Take a trip to Amsterdam in this action-filled novel about two Americans whose lives are upended when a diamond merchant is killed.

Kimberly Belle cleverly provides just enough information to give us hints that something else is going on when Xander is brutally murdered in his luxe penthouse apartment while Rayna Dumont, one of the expats, is sleeping in his bed. The other expat, Willow Prins, is married to Xander's former employer, but we also get hints that Willow has some dealings with Xander. We aren't privy to what they are; we just know that they will be important.

"THE EXPAT AFFAIR is a perfect beach book. It is easy to read and has a delightful mystery that's fun to try to figure out."

The narrative for Rayna and Willow is first person, and we like these American transplants, each of whom has a difficult personal history. While Willow has married into a family of stupendous wealth and privilege, Rayna has divorced her monied husband and ends up with nothing. She's barely eking out a living in Amsterdam, and the only person she knows is her roommate, Ingrid.

How the women meet (it's not accidental) and what they manage to accomplish is cleverly done. They don't trust many people, and we understand why, but they do end up trusting each other. All the necessary details about the diamond trade, lab-grown diamonds, and the inflated price of "real" mined diamonds is so fascinating, and it's always enjoyable when a novel is informative as well as being extremely entertaining.

In addition to a gripping storyline and an intriguing setting, the characters are multi-faceted and real. And while the bad guys are truly evil, there are many individuals here who are just human with normal frailties and faults. Both women are far from perfect, but they also are adept at figuring out what needs to be done and how to do it.

THE EXPAT AFFAIR is a perfect beach book. It is easy to read and has a delightful mystery that's fun to try to figure out.