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'Born and raised in a poor, working-class family in Toronto, Jack Spayd is the son of an unhappy marriage. But when he is given a harmonica as a young boy, he discovers a talent for music that will change his life forever. After being taken under the wing of "Miss Frostbite", the owner of a local jazz club, Jack becomes a gifted musician, playing piano and harmonica.
'After the death of his mother, he travels to Las Vegas and finds work in the clubs there, but is increasingly drawn to gambling. He earns a reputation as a good player, which brings him to the attention of the mafia. Jack wants to join the professional circuit, and to do that he needs serious money behind him. It's this need that sees him travel to the Belgian Congo, where he's heard it's possible to earn big money working in the most dangerous parts of the local copper mines.
'He gradually falls in love with Africa - and then with a beautiful Ethiopian woman. They move to London, where they bring up a daughter who becomes a supermodel. In a dramatic twist, the story returns to Africa - and to a fortune in diamonds.
'Jack of Diamonds is the story of a young, talented man, fighting to achieve his ambitions, and having to use his considerable talents to find his way in a perilous world.' (From the Angus and Robertson Bookstore website.)
Notes
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Dedication: For Dr Koroush S. Haghighi, with my gratitude and thanks
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Sound recording.
Works about this Work
-
No Grey Areas in Top Reads
2013
single work
column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 5 January 2013; (p. 29) -
Populist Storyteller to the End Plays His Final Hand
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 23 December 2012; (p. 10)
— Review of Jack of Diamonds 2012 single work novel -
Book Buyers' Appetite for Fast Food Tips Puts Oliver on Top
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 18 December 2012; (p. 18) -
Now, Read This
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 15-16 December 2012; (p. 22-23) The Weekend Australian , 5-6 January 2013; (p. 14-25) -
A Final Trump
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 8 December 2012; (p. 31) The Canberra Times , 8 December 2012; (p. 25) The Sydney Morning Herald , 8-9 December 2012; (p. 36)
— Review of Jack of Diamonds 2012 single work novel
-
Storyteller Signs Off With a Flourish
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 1 - 2 December 2012; (p. 21)
— Review of Jack of Diamonds 2012 single work novel -
A Final Trump
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 8 December 2012; (p. 31) The Canberra Times , 8 December 2012; (p. 25) The Sydney Morning Herald , 8-9 December 2012; (p. 36)
— Review of Jack of Diamonds 2012 single work novel -
Populist Storyteller to the End Plays His Final Hand
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 23 December 2012; (p. 10)
— Review of Jack of Diamonds 2012 single work novel -
Showman Who Knew the Power of a Story
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 24 November 2012; (p. 26-27) -
Now, Read This
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 15-16 December 2012; (p. 22-23) The Weekend Australian , 5-6 January 2013; (p. 14-25) -
Book Buyers' Appetite for Fast Food Tips Puts Oliver on Top
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 18 December 2012; (p. 18) -
No Grey Areas in Top Reads
2013
single work
column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 5 January 2013; (p. 29)
Awards
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Toronto,
Ontario,
cCanada,cAmericas,
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Las Vegas,
Nevada,
cUnited States of America (USA),cAmericas,
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cCongo (Democratic Republic),cWest / Central Africa, Africa,
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London,
cEngland,ccUnited Kingdom (UK),cWestern Europe, Europe,