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An utterly propulsive investigation into the dangerous, nearly mythical trade of South African diamond smuggling, and its shocking key player: the carrier pigeon.In 2016, American investigative journalist Matthew Gavin Frank traveled along South Africa's notorious Diamond Coast to report on the illicit trade that supplies a global market. Immediately, he became intrigued by the ingenious methods used in facilitating this trade -- particularly, the illegal act of sneaking carrier pigeons onto mine property, affixing diamonds to their feet, and sending them into the air.From the pits of Alexander Bay and Port Nolloth through the Halfway Desert to Kleinzee's shipwrecked shores, Frank investigates a long-overlooked true-crime story dating back to the founding of the De Beers Corporation.