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An evocative and atmospheric thriller set along the part of the African coast they used to call the White Man's Grave, The Big Killing is the second novel to feature Bruce Medway. Bruce Medway, go-between and fixer for traders in steamy West Africa, smells trouble when he's approached by a porn merchant to deliver a video to a secret location. And just to add to his problems, BB, Medway's rich Syrian patron, hires him to act as minder to Ron Collins - a spoilt playboy in Africa to buy diamonds - in the Ivory Coast. All this could be the answer to his cashflow crisis, but when the video delivery leads to a shootout and the discovery of a mutilated body, Medway is more inclined to retreat to his bolthole in Benin - especially as the manner of the victim's death is too similar to a current notorious political murder for comfort. His obligations, though, keep him fixed in the Ivory Coast and he is soon caught up in a terrifying cycle of violence. But does it stem from the political upheavals in nearby Liberia, or from the cutthroat business of the diamonds? Unless Medway can get to the bottom of the mystery, he knows that for the savage killer out there in the African night, he is the next target...
When a routine delivery for a porn merchant spirals into a violent confrontation, fixer Bruce Medway finds himself ensnared in a lethal web of political intrigue and diamond smuggling. Medway, a pragmatic go-between operating in the volatile landscape of West Africa, attempts to balance his financial instability with the demands of his wealthy patron. His objective is to protect a reckless playboy while navigating the dangerous intersection of local political unrest and illicit trade. The narrative, presented through a gritty, first-person perspective, emphasizes the physical isolation and moral ambiguity of the setting, where Medway must decipher the motives of unseen adversaries to survive.
This novel is characterized by its stark, atmospheric prose that captures the humid, claustrophobic tension of its West African setting. The narrative relies on the cynical, world-weary voice of Bruce Medway to ground the reader in a landscape defined by corruption and uncertainty. The plot structure suggests a classic noir sensibility, where the protagonist is caught between competing interests and must rely on his wits to survive. The focus on the intersection of personal survival and regional political upheaval creates a sense of constant, underlying threat that drives the pacing of the story.
Page Count:
303
Publication Date:
1999-01-01
Publisher:
HarperCollins
ISBN-10:
0006513891
ISBN-13:
9780006513896
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