This book once again has as it's heroes Ben Kamal and Danielle Barnea.In this story uncut diamonds(blood diamonds) mined in Sierra Leon are traded with a Russian crime figure for awsome weapons.One of these weapons is called the "Black Death".This
"Black Death" is going to be used by a vicious lady guerilla leader named the Dragon. The Dragon is planning on using this weapon on the United States.You have another character in this
story in the person of contract killer Jim Black.He is a stone killer who leaves a pile of bodies in his wake.This book has more
than it's share of action. It is exciting from start to finish.
You will enjoy this book.

Blood Diamonds is the fifth book in the Barnea-Kamal series and Providence author Jon Land writes a brilliant tale of intrigue that is a true page-turner. Chief Inspector (Pakad) Danielle Barnea of the Israeli Police teams up with Palestinian Inpector Ben Kamal in a cooperative effort to solve crime. Together they show that there can be cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians and that the two sides may not be so far apart.
Sierra Leone is a diamond-rich nation but an ongoing civil war rocks the country. The instability is made worse by greedy, guerilla rebels who will stop at nothing to get the diamonds and use them to meet their own evil goals. The leader of the rebels is a fanatic named the Dragon who is not content to ravage her country, she plots a coup that will topple Western governments. Ben and Danielle must race against time and numerous obstacles to stop the Dragon.
Ben and Danielle face more than external enemies in this book as each must struggle with internal demons. Land writes, "She had felt nothing for so long it was good to feel even this. Years ago, during her tenure with the Sayeret, it was moments like this that had made her feel the most alive. To do that job you had to accept more than violence; you had to welcome it. After Beirut that had all begun to change, culminating sixteen months ago when pregnancy took away her taste for the very work that defined her. Her own mortality had suddenly become an issue." Her strength is tested even further when she faces an enemy from her past.
Ben also has demons to face as he uncovers pieces of the past and the truth about his father's death. The always colorful Colonel Al-Asi tells Ben, "Your father advocated that the Palestinians make their own peace with the Israelis or risk losing far more than they had already. His was the lone dissenting voice against a violent response."
In Blood Diamonds, Land brings back characters from previous books including Colonel Al-Asi whose loyalty to Ben is unwavering. Ben, Danielle and Colonel Al-Asi are like old friends at this point but just when you think you know them Land throws a few curve balls. The Dragon is not the only new character in Blood Diamonds. She is joined by the deceptive and dangerous assassin Jim Black.
It is the blend of old and new characters along with the unexpected plot twists that make Blood Diamonds a terrific read. Its timeliness reflects the constant changes in the Middle East without getting lost in the politics. Ben and Danielle are strong individuals whose combined strengths are a formidable match for any enemy even one as powerful as The Dragon.
Ben and Danielle are two human beings whose individual struggles do not take away from their strength as a team. Their struggles reflect those faced daily by Israelis and Palestinians, but if like Ben and Danielle they can set aside their differences and work together peace may not be impossible. These characters show us a great deal about ourselves and I look forward to following their exploits with each new book.
If a perfect diamond is flawless and rare, then Blood Diamonds is the literary equivalent of the perfect stone with just the right cut, color, clarity, and carat. As with all of Land's novels Blood Diamonds will leave you yearning for the next one.

It is over a year since the events in New York and it appears that the relationship between detectives Palestinian-American Ben Kamal and Israeli Danielle Barnea is at an end. He is returning to America while she tries to reconcile with the National Police. On an undercover assignment for her old boss, a trap is sprung and Danielle is arrested supposedly for killing her immediate supervisor.

When Ben hears about this, he helps her escape from jail. The pair learns that African diamonds are exchanged for weapons using corrupt Israeli officers as well as Palestinians and the Internet. The United Revolutionary Front in Sierra Leone led by the fanatical Latisse Matabu is determined to unleash weapons of mass destruction on their own people and the United States unless the Palestinian and the Israeli can work together to stop her.

Jon Land authors a timely and believable political thriller that reflects the complexities of the global social and military infrastructure. His characters reflect the times and culture that they live in so when they intermingle, there is always a lot of action. BLOOD DIAMONDS is one of the author's best works to date and it will be interesting to see what will happen to Ben and Danielle in the next installment of the series.

Harriet Klausner

i would like to tell u that this is one of the best books ever wrote i wanted to thank you for this strong experence for me so i decide to write a poem i will get back to u on it because i have to get it copyrighted first thanks again

Osagie's book covers all the things that have been glossed over in the traditional telling of the Amistad story: the stories of the Amistad Africans once they returned home, the generalized context of revolt and resistance to slavery at the time, and what the story has meant in Sierra Leone. She also has excellent critiques of plays, novels, and monuments about the Amistad incident, including Steven Spielberg's movie. It is a timely look at a popular story that takes the point of view of the Africans and Africans-American involved with it, instead of focussing on the white abolitionists and the court batttles. I very much enjoyed reading it.

This book provides more information and insight on the daily life and culture of the people of Sierra Leone than anything else in print. Its descriptions of the terrain, climate, economy, and politics give such a life to the narrative that the reader is absorbed to the degree that it is hard to put the book down until the last page has been read. I was left wishing that the author had written more. It reads like a historical novel. It is both entertaining and educational. It is exciting and it is tragic, but most of all it is inspirational. It speaks of sacrifice and faith that result in an amazing story in which thousands of lives are changed for the better as they come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

God sent the O'keefes into the poorest nation in the world, torn with strife and political corruption. In spite of all the adversity, they established 53 churches. A moving, touching true story of how God used these unselfish missionaries for twenty-four years in Sierra Leone, West Africa.

This is an amazing story of an ex-SAS man who finds himself amidst civil war and civil disorder in Sierra Leone. As his story unfolds, you're caught up in an attack by rebels on a hotel holding frightened Westerners and guarded by incompetent Nigerian soldiers / peacekeepers. Will Scully takes on the defenders' task singlehandledly with precious little help from a perfidious US State Dept tieing up offshore US fleet hands. If this were a movie you would find it preposterous but the story is true.

Knowing what we know now about the carnage in Sierra Leone, after you read this, you a) imagine yourself as one of the frightened Westerners in the hotel under siege and b) amazed and astounded at what Will Scully accomplished in saving you from being butchered.

I bought my copy from Amazon UK and it was passed around to at least 20 35-45 year old professional males all of whom declaimed that this was one of the best "adventure" books they had ever read.
Do whatever you have to do to get a copy.

Ex-sas,Will scully has a job to do in Sierra Leone;training local troops.This job is thrown into turmoil when there is a military coup leaving hundreds of armed soldiers and rebels looting the streets and houses of Freetown,leaving many dead in thier wake. Will Scully,along with over 1,000 refugees take cover in the hotel Mammy Yoko.But when the rebels turn thier guns on the hotel Will has to single handedly defend the hotel against over 200 rebels,using limited ammo and weapons and all the skills of his training. This is a book that will leave you turning the next page,and the next page just to see what happens next.Once the action starts you will not be able to put the book down. A great book with explosive action.

Bill McCauley has taken the time to craft an adventure with details that goose the senses. His approach to humidity, lust, conscience and morale had me pausing every few pages to wonder what I would do in such situations. By taking the moral high ground as an expatriate willing to donate everything to a greater cause, his narrator leaves the door open to personal gratification with no consequence. Or so he thinks. This is a great tale and a great insight to one of the most controversial African nations of our time. McCauley knows Sierra Leone, and, moreover, his love for the place and the time he spent there is apparent. The Turning Over is a terrific book.

"The Turning Over" is one of the best books I have read about Sierra Leone.

The book follows the journey of an American expatriate during a time of change in that country. In the 1980's, most expratriates were turning over their jobs to local indigineous people in most places in Africa. The programs were then run by corrupt governments that cared little about the well-being of indigineous people. McCauley's book shows in great detail the dilemma westerners faced while "turning over" successful programs to corrupt local governments.

The love story between Bob, the main character and Mary, keeps the reader on his/her toes. It is hard to predict what will happen next... and I believe, Mr. McCauley does a great job at keeping both the topics of love and Africa alive throughout his book.

The books deals also with complex issues such as: the difference between men and women, sex, drugs, corruption, dependency, violence and politics.

Have fun with it!

i want to get this book will you call me and let me know as to ordering. phone 701 842 2746

There was a lot of work put into this book and the graphics were produced by the author as well. I recommend this book for parents of all ethnicities as a wonderfully culturally rich book for children. J. Hunter Coleman, Bricktown Publishing

This book was easy to read to my nieces and nephews and I enjoyed the flow of the book. It was also easy for them to read it. Very educational and would recommend it to parents as an aid to teach children about other children in different parts of the world.

This is a picture of Sierra Leone as it existed in the 1950's and early 1960's, written with clarity and compassion by a committed nurse-midwife missionary. She describes the upcountry outpost as she found it and as she transformed it. She also describes her fight to do her job within the confines of the conventions of that time. Both the missionary board and society here and in Sierra Leone presented her with a dizzying set of expectations and restrictions. Nevertheless she prevailed providing a service that was unavailable from anyone else. ctations were

Two years ago I read the Global Witness report "Conflict Diamonds" and watched the documentary "Cry Freetown". Both of these were quoted as sources by Greg Campbell in his book "Blood Diamonds". Two years ago I was so deeply shocked by what I read and saw that throught the foreign press I have been following the sitution in many African areas (Sierre Leone, Angola, Liberia, Democratic Republic of the Congo) affected by what are called "Conflict or Blood diamonds". In Sierre Leone, like many other African countires, the conflict was driven by greed and the wanting to control the diamond mines and wealth that these stones bring. Greg Campbell's book is what history is about. How these terrible conflicts devestate the lives of innocent people and devestate countries. As Campbell points out it is important to realise the consequences of these conflicts extend worldwide. It is ironic how a commodity societies view as so precious can produce something so hideous in the humam nature that at first it hurt to much to believe that it could possibly be true. But this is the truth that Glen Campbell recounts in his well researched and heartbreaking book "Blood Diamonds".

I have always questioned the materialism of friends and family after years and years of seeing DeBeers on Tv, magazines, and newspapers senselessly pounding their marketing into my head. I've never been one to go along with the crowd, and I've met some Sierra Leonians and heard their stories of how they'd escaped. I quote this book whenever someone asks me about the jewelry I wear--the ever-present, "Oh, BUT YOU don't have any diamonds." I refuse to give up my political beliefs (enormously illustrated in this book, take a hint Family and Friends!) in order to wear a shiny piece of carbon. A diamond is forever? So is death, mutilation, bloodshed, and amputation. Mr. Campbell, you've done the entire Western world a great service by exposing all in this book. This is a pulverizing read, impossible to put down. You will never look at the words "engagement ring" and feel the same ever after reading this book.

I lived in Sierra Leone for quite a number of years and hence had the opportunity to experience what it was like to live sorrounded by poverty and diamonds (the Kono area). Unfortunately for me and my family, security reasons forced us to leave the country in the nineties.
Nowadays I live in Madrid, Spain. I'm a doctoral student and my research area is the diamond industry of Sierra Leone and its implications on the underdevelopment of Sierra Leone.
Mr. campbell's book has been very valuable to me because of the information it contains (for my disertation) and because it has sadly/happily brought me back to the country that I love most in the world.
Thank you Mr Campbell!
I strongly recommend the reading of this book.