The Greatest Diamond in the World (and its Curse)

This is the story of the world's greatest diamond, charting its discovery and movement over time and continents. From Dorset to India, Holland and France. It exclusively reveals for the first time, more than a century after John Meade Falkner wrote his smuggling novel 'Moonfleet' that the diamond at the heart of his book, once belonging to King Charles 1 wasn't imaginary but that it always existed. It exists today, larger than life, but it comes with an ancient curse which brings misery and misfortune to all who own it. Meade Falkner (May1858-July1932) was an interesting character. Throughout Moonfleet he carefully avoided revealing the identity of many of his characters and places. The effect is to trigger his readers' imaginations to know the truth of who and what was really behind his fiction. Such is also the purpose of this book, to understand and reveal what lies beneath his shrouds of secrecy.