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Rob Bates’ New Murder Mystery Novel Is Out Today
The book, “Slay It With a Diamond," is the third installment in the JCK news director’s mystery series.
Longtime industry writer Rob Bates’ third murder mystery novel is available now.
New York—Longtime industry editor Rob Bates has released a third book in his jewelry mystery fiction series.
The novel, “Slay It With A Diamond,” is the latest addition to Bates’ “Diamond District Mystery Series,” which follows journalist-turned-amateur-sleuth Mimi Rosen.
In the new book, Mimi returns, along with other characters from the first two books, “A Murder is Forever” and “Murder is Not a Girl’s Best Friend,” in an entirely new mystery set in New York City’s 47th Street Diamond District.
In “Slay It With A Diamond,” Mimi’s father, New York City diamond dealer Max Rosen, buys a famous gemstone which is supposedly cursed. He’s not a believer in curses, until the wife of the jeweler who sold him the gem turns up dead.
“My books all examine different aspects of the diamond industry, and this one zeroes in on luxury and the mindset behind it,” said Bates.
“It started with the idea that people will believe that a gemstone is cursed, but they would scoff if you talked about a cursed paper towel. That’s because people perceive gemstones as special and packed with meaning. And that led me to consider why people are so attracted to diamonds and other luxury objects, and the psychological need that they fill.”
Featuring “Succession”-style intrigue, the story sees Mimi and her policeman boyfriend drawn into the dark history of the jeweler’s powerful family. Their investigation leads them to encounter an opulent mansion, long-buried scandals, a bitter family feud, and surprising evidence that the curse may be real.
“I examined many world-renowned jewelry names, and in just about all of them, eventually there was some kind of dispute between heirs,” said Bates. “The stories were generally very sad and unique, but I found some commonalities between them, and they helped inform the story.”
Related stories will be right here …
The novel, “Slay It With A Diamond,” is the latest addition to Bates’ “Diamond District Mystery Series,” which follows journalist-turned-amateur-sleuth Mimi Rosen.
In the new book, Mimi returns, along with other characters from the first two books, “A Murder is Forever” and “Murder is Not a Girl’s Best Friend,” in an entirely new mystery set in New York City’s 47th Street Diamond District.
In “Slay It With A Diamond,” Mimi’s father, New York City diamond dealer Max Rosen, buys a famous gemstone which is supposedly cursed. He’s not a believer in curses, until the wife of the jeweler who sold him the gem turns up dead.
“My books all examine different aspects of the diamond industry, and this one zeroes in on luxury and the mindset behind it,” said Bates.
“It started with the idea that people will believe that a gemstone is cursed, but they would scoff if you talked about a cursed paper towel. That’s because people perceive gemstones as special and packed with meaning. And that led me to consider why people are so attracted to diamonds and other luxury objects, and the psychological need that they fill.”
Featuring “Succession”-style intrigue, the story sees Mimi and her policeman boyfriend drawn into the dark history of the jeweler’s powerful family. Their investigation leads them to encounter an opulent mansion, long-buried scandals, a bitter family feud, and surprising evidence that the curse may be real.
“I examined many world-renowned jewelry names, and in just about all of them, eventually there was some kind of dispute between heirs,” said Bates. “The stories were generally very sad and unique, but I found some commonalities between them, and they helped inform the story.”
The new book, inspired by classic gothic fiction, puts the diamond and jewelry industry under the microscope and tackles the age-old question of why sparkly objects enchant us, said publisher Camel Press.
Bates has written about the diamond industry for almost three decades, winning 12 editorial awards, including the Gem Award for Media Excellence in 2016.
He is also a comedy writer and performer, whose work has appeared on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update segment, Comedy Central’s website, and McSweeney’s.
His new book is available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.org.
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