Instruments of Darkness

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Excellen thriller - Rated
This book works on three levels. First, it is a good thriller with an unexpected set of plot twists. Second, it is a very god book about West Africa and sounds a lot like the places I have visited. Third, it is a good novel: the reader begins to understand the characters and to see why they do what they do. It is also very well written (if you like short, brusing sentences and odd descriptions). For me, the violence was a bit too graphic but then I'm squeamish. Otherwise, it was thoroughly enjoyable.

All the Way Back - Rated
Most readers will be familiar with Robert Wilson from his newer works including, “A Small Death in Lisbon”, “The Company of Strangers” and, “The Blind Man of Seville”. Happily his publishers are releasing this series of four early works that begin with, “Instruments of Darkness”. The adjective of darkness is appropriate for this quartet of books. I have read all four and there are many manners that may be used to describe the works however dark is easily the most fitting. These books are very violent, liberal with gore and extremely graphic, so for readers who prefer that more detail is left to their imaginations this book and its counterparts may not be for you.

This series is set in West Africa on the Gulf Of Guinea and in countries stretching from Ivory Coast to New Guinea. Mr. Wilson writes both with authority and with great authenticity as he has traveled and worked in this region just as he has in the countries that populate his newer works. Here there are common characters and while it is not critical I would recommend reading the works in the order they were issued. They all can stand alone but benefit from being read as a cycle.

It took some time for me to get comfortable with the prose and cadence of these books as they are written in a very different style from the others I have read. They may remind you too of those movies where a woman wanders in to the office of a private eye and tells her sad tale while a voice narrates the story you are watching. The prose is saturated with elaborate and lush metaphor that initially seems a bit strident but eventually becomes comfortable to read once a bit of time has been invested.

These are very different from Mr. Wilson’s other novels but if you are interested in the early work of this very talented author, I recommend these books without reservation with the exceptions I noted at the beginning of these comments.

An edgy, intense, atmospheric thriller set in West Africa - Rated
Robert Wilson's Bruce Medway series begins with this book. Medway is a freelance go-between who is hired while delivering the payment on previous deal to find a missing Englishman in West AFrica. Wilson maintains suspense on several levels as the action methodically unfolds. The slow development of relationships among the main characters successfully creates an atmosphere of edgy foreshadowing, enahanced by the gradual unravelling of the political situation. Medway carefully navigates through the political and social realities of modern day Africa, all the while operating on the edges of safety. This book is an outstanding read in the Raymond Chandler genre.

I came to this book straight from reading Wilson's later thriller, A Small Death in Lisbon. I was expecting to be slightly disappointed because I am not at all interested in Africa, however this book captured my interest from the first paragraph and never let up on the excitement.