Take a trip to Amsterdam in this action-filled novel about two Americans living there whose lives are upended when a diamond merchant is murdered. Author Kimberly Belle cleverly provides a bit of information, just enough to give us hints that something else is going on when Xander is brutally murdered in his luxe penthouse apartment while Rayna, one of the expats, is sleeping in his bed. The other expat, Willow, is married to Xander’s former employer, but we also get hints that Willow has some dealings with Xander. But we don’t know what they are, just that they will be important.

The narrative for both women is first person, and we like both American transplants. Each had a difficult personal history and while Willow has ended up married into a family of stupendous wealth and privilege, Rayna has divorced her monied husband and ended up with nothing. She’s barely eking out a living in Amsterdam, and the only person she knows is her roommate Ingrid.

How the women meet (it’s not accidental) and what they manage to accomplish is cleverly done. They don’t trust many people, and we understand why, but they do end up trusting each other. All the necessary details about the diamond trade, about lab-grown diamonds, and about the inflated price of “real” mined diamonds is really fascinating, and it’s always enjoyable when a novel is informative as well as being extremely entertaining.

In addition to a gripping mystery with an intriguing setting, the characters are multi-faceted and real. And while the bad guys are truly evil, there are many characters who are really just human with normal human frailties and faults. Both women are far from perfect, but they are also adept at figuring out what needs to be done and how to do it. This is definitely a perfect beach read, because it’s easy to read, really enjoyable, with a delightful mystery that’s fun to try to figure out.

This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.