okay, military actioner - Rated 
The third in the 'Simon Fontwell' series finds him back in South Africa a little while before the Boer war. This time he blends a rescue mission with a campaign against one of the local tribes.
A lesser known aspect of British history and the historical element is interesting enough but this never rises above an okay novel. It lacks tension and never quite grips you like it should. By no way is this a bad novel but with a few tweaks, this could have been very good indeed. So expect to be entertained but it does lack the wow factor.
Historically Interesting but Dramatically Episodic - Rated
John Wilcox's Simon Fonthill novels are a comparatively little known series of military adventure stories set at the height of British Empire. Although not as critically lauded as Allan Mallinson's Hervey novels or as populist as Cornwell's Sharpe, the two pevious books in the series, Horns of the Buffalo and the Road to Kandahar were both hostorically interesting and dramatically entertaining.
The third book in the series, once again following the adventures of former British Army officer Simon Fonthill and his companion '352' Jenkins, continues very much in the same vein. It opens in 1880, and finds Fonthill & Jenkins back in South Africa after their adventures in Afghanistan, where they become caught up in the British campaign to suppress the BiPedi Tribe whilst trying to rescue a close friend.
Once again Wilcox paints an interesting portrait of a little known episode in British colonial military history, and does well in evoking the look and feel of both place and period. Whilst Horns of the Buffalo dealt with the comparatively well known events surrounding the Zulu uprising and the battle for Rourke's Drift, this return to Africa covers the less well known campaign against the BiPedi and the beginnings of the Boer independence movement that would lead to the first Boer War. The historical details, barring a slight shift in dates for dramatic purposes, are mostly spot on and a liberal scattering of real historical characters are spread throughout the story, giving it an even more authentic flavour. Wilcox also conjures up vivid images of the African Veldt, the BiPedi capital and the mining town of Kimberly; the latter at the time being reminiscent of a wild west frontier settlement. He also sticks to modes of speech that are correct for the period, even if some of the terms used such as Kaffir are now no longer acceptable, instead of trying to contemporise the dialogue for modern ears as some authors of historical fiction are prone to do.
Unfortunately by concentrating on the historical details of the story, Wilcox appears to have given less thought to making it dramatically satisfying. Whilst there is plenty of action and adventure for Fonthill and Jenkins to get stuck into, the story as a whole feels like something of a travelogue and become episodic. There is a bit of action, followed by a bit of travel and a description of the environment, followed by more action, followed by more travel and more scene setting, and so on. Despite the fact that they are men on a mission there is little sense of urgency to proceedings and some events, such as a lion attack, seem surplus to requirements.
It doesn't help that some of the periods of action come across as pretty perfunctorily written. The lion attack is one such example; as is Fonthill and Jenkins stealthy infiltration of the BiPedi camp. Both scenes should be charged with tension and excitement, but they come and go with barely any sense of real danger. In the latter case Wilcox doesn't even bother describing their escape from the camp after they've achieved their aims.
For readers interested in the period in which The Diamond Frontier is set there is much to recommend in this book. For fans of Fonthill & Jenkins there's enough to keep them reading the series (its certainly a more enjoyable read than recent Allan Mallinson novels). For newcomers to Wilcox's novels however, this is not the place to start. There is a good book buried somewhere here, but it is obscured by poor pacing and structure. Here's hoping the next Fonthill & Jones adventure, out soon in paperback is more satisfying.
In a way a "surprise" in the saga... but a really INTERESTING Campaign! - Rated 
The best thing by far is the obscure campaign around which the plot is entwined... I have never heard of it!... and I have a lot of History books dealing with the period!... so very good research and setting...
I enjoyed the read, and the "new job" of scouts is definitely a bonus, (as usual the problem with subalterns as "heroes" inside an Army quickly shows the hierarchy limitations and the fact they can not move freely around!) if that means a bit of long boring rides are included... going from here to there all the time... at least it provides "new" perspectives.
Alice is there of course... but the author doesn't know what to do with her it seems (Mallinson had to kill Hervey's first wife because it was too much of a hindrance...for the plot)... so in the end adopts a very Victorian escape or solution to the problem... not going to tell (of course)...
Probably the better books are the second,fourth and fifth... but sometimes military sagas have this ups and downs...
still highly recommended
ADB
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