Diamond Fever!: A True Crime Story in the Wild West

Steve Sheinkin

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Book cover for Diamond Fever!: A True Crime Story in the Wild West
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Book cover for Diamond Fever!: A True Crime Story in the Wild West
Image for variant 9781250265746

Diamond Fever!: A True Crime Story in the Wild West

Diamond Fever!: A True Crime Story in the Wild West

Steve Sheinkin

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Description

A fun, high-stakes true crime story story set in the Wild West, featuring spot art and comics throughout. Perfect for fans of MONA LISA VANISHES!

"Steve Sheinkin is more than an author--he's a time traveler whose deep research and fabulous writing whisk readers on thrilling rides through history. Kids will be transfixed by this unbelievable-but-true story of Gilded Age diamond hunters, swindlers, and train robbers. It is one of my absolute favorites!" --Lauren Tarshis, bestselling author of the I SURVIVED series

"A rollicking--and well-researched--adventure story... A sparkling accomplishment. " -- Kirkus, starred review

Late one night two travel-weary miners, Philip Arnold and John Slack, show up at a businessman's office in San Francisco. The miners seem nervous. They've got something that needs to be locked in a safe overnight. What is it? Well, that really has to stay secret, but it's...

DIAMONDS!
And lots of them.

Had these two miners just discovered America's first diamond mine? Well, this is the Gold Rush era after all. Plenty of people are striking it rich. Anything is possible.

When word of the find hits the streets, diamond fever sweeps the country. Wealthy investors are desperate to elbow Arnold and Slack aside and seize control--but can they persuade the miners to reveal the location of their bonanza? At the same time, thousands of prospectors fan out across the mountains and deserts of the West--will one of them find the site before greedy bankers grab everything for themselves?

In this page-turning, high-stakes western adventure, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Steve Sheinkin tells the true story of the Great Diamond Hoax of 1872, a rollicking tale of heists and hijinks, scams and scoundrels--and the last-minute triumph of a most unlikely hero.

About the Author

Steve Sheinkin is an acclaimed author whose accolades include a Newbery Honor, three Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, a Sibert Medal and honor, and three National Book Award finalist honors. His fast-paced, cinematic nonfiction histories include Impossible Escape, Fallout, Undefeated, Born to Fly, The Port Chicago 50, and Bomb. Sheinkin lives in Saratoga Springs, New York, with his wife and two children.

Jon Chad lives in Vermont with his wife and daughter. He is the illustrator of Science Comics: Solar System, and the author of Leo Geo, Science Comics: Volcanoes, Science Comics: The Periodic Table of Elements, and Pinball: A Graphic History of the Silver Ball. Jon's graphic novel series, The Solvers, uses comics, and superhero action, to teach mathematics to young readers. His art is also featured in Steve Sheinkin's Diamond Fever.

Critical Reviews

Praise for Diamond Fever! A True Crime Story in the Wild West
"Steve Sheinkin is more than an author--he's a time traveler whose deep research and fabulous writing whisk readers on thrilling rides through history. Kids will be transfixed by this unbelievable-but-true story of Gilded Age diamond hunters, swindlers, and train robbers. It is one of my absolute favorites!" --Lauren Tarshis, bestselling author of the I SURVIVED series

★ "A rollicking--and well-researched--adventure story... A sparkling accomplishment. " --Kirkus, starred review

★ "Jon Chad adds an unusual visual element to Sheinkin's rip-roaring account of the brief but intense national furor sparked by the reported discovery of a supposed diamond field in 1870. . . A breathless, dramatic tale tidily wrapped up with a set of capsule biographies." - Booklist, starred review

★ "A rollicking caper that offers historical hijinks and freewheeling fun in spades." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "A compelling story of bold lies, pervasive deal-making, and surprising gullibility. Reading like a crime novel, readers will eagerly turn the pages looking for answers. . . VERDICT A must-purchase for collections where true crime and nearly unbelievable historical tales are popular." --School Library Journal, starred review

"A direct, humorous account that matches the playful tone of Sheinkin's work in the Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You series or Day's The Mona Lisa Vanishes." --BCCB

"Sheinkin's narrative reads at times like a thriller, also benefiting from cartoonist Chad's black-and-white illustrations... opening each section and dramatizing particularly exciting episodes." -Horn Book

Publishing Information

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Pub date: 2026-05-12
Length: 256 pages

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