Saddam's Diamonds

When Jack Novak is called back to active duty in Iraq by his ex-commander, General Thomas T. Temper, he doesn't know what to expect. Temper was and is malicious, vindictive and dangerous. And why force Novak, an Atlanta private detective, back into uniform? The apparent reason is to find and rescue an old friend who has been captured and brain-washed by ISIS. But General Temper quickly dispels that notion when he drops a brilliant diamond into Novak's whiskey glass and demands that he forget about his old crony and find the diamonds no matter what it takes. This sends Novak on a treacherous mission across Iraq and into Iran where he is beaten, tortured and left for dead. Rescued by his friend Frank Skinner, Novak is taken to one of Saddam Hussein's stunning palaces where the two men find the hoard of diamonds hidden by the former dictator. Now they are both hunted down by the Iranians, the Americans and ISIS. But how do they get the diamonds safely back to the states? Even if they do, General Temper has sworn to find Novak and get the diamonds. And what about Novak's mysterious former lover, the exotic Iraqi woman Serena? Is she in on the plot to get the diamonds and kill Novak? The action never stops in this well-documented thriller about Saddam's diamonds.

Jack Novak is sitting in his Rowell, Georgia, office working on a case when the strange Mr. Smith tells him he is being called back to active duty in Iraq. His former commander is now a general and has specifically asked for Novak. The two men never got along in the past and never hid their mutual hatred. Novak is told that Frank Skinner, his former comrade in Iraq, went AWOL, was captured and brain-washed by ISIS, and has been fighting and killing American troops. Novak believes none of this. General Temper tells him he doesn't give a damn about Frank Skinner, then drops a diamond into Novak's whiskey glass. THAT'S what Temper wants! Jack led the team that captured Saddam Hussein years ago. He and Skinner played chess with the dictator for hours in his prison cell, providing him a few creature comforts. As a reward, Saddam gives the two men a map showing where hundreds of diamonds are hidden in one of his fifty ornate palaces. Novak has always believed this was just a fable concocted by Saddam and forgot about it in the years that followed. Temper sends him on a deadly mission to find the diamonds that will bring him face to face with renegade insurgents who have no love for Americans and try to kill him and his team. Then Iranian Republican Guard troops capture and torture him. Rescued by his friend Frank Skinner, Novak joins Skinner to find Saddam's palace and the huge hoard of diamonds. Now, the two men are chased throughout Iraq by General Temper, the Iranians and ISIS while they try to figure out how to get the diamonds back to America safely. Even if they do, General Temper has vowed to follow them, get the diamonds, and kill Novak. Novak's plans are further complicated by the appearance of his former lover, Serena, an exotic Iraqi beauty. He wants to take her back to the states too, if he can ever get there alive. But what if she's part of the plot to get the diamonds and murder him? There doesn't seem to be any relief for Novak even when he gets back to Camp Victory, the Army base in Baghdad, and wakes up to see an assassin coming toward him with a knife. Saddam's Diamonds is a never-ending thriller you'll find hard to put down, much of it based on stories that even now continue to be talked about in Iraq!

Reg Ivory is a former B-52 Navigator-Bombardier who flew over 100 missions during Vietnam. He has been a newspaper lobbyist and former director of the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association, He is the author of seven novels, including the political thriller 'There Is No President" and its sequel "The Last President." He lives with his wife Cathy and two cats in Nashville, Tennessee.