The Russian Pink

August 31, 2020
Journalist Hart (Diamond) makes his fiction debut with an intriguing if convoluted spy thriller that explores the deadly side of the international diamond trade. Alex Turner, a former CIA officer turned Department of Treasury agent, doesn’t know whom to trust when an investigation lands him in the middle of a conspiracy involving a billionaire U.S. presidential candidate, a consortium of Russian oligarchs, and a mysterious 464-carat diamond known as the Russian Pink, which turns up around the neck of the presidential candidate’s wife. Alex joins forces with an opportunistic Russian double agent to hunt down the gem’s source, which takes them from Europe’s semilegitimate diamond markets to Africa’s blood diamond mines. Hart’s view of the diamond trade rings true, but his picture of the inner workings of national-level intelligence and law enforcement lacks the same depth. The plethora of characters slows the action, and he tends to tell rather than show, with many of the major plot beats explained after the fact. The original premise and assured prose suggest he’s capable of doing better next time. Agent: Michael Carlisle, InkWell Management.

Starred review from October 1, 2020
The Russian Pink is a 464-carat, rose-hued diamond that shows up around the neck of Honey Li, the wife of presidential candidate Harry Nash. Nash, the presumptive winner of the upcoming election, is in debt to Russian oligarchs for the diamond, and they will undoubtedly expect payback from him if he wins the presidency. When Alex Turner, an investigator for the U.S. Treasury Department's diamond division, and former CIA agent, discovers this connection, he engages in an adrenaline-fueled attempt to unravel the web of lies and betrayals behind a conspiracy that threatens the survival of the free world. Some stones are called "blood diamonds" for a reason, and wherever the Russian Pink goes, death somehow follows. A bruised-and-battered Turner, made all the more determined by an attack on his daughter, contends with assassins, power-mad politicians, and greedy billionaires, assisted by a young Russian woman who appears to be working alternately for the good guys, the bad guys, and herself. This book is a rare gem, punning aside. It will enthrall fans of Jack Ryan and Jason Bourne, and leave them hoping for more Alex Turner.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)