Title: Diamonds and Deception (Karina Cardinal Mystery #3)
Author: Ellen Butler
Published on: 7th October 2019
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Karina Cardinal seems to find trouble everywhere. After a tiff with her boyfriend Mike, she’s taking a tactical retreat. When her sister Jillian’s friend Sadira Manon is accused of stealing millions of dollars worth loose diamonds, Karina is called in for help.
Karina asks her lawyer friend Jessica to help Sadira out. But something’s fishy. Sadira works as a school teacher but has a posh car, house and expensive dresses in her closet. Karina, Jillian and Silverthorne Security are off to search for clues. In the process, Jillian’s life is in danger.
Diamonds and Deception is the third book in Karina Cardinal Mystery series but can be read as a standalone.
What an amazing story! A complete entertainment package! There’s action, romance, friendship and much more! I absolutely enjoyed reading Diamonds and Deception. The Silverthorne guys are amazing -they are ex-military – the ones with six-pack abs and muscular biceps, state-of-the-art technology and cool sunglasses that make them look like Tom Cruise in MI series, Woohoo! I hope they make TV series or movies of this series coz that would be like, Amazing!
The story is simply superb. What was supposed to be a mistaken identity turned out to be drug cartels, human trafficking and kidnapping! Phew! The adventure is mind-blowing. Also, the Silverthorne guys teach Karina some killer self-defense moves. Jin, Josh, Rick and Hernandez, these handsome hunks are the superheroes in this story.
Okay, I need to stop drooling about these handsome hunks and move on with the review… Karina is super awesome. Her sleuthing skills are mind-blowing! Also, she seems to make the best of every situation – be it good or bad – with her witty sayings.
Jillian and Karina’s bond is well portrayed in the story. I did not get to read more about Mike – he was in a training program and missed most of the action back in DC. All the characters in this story are likeable – including Sadira. Something mysterious about Sadira though and this is made pretty obvious from the very beginning.
The suspense is well-maintained throughout the story. I was hooked on to the story from the start. Ellen Butler is a master storyteller. The emotions and the actions- it felt as if Karina was sitting right next to me, narrating the story as it happened.
If you like to read books of the genre Mystery, I highly recommend you to check out this book. There’s fun, action, adventure and so much more that you will not want the story to end! Diamonds and Deception is an entertaining, engrossing and action-packed mystery by Ellen Butler.
Many thanks to Ellen Butler for the ARC. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.
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