The Big Killing

Bruce Medway #2

by Robert Wilson

In this second novel of the Bruce Medway series, our hero, a go-between and "fixer" for traders in steamy West Africa, smells trouble when a porn merchant asks him to deliver a video at a secret location. Things look up, though, when he's hired to act as minder to Ron Collins, a spoiled playboy looking for diamonds in the Ivory Coast. Medway thinks 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, he wants out. Obligations keep Medway fixed in the Ivory Coast and he is soon caught up in a terrifying cycle of violence. Unless he can get to the bottom of the mystery, Medway knows that for the savage killer out there in the African night, he is the next target.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Africa

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Robert Wilson has written thirteen novels including the Bruce Medway noir series set in West Africa and two Lisbon books with WW2 settings the first of which, A Small Death in Lisbon, won the CWA Gold Dagger in 1999 and the International Deutsche Krimi prize in 2003. He has written four psychological crime novels set in Seville, with his Spanish detective, Javier Falcón. Two of these books (The Blind Man of Seville and The Silent and the Damned) were filmed and broadcast on Sky Atlantic as ‘Falcón’ in 2012. A film of the fourth Falcón book was released in Spain in 2014 under the title La Ignorancia de la Sangre. Capital Punishment, the first novel in his latest series of pure thrillers set in London and featuring kidnap consultant, Charles Boxer, was published in 2013 and was nominated for the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. This was followed by You Will Never Find Me in 2014. The third book in the series, Stealing People, will be published in 2015. Robert Wilson loves to cook food from all over the world but especially Spanish, Portuguese, Indian and Thai. He also loves to walk with dogs…and people, too.

Reviews

[Sam Reaves · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Big Killing by Robert Wilson

Robert Wilson hit the big time with novels set in Spain and Portugal; this is one of the P.I. novels set in West Africa which he wrote back in the nineties. You couldn't really pick a better locale for the jaded, world-weary sensibility of the classic private eye yarn. Rain drumming on the roof, whisky at hand, savagery lurking out there in the dark. European expats with competing agendas caught up in spillover from the ghastly Liberian civil war; Raymond Chandler meets Joseph Conrad.

[Manray9 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read much acclaim of Robert Wilson's novels, but The Big Killing left me unimpressed. The African atmosphere made a good starting point, but the story is pieced together haphazardly with characters floating into and out of the narrative without realistic explanation or credibility. At the novel's conclusion, I was left with more questions than answers. Wilson clearly possesses the story-telling tools; he simply needs to work on his plot development and characterization. The Big Killing isn't bad, just disjointed. A little more time at the re-write desk would have helped!

[Bevan Lisle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This follows fast on the heels of his debut, Instruments of Darkness; set about a month later. I love the arc with his German girlfriend and the West Africa setting feels moody, dangerous and desperate from the first page to the last.

It’s West African noir with a relatable and likeable Brit and some great characters - diplomats; unemployed police officers, diamond traders, arms dealers and fugitives.

Its fascinating to trace how Wilson is changing as a writer with the four Bruce Medway books (I wish he’d written more).

Number two Medway and Wilson dials down the Ray Chandler love affair which probably felt a touch exhausting for some. Although I for one, missed it. Very hard to match Ray Chandler at his best but I thought Wilson did that in Instruments of Darkness I suspect the step back was the result of a few tough love words from an editor but only Wilson knows that truth.

There is the occasional hyper description which makes you smile but it’s sparse compared to his first book. So it’s an easier read in that way but harder in others - the number of characters can be confusing at times but he pulls it all off in the end.

[Terrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't even finish this one. Too many characters that popped in and out of the story; too many killings and I couldn't keep track of who was killed or why or which one he was investigating. Gave up half way through.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A writer whose books taking place in Spain I've really enjoyed but not so much this one placed in W Africa. Didn't care about any of the characters (a must for me) - people killed, tortured, not killed - very misogynistic portrayal of women was what really turned me off. Disappointed.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very fast paced, but it kept me interested.
There are a lot of characters and I had trouble remembering who was who.

[Steve Pearson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I stopped reading. It just was not very good.

[João · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[John McDermott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable offering from one of my favourite crime writers.

[Bubba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Convoluted plot which works in the end, lots of dead people and evil folks. I have to admit that I really like the West Africa setting having spent time there recently. He evokes the bad side of that well. I've enjoyed his other books immensely and may be giving him too much credit on this one since there were many miraculous escapes.

[Tim Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling, fast paced thriller. Difficult (for me) to follow at times. Though Ive never been to west Africa (having spent time in East Africa, South Africa, and Ethiopia) Ive always been most attracted to the books set in steamy west Africa and this book fulfills. I will check out others in the series.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trying too hard to be noir-ish. You can't out-Chandler my favorite old time detective fiction writer. Or maybe someone else can. But this book is just too self-aware, using outlandish metaphors to adhere to a genre. I lasted 100 pages, out of 300.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I could have rated it 3.5 I would have. Parts were excellent other parts only so so. There was too much killing. The characters were interesting, Dotte, and the new body guard. Perhaps a slightly longer book would have allowed deeper character development.

[Charlotte Osborn-bensaada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly dark mystery novels set in west Africa. Writing in taunt and vivid. Hard to imagine a more evil set of characters than those in Robert Wilson's Bruce Medway series.

[Ken Fredette · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a wild story but finally had a good ending. He kept his cool with the women in the story and got back with the one he loved in the end. But we'll see in the next book.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid murder mystery set in an unfamiliar settling. Wilson is a strong writer and this book has a nice plot. He's lived in West Africa and is able to bring the setting to life.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

More Marlow-esque intrigue, romance, and adventure in West Africa. This is as good a series as Wilson's Javier Falcon series.

[Maree Cox-Baker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just ok. Liked reading about West Africa

[David]

Just getting into this writer`s works I liked it

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blackmail, diamonds, a kidnapping, and the Liberian Civil War all mix together in this complexly plotted though enjoyable suspense tale set in West Africa.

[Tim Fawcett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best descriptive writer I have come across. I spent time in West Africa and it placed me back in an amazing parallel world to the one I was in myself at the time.