DUPLICITY IN THE GEM WORLD
Rough Diamonds (Netflix)
Rough Diamonds is a fascinating and gripping Belgian series set in the Diamond District in Antwerp in the present day. The Wolfson family, very orthodox Haredi Jews, have a diamond trading business that’s in trouble. Unbeknownst to Father Ezra, head of the company, the youngest son Yanki has made some questionable deals. Estranged son Noah who left the family and his religion some years before, returns from London to mourn a death.
As their father’s health diminishes, Noah, his sister Adina, and his ineffectual older brother Eli, unite to try to save the company midst a web of corruption, violence, and tainted goods. Meanwhile, prosecutor Jo Smets is investigating the Albanian mafia and stolen jewels.
It is hard at first, maybe even at the end, to interpret all the various strands of the plot. Why does Noah work for his mother-in-law at all? Are the bad guys the Albanians or some of the Wolfsons? Has the prosecutor Smets overreached in her investigative efforts with Eli?
With these elements swirling around, one of the most compelling aspects of this series is cultural. It’s the interlocking relationships among siblings and cousins, between spouses, and between the Wolfsons and the other Jews in their temple community. There are 8 episodes, and summaries online indicate there will be a Season 2. Suspenseful and recommended!
RECENT BOOKS
CRIME IN YORKSHIRE
Many Rivers to Cross by Peter Robinson
British crime writer Peter Robinson penned twenty-eight novels featuring Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks. The setting is a small town in Yorkshire. Over the years, I’ve read many of Robinson’s books, and I enjoyed the TV series, DCI Banks. based on several of them.
Many Rivers to Cross is near the end of the series and the second to feature the intriguing Zelda. Beautiful, from Moldova, trafficked as a teenager and sexually abused, she shows up in the U.K. as a pavement artist. Partner to the much older artist Raymond Cabbot, father of DI Annie Cabbot, Zelda and Raymond are friends of Banks.
The crime that opens the initial investigation is finding a young Arab boy’s body in a rubbish bin. Trying to identify the boy and how he came to be there leads to drug activity in the area, a second death, and examining the roles of various community members. The book begins slowly, almost meanderingly, and then picks up speed as links with Albanian mobsters appear, and players from Zelda’s past seem to be involved.
Part of the attraction of this series is the character of Alan Banks himself. He loves music of all types from classical to rock, and the reader is regularly treated to comments on what he is listening to. A fully drawn complex character, he has two grown children and several past amours, one of whom is still a colleague. He is compassionately thorough in his investigations, a decent man, with a good moral sense.
In his lifetime, Peter Robinson received many book awards and was noted for his literary bent (he earned a Ph.D. in English from York University). Sadly, he died late in 2022. Wanting to know more about him, I found this lovely tribute by his wife, Sheila Halladay. Be forewarned, there are a few spoilers about his last books. You can find it at Crime Reads.
ROM-COM FUN
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
For a complete change of pace, I recommend Katherine Center’s new novel, The Bodyguard. Written during the pandemic, It’s fun, humorous, and ultimately sweet, but not icky. I read in the “Watching” column about a new film on Netflix, Happiness for Beginners, based on one of Center’s books. I haven’t watched the film yet, but that mention led me to this novel. Center grew up in Texas and the ranch she describes belongs to her grandparents.
Hannah Brooks is a highly trained personal protection agent or bodyguard. Stunned and grieved by the recent death of her mother, she is given a local assignment in Houston, rather than her preference for something far away. Her client is Jack Stapleton, a well-known movie star back home to spend time with his ill mother.
Prepared to provide protection, Hannah is initially incredulous when she is required to pose as Jack’s girlfriend in front of his family. That’s only the beginning of the antics when this skilled agent must try things she’s never encountered like riding a horse and trying to maintain professional distance in a close relationship.
Hannah and Jack each have some heavy baggage, but how their relationship evolves is both amusing and heartwarming. The book is written in the first person in Hannah’s voice. My only quibble is that I found the epilogue a bit overdone in terms of life lessons. It’s a fast read, perfect for a summer afternoon!
Note: Header image of summer dahlias ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)
