The King of Diamonds by Simon Tolkien Review

Reviewed by Mara Delaney

Simon Tolkien is the grandson of JRR Tolkien but you won’t find any orcs or elves in this book. The writer draws on his background as a barrister in the Criminal Justice system and the story centres around David Swain who has been convicted of murder and is serving a life sentence in the 1960’s.  One night he escapes and his ex-girlfriend is found murdered hours later and all evidence suggests that Swain is the murderer.  It seems an open and shut case for Inspector Trave, in charge of the investigation, but he is uncomfortable with the impending conclusion of the case and some things just don’t add up and Trave is determined to answer ALL the questions and begins to suspect that maybe Swain could be about to be hanged for a crime he didn’t commit.

Tolkien expertly manages to portray a 1960’s Britain still reeling from coldwar US/Russia tensions and where the memories of WWII are all too real. Tolkien tackles police corruption, the illegal trade in Jewish Belgium diamonds during the war, Nazi war crimes and the delicate relationships affected by the loss of loved ones. The main characters are all well rounded individuals and you can easily find yourself liking them one minute and disliking them the next, some of the twists and turns in the storyline are expected (and wanted even in some cases) and some a surprise. Well written and a lot of depth to this book and it made for a very good read.

Rating: 5/5

RRP: £7.99 (Paperback) / £5.49 (Kindle)

Available to buy from Amazon here.