The Lust Vault: A Review of Betrayals and Diamonds
Title: Betrayals and Diamonds
Author: N. Viktoria
Published: 2023
Reviewed by: Jide Badmus
Alec Nolan, a retired jewel thief, gets pulled back into the world of high-stakes crime by a former partner for one last job. Alec is on the run and goes into hiding when his attempt to steal the Pemberton Diamonds fails. The story takes an unexpected turn when a romantic relationship develops between the fugitive and Latoya, the professional photographer who offered him sanctuary.
“Betrayals and Diamonds” is a brisk tale of crime and lust. What begins as a simple jewellery heist turns into a complex sensual adventure. The story explores themes of identity, integrity, and redemption, with a sensational, rather than philosophical tilt. Though fictional, there are strong elements of reality that make the narration tick, especially the occasional references to real life characters like Vida Guerra. This piqued my curiosity.
N. Viktoria employs detailed narratives and description to help readers visualise the settings, characters, and actions, using metaphors and similes to project imagery. Her style leans on dialogue to achieve character depth and plot advancement. The story is told in an omniscient third person with great insight into multiple character temperaments, feelings, and perspectives. The story blends elements of romance and thriller with fast-paced action. The plot is simple, and the language is accessible—a fitting trope for lovers of the genre. Narration is linear and easy to follow.
The story revolves around three major characters, Alec, Latoya and Kate, personalities driven by desire and ambition. Alec loses his father at the age of five and goes to live with his uncle. Despite Avram’s best efforts to set the boy on a different path, away from their criminal enterprise, Alec chooses not to go to college. An accidental encounter with a professional jewel thief on his tour of Europe reveals his father’s secret life, his legendary dark side. He joins the Grand Diamond Consortium and creates his own fairytale—master of disguise and lone wolf who orchestrates a three-day heist worth 200m Dollars.
Alec retires after his uncle’s death, after inheriting everything including the family jewellery business. Kate tracks him down and convinces him to come out of retirement as a favour and show of loyalty to his former friends who find themselves in a life-threatening situation. The heist goes wrong. Alec manages to escape a scene of crime crawling with cops but must keep a low profile until things cool off.
Latoya was about her activities in the basement dark room when a stranger with a gun holds her hostage. Following a rollercoaster of emotions—fear, anger, confusion, attraction—she provides Alec a place to hide. Attraction grows into mutual desire. Then things went from zero to boiling point fast. A sensual encounter ensues…until she realises this stranger isn’t who he claims to be, and she might be courting trouble.
Although the narration is quick footed, the build-up is unhurried, engaging and suspenseful. However, the surprises cease at the beginning of the unusual sensual adventures. The author is meticulous with her descriptions yet one can’t miss the fact that nature takes a back seat in the discourse. It makes it impossible for readers to have a feel of the season and how the characters interact with their environment. The main characters, especially Alec and Latoya, are well furnished with rich back stories, creating empathy for their complex motivations, but the secondary characters appear as passive features when they could have added depth.
The author misses an opportunity to create good tension by rushing through the details of the heist—planning and execution—especially compared to the romantic scenes where you find yourself inside the page, living the intensity of each moment. The tone stays consistent with mood and light-hearted charm in romantic scenes and a measure of apprehension in times of danger.
N. Viktoria successfully presents Alec’s moral dilemmas, pitching personal values against general ethical codes, showing the complex nature of his inner conflicts and decision-making. He is torn between carrying on Nathan’s legacy and forging a path of his own, between stepping out of retirement back into the dark corridors of crime as a favour to a friend. Alec Nolan’s basic principle is woven tightly around honour and loyalty. Gabby, Kate and Latoya also display strength, ambition and independence in their career and lifestyle choices.
“Betrayals and Diamonds” explores the delicate nature of trust in relationships. This can be seen in Alec’s deception of Latoya, and Kate’s ultimate act of giving him up to the authorities. As I mentioned earlier, the pacing is sometimes uneven—the story seems to be in a sprint to the finish from Alec’s arrest, Latoya’s interrogation and the final trial. Timelines become a little foggy too. There’s an attempt at a twist at the very end after a stretch of slow, predictable narration.
The story comes to a seemingly abrupt end, but in actual sense, the epilogue sets the stage for the second book in The Diamond Deception trilogy. As the first in the series, the story is ambitious, blending genres—crime thriller, romance, and drama—with enthralling settings, delightful characters, and relentless action. For readers seeking escapism and cinematic storytelling, this book promises a wild ride. This 141-paged journey is thrilling, engaging, and leaves you with a desperate pang for more.
Jide Badmus is an engineer, a poet inspired by beauty and destruction; he believes that things in ruins were once beautiful. Exploring themes around sensuality and healing, Jide writes from Lagos and tweets @bardmus
He is an author of several books, including Obaluaye (FlowerSong Press, 2022) and What Do I Call My Love for Your Body (The Roaring Lion Newcastle, 2022). Founder of INKspiredng, Poetry Editor for Con-scio Magazine, mentor in the SprinNG Fellowship, and member, board of advisors for Libretto Magazine.
Badmus has curated/edited several anthologies. Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize (2024) nominee.
