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Month: February 2020

February 25: Diamond Smuggling and Drones

February 25: Diamond Smuggling and Drones

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A quick note…

While doing research for book 8, Thicker Than Thieves, I came across some interesting information about the retail, cash converter, and stolen value of diamonds.

So if you’ve got some stolen diamonds to sell (just kidding), here’s what you might expect. It’s kind of surprising just how fast the price drops.

https://www.quora.com/How-much-money-do-diamond-smugglers-make

Another article that might catch your interest is called These Police Drones are Watching You, which discusses the pervasiveness of police drone use in the US. No matter where you are on the politics of public aerial surveillance (Should you have a right to privacy in your backyard, for example?), there’s some interesting info here.

And if you want to buy one, you’ll find out what the good ones cost.

https://www.pogo.org/analysis/2018/09/these-police-drones-are-watching-you/

That’s all for now. Happy reading!

February 1: Detroit noir and pickpocket scams

February 1: Detroit noir and pickpocket scams

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Just discovered Loren D. Estleman’s Amos Walker series. Finished Motor City Blue (book 1) a few days ago. This book features Amos Walker, a tough guy detective in 1980’s Detroit, on the hunt for a missing woman. Seriously hard boiled and a great, fast-paced read. Estleman is a four-time Shamus Award winner. If you’re not familiar with this series, here’s the link to Estleman’s author page so you can take a look. https://www.amazon.com/Loren-D.-Estleman/e/B000APK5BO

Spend a lot of time researching (more that I’d like), and most of it can be pretty dry stuff. But occasionally I come across something I think you’ll enjoy reading.

Thief hunters in Paradise is a fun website that covers practical tips about how to avoid being taken advantage of by crooks when you’re traveling. It also including short videos of scams and attempted scams. Here’s the link: https://bobarno.com/thiefhunters/

Finally, if you’re into free ebook promos, here’s one I found: February 5-Star Festival of Thrillers. All of these ebooks have an average review score on Amazon of between 4.5 and 5 stars. As usual, you get a free ebook for an email list signup. Hope you find something you like! Here’s the link: https://books.bookfunnel.com/2020-02-fivestarthrillers/5u7amgvxei

That’s all for now. Happy reading!