The Diamond Smugglers, Ian Fleming
The Diamond Smugglers, Ian Fleming
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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

Author: Ian Fleming

Narrator: Barnaby Edwards

Unabridged: 3 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 09/24/2024

Synopsis

THE TRUE STORY OF AN INTERNATIONAL CRIME RING AND ITS DOWNFALLIn 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. 

About Ian Fleming

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.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Steve on July 08, 2020

It had been many years since I’d read this book, and as I could remember nothing about it I was looking forward to re-reading it as part of my Ian Fleming marathon. I settled into my comfy easy chair in the little dark corner of my living room next to the lamp on a rainy evening with a glass of Baile......more

Goodreads review by Randell Carlton on August 26, 2023

Meh. Glad that’s over. 💎......more

Goodreads review by Andrea on June 27, 2017

A unique view into the world of diamond smugglers in the 1950s.The story takes place in Sierra Leone, West Africa where the life expectancy is for men 37 years old and people manage to live on about $1 a day. The Diamond Smugglers is a good book to read if you want to understand the connection how th......more

Goodreads review by RedSycamore on September 10, 2016

The superior, colonialist attitudes of the 'protagonists' make the book almost unreadable. Useful only as a testament to the fact that, even after WWII, there were still packs of these delusional imperialists running around the globe patting themselves on the back and thinking they still owned the w......more

Goodreads review by Neil on August 15, 2021

I read this due to the love of Fleming's work. Although the book was an interesting look into the world of diamond smuggling I wouldn't say that the book had me enthralled at any point. You can sort of understand that diamond smuggling exists though with the low risk to reward that was around at the......more

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