A heart-pounding ride through the perilous world of the modern gem trade, by the acclaimed author of Diamond.
When a New York diamond dealer and his wife are found dead in a chilling assassination, and a mysterious gem—the Lucifer Cut—goes missing, U.S. Treasury agent Alex Turner and his lover, the billionaire Russian diamond thief known as Slav Lily, are thrust into a web of global intrigue. Uncertain they can even trust each other, the two find themselves on the trail of a secret so lethal it threatens not only the world diamond trade but the national security of the United States.
In a fiction first, diamond expert Matthew Hart tears the curtain from the secretive world of lab-grown diamonds, where master “chefs” create astonishing gems in the 8,000-degree furnaces of their reactors. Finally one of them makes what no one thought possible—a fake so perfect not even experts can unmask it. But as Alex and Lily soon discover, its allure is even more profound than its beauty as a jewel, and the stone ignites a murderous race from New York to London and finally to Cape Town, as a deadly enemy tries to beat them to the diamond.
With knife-sharp dialogue and lacerating irony, Alex and Lily navigate an ever-shifting underworld and the storms of their own desire as they rush to unravel the enigma of the Lucifer Cut and the treacheries of the human heart.
"In Hart’s exhilarating third adventure for U.S. Treasury agent Alex Turner, the former jewel thief goes on a globe-trotting quest to keep a powerful counterfeiting technology out of foreign hands. Hart puts the pedal to the metal and doesn’t let up. This is perfect poolside reading."
“The story is exciting and suspenseful, and Hart knows his stuff, having spent years writing about the diamond trade. This tale has a ring of truth about it that you just can’t fake. Recommend it to everyone who enjoys a good, fast-paced thriller and, especially, to readers who admire gem-based thrillers.”
Praise for the novels of Matthew Hart
“A witty, high-octane international thriller with a plot as multifaceted as a Rubik’s cube."
"A crackerjack, gem of a thriller. A shot of adrenaline. Fast-paced, expertly-written with an insider's knowledge—not just of diamonds, but much, much more—that elevates the book to another level. Honestly, this one is hard to put down. Damn near flawless."
