Ok, so a couple of things. First, I told myself I wasn't going to let my daughter pick out my books for me anymore. I let her pick this one. Second, I didn't realize I had read something by this author until later on in the book. The copy I downloaded from Google had a second story, The Haunted Bell, which was a Thinking Machine story. Back in May, I'd read The Problem of Cell 13, a collection of 7 short stories featuring the Thinking Machine.
The Diamond Master is a mystery that begins with a unlabeled box sent to a diamond seller. Inside is the most perfect diamond the man has ever seen. Included are no instructions, no owner is indicated, and the man isn't sure what to make of the situation. He eventually goes to a friend, where he discovers that his friend also received a perfect match to the diamond. They aren't sure what it means, but the mystery will grow bigger when they receive word from the sender.
I'm not going to say much more about the story itself. It was full of little twists and turns that I don't want to spoil. I really enjoyed it, but I had one complaint: the end was really abrupt. So abrupt that I was confused when the next story started, and I had to go back later and reread the last chapter. It just felt like there had to be more to the story, but there wasn't.
I'll put a brief mention in here about The Haunted Bell since it was included in my version, even though it wasn't mentioned anywhere that I could see. It was an interesting tale, but the beginning was pretty strange. Once the Thinking Machine was on the case, it picked up and became interesting.
Overall, The Diamond Master was a good book. It was short and easy to read. My main complaint was the ending, but the rest of it was interesting and kept me guessing. I just kept thinking, "This can't be the end!" But, alas, it was. Good Book!
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