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Max's Diamonds    by Jay Greenfield Amazon.com order for
Max's Diamonds
by Jay Greenfield
Order:  USA  Can
Chickadee Prince, 2016 (2016)
Softcover, e-Book
* *   Reviewed by Barbara Lingens

Max's diamonds are what make this story tick and what make Paul's life miserable. His family are Jews who were able to escape the Holocaust, and the guilt hanging over all of them is thick enough that Paul needs to get out of there.

He becomes an astute lawyer, but that doesn't prevent him from having his past pop up at the most difficult times. No sooner does he extricate himself from one big mess than up comes another. The story proceeds from one harrowing event to another while, ever so gradually, we learn some of the details about Max's diamonds.

This fast-paced story keeps us interested, and it has an edge of humor even with the dark family memories. But it would have been a lot more satisfying if Paul were more likable. We only see him reacting to crises, not always in the most humane way. More depth to the characters in this story would also have been welcome. The story races from episode to episode, leaving us wanting more explanation about what has happened and more detail about the people involved.

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