Review: Tale of a Rough Diamond by P.J. Mann

Published: March 2017

Pages: 314

Synopsis: “Not all that glitters is diamond; sometimes it is only glass. But even its sharp edges will never hurt you like family. Stephan is living a life every teenager would envy. Son of a wealthy businessman, he lives carefree and carelessly. However, nothing is as it seems, and his perfect life is doomed; it has been since before he was even born. Days thrill-seeking, nights lock-picking; it's all just about to fall apart. His older brother has uncovered a secret. For all their years together, Roger has envied Stephan's life, his success, the attention he has from their father, but now Roger can wait no longer; this is the moment, the moment he can hurt Stephan the most, when he can turn Stephan's choices against him, tear apart everything he cherishes, and steal away his future. With secrecy and the resources of the Russian Mafia on his side, the older Mills brother effortlessly brings Stephan's world down around him, a single tip-off to the police burying him under the ruins of his former life. After a year behind bars, Stephan seems to have no hope, no future. Cut off even from the rest of his family, can he reclaim his life and freedom, or will he sink still lower? Will his years of petty crime damn him, or will they be enough to help him fight back? And will he have to do it alone?”

Rating: ***

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I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Took me a while to get into; it took me over 2 weeks to read the first 60 pages which I found quite outputting. The plot and done felt quite dry, as it was written in a style that would possibly more suit non-fiction or prose. I thought the writing style was very mature, which isn't a bad thing but didn't necessarily suit this plot. I found the dialogue stilted and a lot more formal than the description which didn't fit with the overall tone of the story and the characters, particularly in Stephan's case. I didn't really warm to any of the characters, but I did feel for Stephan's dad as he was stuck between his two sons which is a situation I am sure many can relate to.

The first chapter was 78 pages long. I was starting to think there weren't going to be any chapter breaks and this was a very long time for there to be no break. The first chapter covered the entire year of Stephan being in prison which I felt could have been divided with more chapters. I appreciate this probably sounds very petty but many readers use the end of a chapter as a pause and resume the book later. The fact that there were no chapter breaks for 78 pages made the book feel like it was dragging.

The ending was very satisfying and was a good conclusion to the plot.