring enough to execute it. He is Da Silva’s cousin Nestor, and he is a true genius of crime.
According to Nestor’s scheme, the senator was supposed to sail that afternoon on the Bolivar, along with three other targets of the plot. But Senator Hastings deviated from the plan and left the boat at the last minute, which means Da Silva still has a chance to set things right—assuming he’s quick enough to outwit his own flesh and blood.
- GenresMystery
Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
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About the author
Robert L. Fish
126 books13 followersRobert Lloyd Fish was an American writer of crime fiction. His first novel, The Fugitive, gained him the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Allan Poe Award for best first novel in 1962, and his short story "Moonlight Gardener" was awarded the Edgar for best short story in 1972. His 1963 novel Mute Witness, written under the pseudonym Robert L. Pike, was filmed in 1968 as Bullitt, starring Steve McQueen.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 27, 2021
A another decent Da Silva thriller from Fish, focused on a diamond scam that is far cleverer than the (incorrect) Goodreads summary. Fish may not have had the foggiest idea of what Interpol does, but no sense letting that get in the way of a good story!
March 9, 2015
I would give this 3 1/2 stars. It took a while to get going, but once the action started I really delved into the book. The other unfortunate thing is I pieced together a lot of what was going on behind the scenes before the reveals so that took a lot of the surprise from it. Overall, a decent quick read but not a favorite.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews