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The Diamond Smugglers

The True Story of an International Crime Ring and Its Downfall, Told by the Creator of James Bond

Ian Fleming

144 Pages

On-Sale Date: 06/08/2024

ISBN: 9780063299108

Trim Size: 5.250in x 7.950in x 0.450in

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$18.99

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THE TRUE STORY OF AN INTERNATIONAL CRIME RING AND ITS DOWNFALL

In 1957, as the Cold War raged, Ian Fleming took a respite from writing James Bond to craft a work of nonfiction every bit as tense as a Bond adventure. Aided by an ex-MI5 agent and International Diamond Security Organization operative going by the alias “John Blaize,” Fleming chronicled the IDSO’s infiltration of the “million-carat network”―the world’s most notorious diamond smuggling ring.

Every year, a shadowy band of racketeers pirated a fortune in diamonds out of Africa, and the majority of the stolen gems wound up in the hands of Communist nations. In response, the IDSO commissioned a private army, led by legendary British spymaster Sir Percy Sillitoe, to penetrate and topple the ring.

When the operation was complete, the Sunday Times gave the story to Fleming, who had impressed Sillitoe with his earlier Bond adventure Diamonds Are Forever. A remarkable feat of investigative journalism, The Diamond Smugglers is the thrilling true story behind one of the greatest spy operations in history.

How did a private army of ex-spies dismantle an international crime ring stretching from Africa to the Iron Curtain?

International Crime Ring: Go inside the "million-carat network," a shadowy organization pirating a fortune in diamonds out of Africa to fund Communist nations during the Cold War.
Cold War History: Discover the hidden geopolitical stakes as stolen industrial diamonds become a crucial resource in the arms race between East and West.
Spymaster vs. Smugglers: Follow legendary British spymaster Sir Percy Sillitoe as he recruits an elite team of ex-MI5 operatives, including the enigmatic "John Blaize," to infiltrate and topple the network.
Ian Fleming Nonfiction: Experience a real-life intelligence operation recounted with the same narrative tension and eye for detail that made James Bond a global phenomenon.

Ian Lancaster Fleming was born in London in 1908. His first job was at Reuters news agency, after which he worked briefly as a stockbroker before working in Naval Intelligence during World War Two. His first novel, Casino Royale, was published in 1953 and was an instant success. Fleming went on to write thirteen other Bond books as well as two works of nonfiction and the children’s classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The Bond books have earned praise from figures such as Raymond Chandler, who called Fleming “the most forceful and driving writer of thrillers in England” and President Kennedy, who named From Russia with Love as one of his favorite books. The books inspired a hugely successful series of film adaptations that began in 1962 with the release of Dr. No. He was married to Ann O’Neill, with whom he had a son, Caspar. He died in 1964.

“It is often difficult to remember that we are not listening to his old hero Mr. James Bond…Several yarns are worthy of the best spy-stories.” — Observer

“An exciting and richly fascinating account.” — Sunday Times

“Fleming not only had a gift for gripping plots, but an abundantly moreish prose style with pin-sharp descriptions.” — Daily Telegraph

“Fleming’s books are well-written, pacy, and hard-edged.” — Lee Child, Daily Mail