Diamond Sky marks the third and final book in the Porter Sister series and it was an engaging and exciting suspenseful read that fit beautifully with the other two books. Yes, this is the third book in a series but it stands solidly on its own.

The Porter Sisters series is really three stand alone books that are linked by the fact that the heroines are sisters. The stories are all quite different but they are also very similar. Mining and the traditional owners of the land play large roles in the series.

This book has been on my radar since reading the first book, not to mention the second, and it has been on my shelf quite a while too. I signed on to be part of the blog tour for the release last month, I pencilled in the date and had plenty of time… until I looked at the date yesterday and almost had a heart attack. I was left with yesterday to finish what I was reading and then today to read and review the book. I then managed to read it in one day with a baby and a toilet training toddler in the house, after being concerned I would be reviewing before I finished the book.

Dru Porter is the baby of the Porter family, and the one who found their father when he died, and it has left it’s mark on her; how could it not. She has been quite distant from her family for years but the distance seems to be growing even further.

The Matsu diamond mine in the Kimberley is hot, remote and the perfect place to hide. Dru Porter is in her first year as an environmental engineer helping to rehabilitate the land no longer used by the mine. Dru is a bit of an enigma; she stands out, whether she wants to or not. She is in a largely male dominated field, she is quite tall for a woman and she has long blonde hair. She is in the Kimberley to hide, to keep to herself and not let anyone get too close but she stands out and the fact that she wants to keep to herself doesn’t do her any favours. Working a mine site is quite a closed community so it seems to be a bit of a small town mentality really and that makes the loners a target.

Diamond Sky is a veritable smorgasbord of genres with a little bit of everything to appeal to a wide range of readers. Intrigue, crime, suspense, romance and a remote rural location with vivid characters and an arid landscape that will take your breath away, it certainly stole mine.

The inner workings of a diamond mine are completely foreign to me but Seaton has certainly done her homework to draw what comes across as an accurate depiction. It’s a little bit funny that I hadn’t read any diamond mining books but in the space of a month this is my third and the Matsu diamond mine is completely different from the other two… then again technology has come a long way since the historical depictions I read recently. I have no way of knowing what really happens in a diamond mine but it certainly seemed like Seaton had done some intensive research to paint an accurate picture of the process and the security.

Dru has been burned by life and she’s carrying some pretty hefty baggage. The walls she has built around herself for self preservation are impressive and she doesn’t let anyone in. Ever since uni she has been carrying a reputation as an ice queen and she’s more than happy to wear the crown, especially if it keeps people at a distance.

Her time at the mine is filled with work, sleep and swimming. She eats in the mess hall with the rest of the workers but tries to keep herself apart, except for the weekly poker game with some of the men. The man she shares the greatest bond with is Rocky, an indigenous staff member who has been with the mine since it’s inception. He reminds her of the man who helped on the family farm.

There is trouble at the mine and the owner wants it sorted; quickly, quietly and discreetly – preferably before news gets out. He hires in an investigator to trace the problems and the suspense begins. Connor Kirk has taken on the job but it isn’t what he’s used to, and he’s a man immediately suspicious of a strong female because he too has been burned.

Seaton deftly weaves the background of baggage for both Connor and Dru as she tells the story of the mine and its relationship with the traditional owners. There is quite a lot going on yet it all felt important to the story, there was no superfluous tangents that didn’t seem to have any relevance. There were interesting diversions and a lot of things that added to the intrigue and allowed the reader to form theories and try to work out what was going on but I’m not sure I ever even got close. It was certainly a tangled web she wove and I loved it.

Diamond Sky took me to a place I have never been, and probably won’t ever get to, and painted a majestic picture that celebrated the original inhabitants of the area and highlighted the important work that goes into rehabilitating mining sites.

A captivating read that brings the Porter Sisters series to a close, and leaves me hoping there might be another family member floating that will bring us back into their world.