Diamonds for the Dead
1 journaler for this copy...
Taken from the shelves of Mimi Miller, recently deceased. She said I could take any of her books, and her son, my son-in-law, offered them to me to release wherever I want. May she live on in her many books!
There is a plot here and a fair amount of action. The protagonist is Josh Handleman, who returns to his home town to oversee the disposition of his father's remains. His father, Abe Handleman, had fallen down the stairs in his home and died. The coroner ruled it an accident.
But his father's good friend Lev told Josh that it was no accident. He accused another friend of his father's, Kassian, an old man who was living in the basement. Abe had befriended Kassian, who was living in a care home at the time, and allowed him to live in the basement, provided that he stopped drinking. Abe was a benefactor of the home.
In fact, Abe willed most of his estate to the home. Here is where it got tricky. Josh discovered that there had been diamonds left to him, but they went missing. He didn't especially care about the diamonds but was angry that they had been stolen. He set about trying to find out who did it.
In the process Josh came to believe that his father had, indeed, been murdered. But by little Kassian? It was hard to imagine. There were other candidates. He did discuss the case with the police, but found little interest there. There wasn't any evidence to suggest that it was murder, they said. What I wondered about is that there was no collecting of evidence at the scene. In cases where it could be accident or homicide, police normally collect evidence. There should have been a photographer, the crime scene investigators, and an evaluation of what was discovered. Instead, the police simply took the word of the medical examiner, who thought it was an accident. We've all seen enough Forensic Files episodes to know these things. But maybe Orloff isn't a fan of that series.
In his quest, Josh discovers much about his father that he had not known, and perhaps a little about himself. I found his transformation not entirely believable. He seems like a good guy with a chip on his shoulder that he has not yet dislodged. I found it difficult to like him.
But his father's good friend Lev told Josh that it was no accident. He accused another friend of his father's, Kassian, an old man who was living in the basement. Abe had befriended Kassian, who was living in a care home at the time, and allowed him to live in the basement, provided that he stopped drinking. Abe was a benefactor of the home.
In fact, Abe willed most of his estate to the home. Here is where it got tricky. Josh discovered that there had been diamonds left to him, but they went missing. He didn't especially care about the diamonds but was angry that they had been stolen. He set about trying to find out who did it.
In the process Josh came to believe that his father had, indeed, been murdered. But by little Kassian? It was hard to imagine. There were other candidates. He did discuss the case with the police, but found little interest there. There wasn't any evidence to suggest that it was murder, they said. What I wondered about is that there was no collecting of evidence at the scene. In cases where it could be accident or homicide, police normally collect evidence. There should have been a photographer, the crime scene investigators, and an evaluation of what was discovered. Instead, the police simply took the word of the medical examiner, who thought it was an accident. We've all seen enough Forensic Files episodes to know these things. But maybe Orloff isn't a fan of that series.
In his quest, Josh discovers much about his father that he had not known, and perhaps a little about himself. I found his transformation not entirely believable. He seems like a good guy with a chip on his shoulder that he has not yet dislodged. I found it difficult to like him.
Inside the library.