Rough Diamonds - Paperback

by Kurt Johnson (Author)

The fiction novel, Rough Diamonds, follows stolen uncut diamonds from Chicago to Las Vegas as they pass through the hands of outlandish characters:

• The Swede - A Chicago Outfit guy with a penchant for rare porcelain figurines who steals the diamonds from the Mafia.
• Emmy - An Outfit guy in Las Vegas tasked with fencing the diamonds. Emmy has a family now with a strange stepdaughter and eventually wants out of The Life. He chases down the diamonds with Swede.
• Skinny - A homeless heroin addict and street thief who steals the diamonds from Emmy and eventually ends up in the flood channel tunnels below the streets of Las Vegas with an organized gang of homeless people.
• Cory - An aspiring comedian, high school student, and janitor at Tramps Nightclub who finds the diamonds on the dance floor after they've fallen from Skinny's pants pocket. He and Emmy's stepdaughter have a thing.
• Deedee - The Tramps' manager and former prostitute who gets the diamonds from Cory and locks them in the safe.
• Niven - A friend of Skinny's who's moved off the streets and is now into larger heists. He robs the safe at Tramps and takes possession of the diamonds.
• Tanya - Emmy's stepdaughter, who goes out with Cory. Each week, she dresses differently, from hippie chick to cheerleader to Goth to preppy, in an effort to find herself.
• The Rat King - A Homeless Vietnam Veteran who lives in the tunnels under Las Vegas and runs a gang of homeless people. The Rat King takes the diamonds from Niven.

The story comes to a showdown in the tunnels. A gun battle ensues, followed by rain above ground, creating a flood underground that washes away everything.