The rainbows-and-unicorns period of her friends-to-lovers relationship with Mike Finnegan officially over, Karina Cardinal is taking a tactical retreat. No way is she calling him for rescue from one of her infamous “scrapes.” Too bad trouble, if not her middle name, is a close relative.Sadira Manon, friend and colleague of Karina’s sister Jillian, has been dropping way too much cash on designer … designer labels for a middle school teacher. Even one who moonlights as a jewelry store clerk. But when she’s accused of theft, the loose diamond falling out of her purse is enough for the police to sing the song of their people—“Miranda Rights.”
Karina, Jilly, and Silverthorne Security join forces to investigate who’s setting Sadira up to take a fall, and why. They dig up a shady tangle of Russian mob ties and gambling debts. By the time Karina realizes they’ve dug too deep—and maybe a little too far outside the law—Jillian’s in trouble, and the only way out of this particular pot of hot water is to make that phone call…and hope Mike doesn’t let it go to voice mail.
International bestselling and award-winning author Ellen Butler presents book three in the Karina Cardinal mystery series! Fans of Melinda Leigh and J.D. Robb, who love the humor of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum will adore this gripping mystery adventure.
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5 Star
Diamonds & Deception (Karina Cardinal Mystery Book 3) by Ellen Butler
Diamonds & Deception is the third book in the Karina Cardinal Mystery Series and even though it can be read as a standalone I do recommend reading this series in order, so you will have a better understanding of the characters . I loved this book, it’s filled with action, drama, danger and suspense. I once again found myself lost in the pages and couldn’t stop reading till the end. What will happen when Karina and her sister Jilly team up to help find out who set up a friend? Karina is forced to call Mike after they have dug to deep. Find out what happens next in this absolute must read I look forward to reading more from this Author.
Diamonds & Deception was a great 5 star read and book three in the Karina Cardinal Mystery series.
Karina finds herself pulled into something by her sister.Her sister’s friend is being accused of stealing diamonds. I almost think that danger is Karina’s middle name, with everything that seems to follow her.
Will Karina be able to help figure out who really took the jewels? Will she need extra help?
We get suspense, action, drama and so much more in this great read. There are several twists and turns and some great secondary characters. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was coming next. There is so much more to this great read, I highly suggest 1-clicking and getting started. This can be read as a standalone but I suggest starting with book one, you can connect with secondary characters better.
Diamonds & Deception is the third book in Ellen Butler’s Karina Cardinal Mystery! You can read the story as a standalone but not having read the first two books you would miss out on knowing more about the recurring characters and backstories … Diamonds & Deception is a great story filled with drama, danger, action, suspense and sisterly ‘I’ve got your back no matter what’!
This time the writer has taken inspiration from the increasing gang activity and human trafficking. Karina’s sister Jillian calls her as her friend Sadira needs legal help and neither of them knows the direction that simple thing takes the! The two sisters get drawn down the rabbit hall and of course the trouble comes calling (as it is the case with Karina) and of course her FBI boyfriend Mike is out of town … so, who should Karina reach out for help? Silverthorne Security gang of course!
The writer takes us on one heck of a roller coaster ride and I have to say that I like her writing more and more with each of the story I read so I cannot wait for the next one in the series!
Diamonds & Deception is the third book in Ellen Butler’s gripping Karina Cardinal Mystery series. We’ve had art theft, we’ve had assassination, and now we’re onto jewellery theft. Karina seems to get tangled up in everything!
Karina is a lobbyist whose past escapades have built her a network of talented, helpful people who are ready to leap into action when trouble comes. And trouble does always come. She’s resourceful, dedicated and doesn’t take no for an answer. There’s a brilliant scene where she can’t access her apartment as a man (who had the clever idea to get high on a weeknight) thinks there is a dragon in there. She’s tired, wants to go to bed, and so sets the imaginary dragon on him and walks through the door.
In this book we get to see a lot of Karina’s sister, Jillian. It’s good to see the supportive relationship between the sisters, how readily they come to each other’s aid. It is Jillian’s friend, Sadira, who is accused of stealing diamonds. What at first seems to be a simple misunderstanding escalates as the sisters learn more about Sadira and come up with more and more questions.
Diamonds & Deception is a real page-turner! It’s a great mystery, that keeps you on the edge of your seat. This is an exciting series with plenty of variety and brilliant characters – I would recommend starting at the beginning with Isabella’s Painting to enjoy the story as it unfolds. For me, this is definitely a five star book!
A great read about trouble. Karina Cardinal is trying to stay out of trouble after a row with her boyfriend. But life has other ideas when Sadira, a friend of her sisters, is accused of stealing a lot of diamonds from the jewellery sshe works at. Events unravel and Karina finds herself ina search for the truth. Can she uncover the truth?
A great read. Well developed plot with twists and turns. Well developed characters like Karina cautious but still wanting to help or Jillian as loyal and determined. Great cast of supporting characters like the austere Bernard or the supportive Jessica.
I loved the visual detail throughout the novel like with the fashion catwalk at the start with bright and colourful dresses with sights and sounds as vivid it’s as if you’re actually there. Or the big house later on with the fairy lights and trees and flowers and the wide stairs for a sense of elegance and luxury and beauty. Wonderfully written.
I liked the use of suspense with Sadira and the diamonds with details revealed slowly to make you keep reading to find out the truth with Karina. Fast paced action and high stakes made for a captivating read. Overall, a great read and I would give it five stars.
This is a great mystery story that keeps you gripped from page one.
Karina’s middle name is trouble as she always seems to find herself caught in some form of trouble.
In this story she gets dragged into a situation with her sister Jillian and her friend Sadira. Sadira is spending money like ita going out of fashion. Her car is expensive, her wardrobe is full of designer clothes and shoes and her house is expensive.
Jillian wonders how she can afford to live this way on the teachers salary they earn and her wage from the jewellary store she works at.
One day Sadira calls into the store for her paycheck when she is accused of stealing some diamonds from the store. Sadira protests her innocence until her bag falls and a missing diamond lands at her feet.
Is she being set up or does this explain where all her money is coming from.
Karina and Jillian join forces with Silverthorne security to sort out this mess.
Who would want to set her up and why?
With links to the Russian Mob and gambling debts nothing is has it seems. Will Karina stay out of trouble or will she get dragged into trouble all over again.
Diamonds & Deceptions is the third novel in the Karina Cardinal Mystery series by Ellen Butler. This is my third novel by this author.
Karina’s relationship with her college friend Mike is hitting a rough patch. When her sister Jillian calls her asking for help involving her friend Sadira Manon, the two are ina mystery not sure of what the full story is.
Will she call on Mike when she finds trouble again?
I really love these mysteries and I look forward to reading one whenever I see a new one is getting released.
These don’t have to be read in order, though some of the characters are recurring and the progression of Karina’s relationship with Mike, the mysteries are very entertaining.
I look forward to another in this series.
Diamonds & Deception (Karina Cardinal Mystery Book 3) by Ellen Butler is another great tale in this wonderful and addictive series. I love Karina Cardinal and the Silverthorne team. This thrilling mystery keeps you on your toes and the plot is sensational as Ellen carefully weaves all the threads to one explosive story. I also love the way that Ellen comes up with different themes for each story. There is action and romance, lies and deceit, friendship and family. Stolen jewels and mistaken identity lead to kidnapping and drug cartels, human trafficking and suspense.
Karina doesn’t even have to try, and danger comes calling but this time there is more at stake.
I tell you this series should be made into a movie or a tv series. It is entertaining, enthralling and engrossing and I eagerly await the next in the series.
I have enjoyed this series since the first book. Karina is such an unusual blend of smart woman, foolish choices, and those choices seem to get more foolish book/adventure by book/adventure. By this, the third installment, some of them were (frankly) downright ridiculous. By rights, those choices should affect the overall credibility of the series, yet somehow they do not. I don’t know how Butler pulls that off (frankly again), but she does – and with aplomb. Many of Karina’s choices require a significant suspension of disbelief because they seem so utterly disregarding of personal safety. This is NOT a typical defining characteristic of the lobbyist-lawyer (which I know from personal experience). They are, however, choices that drive the action and adventure forward at ever-elevating levels – and perhaps it is because of that ramping-up effect that they wind up working over the course of the book even if they do occasionally cause eye-rolling while they’re happening.
This time, KC has gotten embroiled in a mess of her sister’s making, after her sister’s friend and co-worker is charged with stealing diamonds from her employer. Of course this is Karina’s world, so things are infinitely more complicated than that, and the resulting attempts at extricating her increasingly-involved sister Jillian involve more violence, lies, and crime than your average lobbyist-lawyer runs into on a daily (monthly? yearly? lifetime?) basis…
The details unfold through a series of red herrings, revelations that turn out to have hidden meaning, and increasingly dodgy judgment calls on the part of everyone involved. The action was delivered in an up-and-down pacing that worked well for the story, and the new characters (particularly Jillian) added an extra layer of depth to Karina’s world.
I continue to enjoy these tales, even (particularly?) when they seem to jump over the line of sound decision-making. Perhaps it’s Karina’s disregard for her own safety and otherwise well-established law-abiding nature that nurtures that enjoyment, even as it occasionally tweaks at my eye muscles and sense of likelihood. She always manages to pull it all together in the end (albeit with a LOT of help from her “private security” and FBI friends) in a way that satisfies and ultimately, that’s all a good story needs to do!
Thanks to the author for my obligation-free review copy.
This is the third book in the Karina Cardinal series. It can be read as a stand-alone as the story stands on it’s own, but the recurring characters are developed in the beginning of the series. While you will be able to settle into the story, I think it’s best if the series is read in order.
I’m now used to the protagonist’s intricate nature and quirks, so some things don’t come as a surprise. There are quite a few times that things are not as they seem and the intrigue and adventure move fluidly through out the story.
DIAMONDS & DECEPTION was a little bit slower in the beginning than the previous two stories, stick with it because the pace does pick up.
I recommend this book, this series and this author.
Diamonds & Deception ( A Karina Cardinal Mystery Book 3) by Ellen Butler
4 Stars!!!!
Right back into the thick of it again with Karina. I once again as not disappointed and was glued to the pages. I really like to read out of my favorite genre and this was a good read. I find the author to have a very refreshing style and draws the reader in.
I really like the investigative reporting angle and I like how the drama and the intrigue flow through the book. The characters jump off of the pages and draw the reader in wanting more. I like how the author brings realism to the characters. I also really relate to Karina and I find that the author really brings her to life. I look forward to reading more from this author and this series.
Diamonds & Deception (Karina Cardinal Mystery Book 3) by Ellen Butler
5 Stars
Another homerun for this author and this must read series. This author crept up on me back with Isabella’s Painting which is what got me hooked on her. This was an awesome addition to this series and Karina continues to be one of my favorite characters ever. I have also quickly fallen for the Silverthorne Security guys, I love everything about the interaction between them and Karina. Another series with them would not disappoint me in any way.
This story was just another Karina getting in the middle of a mess, thanks to her sister and at no fault of her own. She just seems to fall into these circumstances that draw her in and she can’t seem to say no. I love her! Something else I really love about these books is the relationship between Mike and Karina… It’s there, you know its there but its not the main focus, which makes these books refreshing to read.
I love this author and I highly recommend reading all of these in order so you can appreciate the many different aspects of this book.
Amazing!
Diamonds & Deception by Ellen Butler is the third book in the Karina Cardinal Mystery series. This can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading the series in order. Karina has gotten herself into another scrape but this time with not all on her own. Jillian, her sister, has gotten into some intrigue because of her friend Sadira. This is a fun, thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The location is D.C. and there are Russian Mob, gang members, diamonds and more. I highly recommend this read and bet you won’t want to put it down either.
Diamonds and Deception by Ellen Butler is the third book in the Karina Cardinal Mystery Series. This is a series that is fast paced and full of twists and turns.
You don’t necessarily have to have read these books in order although personally I think you will miss out on a lot of cha after and background development if you don’t.
As usual this book was engaging and interesting. I found myself trying to figure it out as we went along. I find it really easily to slip straight back into these characters, even if it has been a while since I read the last book. Ellen Butler really does know how to create an intriguing story with great characters. You should definitely give this series a go!
This mystery kept me glued to the pages from beginning to end. I love how Butler continues to draw me in to this series. The characters are thoughtfully developed and I like watching the progression of our main character through each book. Overall I found this suspense to be another worthwhile tale and should be added to every mystery lover’s library.
This is the third book in this series, I enjoyed it just as much as the previous two. One of the things I enjoy most about this author is her ability to pull me into her story and keep me engaged until the end. This is a mystery and suspense that kept me guessing what would happen next. Karina and her sister Jilly team up to help find out who set up a friend. When they dig to deep and Karina is forced to call Mike, will he be there? I highly recommend finding out what happens in this story.
Karina Cardinal is at it again– and since it happened to Karina and Jillian (and not me) I found it fun and exciting.
Lawyer turned lobbyist Karina Cardinal has a knack for finding trouble. After her last adventure found her delving her skills at being a murder investigator and almost causing her own untimely demise, she has pinky swore to her FBI agent boyfriend, Mike, she will behave while he is away doing training. But alas, amateur sleuthing runs in the family, and when Karina’s sister Jillian finds herself trying to uncover who is behind framing a friend for a diamond heist, Karina becomes stuck in the middle of helping her sis and breaking her promise to Mike…
Never wanting to give too much away and spoiling the suspense, I always find writing reviews for mysteries difficult. In this third installment (which the author has written in a way to be read stand-alone) to the series, KC and her crew find themselves mixed up in an underworld of crime that is both terrifying and heartbreaking. Dear reader, I began Diamonds & Deceptions and found the story impossible to put down and consumed it within a day! After the last page turned, I was already hungry to read KC’s next adventure! Yes, I loved it that much! Highly recommend!
**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **