Man on a Rope

An amateur appraiser gets trapped in a chaotic diamond deal

After years trying to make their fortunes in the Guyanese diamond trade, Barry Dawson and Colin Lambert have crossed paths once too often. The last time Lambert hired Barry as an appraiser, Lambert cheated his old friend out of his share. Soured on the diamond business, Barry wants to return to the States and marry his hometown girl. Desperate for travel money, he takes one last job from Lambert. He will find that there is no safe exit from the diamond trade.

For hours Barry sifts through a pile of stones, appraising them for sale to a tough named Hudson. They are the most beautiful diamonds he has ever seen—as a group, worth more than $100,000. The sealed package is pillow-shaped, weighs less than a pound, and will cost the blood of many men.