Editors Reads Verdict
A confident second Medway novel that expands the West African canvas — more politically engaged than the debut and with higher personal stakes for the protagonist.
What We Loved
- The Ivory Coast setting is vividly rendered
- The political complexity of the West African setting is handled with intelligence
- Medway's character is deepened significantly
Minor Drawbacks
- The thriller mechanics occasionally overwhelm character
- Best read after Instruments of Darkness
Key Takeaways
- → West African political instability as thriller backdrop
- → The arms trade and its relationship to post-colonial governance
- → Medway becoming more entangled in moral complexity
| Author | Robert Wilson |
|---|---|
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Pages | 320 |
| Published | January 1, 1996 |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Crime Fiction, Thriller |
| Difficulty | Beginner |
| Best For | Readers of the Medway series; fans of African-set crime fiction |
Medway is back. This time the job takes him to Ivory Coast — a country navigating the tensions between economic growth, political instability, and the arms trade that flows through West Africa with a persistence that no government appears able or willing to interrupt.
A dead American, a missing consignment, and a client whose real interests are not what they claimed to be: the Medway formula is established, but The Big Killing uses it with more political ambition than the debut. The Ivory Coast of the mid-1990s — wealthy by regional standards, straining under the pressures that would eventually fracture it — is rendered with the specificity of someone who has spent serious time there.
The second Medway novel deepens the protagonist’s moral landscape: he is still a fixer, still operating in the grey zone, but the weight of what he has seen and done is beginning to show. The Wilson who would go on to write Falcón’s complex interiority is already visible here.
Reading Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "The Big Killing" about?
Bruce Medway takes on a job in Ivory Coast that involves a dead American, a missing consignment of weapons-grade materials, and the fractious politics of West African civil conflict. The second Medway novel deepens the portrait of the region's corruption and violence while sending its protagonist deeper into danger than the first book managed.
Who should read "The Big Killing"?
Readers of the Medway series; fans of African-set crime fiction
What are the key takeaways from "The Big Killing"?
West African political instability as thriller backdrop The arms trade and its relationship to post-colonial governance Medway becoming more entangled in moral complexity
Is "The Big Killing" worth reading?
A confident second Medway novel that expands the West African canvas — more politically engaged than the debut and with higher personal stakes for the protagonist.
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