“In crisp and poetic prose, Frank exposes the history of South Africa's nefarious diamond industry accompanied by a history of pigeons… This book is a quirky mixture of whimsy, history, and elegy to personal loss. We may have a hunch that diamonds are a sinister business, but in Flight of the Diamond Smugglers: A Tale of Pigeons, Obsession, and Greed Along Coastal South Africa, Frank divulges completely new facets of the trade. The result is an intriguing read…. Frank travels into dangerous and remote territory to investigate the interstices of the industry. His journey provides lessons on the ruthlessness of colonial rule…. At his own peril, Frank meets with various shady diamond operatives, who don't stint at describing the violence inherent in their jobs, but who justify their isolation in the bowels of South Africa's mining country as a life mission…. With great eloquence, Matthew Gavin Frank weaves his personal losses into a riveting cultural tapestry. If Flight of the Diamond Smugglers induces justified discomfort about the dirty business of diamonds, it also rewards with a panoramic view of an ancient and mysterious trade.”

—NPR