The Lie

About the Book

The Lie is a quick and compelling view of the diamond wars, told from the victim’s perspectives. It is the story of four diamond couriers who have been murdered in Philadelphia. In response, FBI agents are sent to investigate; however at the time, they have no idea that the murders in fact hide a much larger global problem – the illicit diamond trade. Together, FBI agent Howard Watson and his team of agents follow the case across America subsequently taking them to Russia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

About the Author

I am a product of Chicago. My mother, Sarah, was born to a part Creek Indian mother and a Black father who migrated to Chicago in 1927 from the Buckaloo Mountains of Alabama. My father, Norman, was a first generation American born to Russian immigrant parents. I have written, produced and directed three one-act plays on off-off Broadway in New York, including winning the Village Gate One Act Festival in 1993. I wrote, directed and produced, a 3-city PBS aired television program called Live From The Warehouse, and wrote, produced and directed Herb Kent’s Dusty Records, a syndicated radio program airing in 22 cities. Also, I have written two novels that are currently listed on amazon.com, bn.com and Xlibris.com. As a testament to my accomplishments, my books are also housed in my high school library. I have written extensively for Chicago, New York and Philadelphia publications. I was a publicist for the musical group “Kool and the Gang”, an event coordinator for Graham Kerr “The Galloping Gourmet”, and have interviewed over 100 celebrities, including Grammy award winning blues singer B.B. King and the late award winning photographer Gordon Parks. I graduated from Chicago’s Harlan High School, attended Wilson Junior College, Columbia College, and acquired a BA in Marketing from an on-line university in Idaho. I am the mother of two adult children - Angela and David. JoAnn Fastoff Blackman