Book Review: Diamond Dogs

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Diamond Dogs     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Alan Watt
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Child Abuse
Little, Brown; Sep 2000; $23.95; 256 pp.

Seventeen year old Neil (named for the singer Diamond) Garvin is the Carmen, Nevada high school golden boy. Neil, the son of the sheriff, is the very popular quarterback of the football team. However, inside, Neil suffers from the desertion of his mother when he was an infant and the cruelty of his so-called charming father, a closet abuser. Neil has learned abusive behavior from his dad, just ask his mates.

At a party, Neil accidentally kills Ian Curtis. While investigating, his father realizes Neil did the crime and covers up his son’s activities. The townsfolk begin a search for the missing Ian and the lad’s mother asks her FBI brother for help. As the outsiders come closer to uncovering the truth, the war between father and son is on the brink of exploding.

DIAMOND DOG is a well-written character study that portrays the abusive father, but provides a deep scrutiny into the impact of parental dysfunctional behavior on the child. The story line is fast-paced and loaded with emotion and tension, but requires some acceptance of the implausible happening, which surprisingly does not detract from this insightful look at negative nurturing. Although the novel is a police procedural in the widest definition of the sub-genre, Alan Watt’s novel lights up the family drama fans with a fabulous debut book.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner