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Blood Is Dirt
Ordeal by Innocence (Signature Editions)
They Came to Baghdad
Act of Revenge
The Abduction
Three Cases for Inspector Wexford: "Kissing the Gunner's Daughter", "Simisola", "Road Rage"
Betrayed in Cornwall (Constable Crime)
The Keys to the Street
Make Death Love Me
Judas Child
The Best Man to Die
Harm Done: A Chief Inspector Wexford Mystery (Inspector Wexford S.)
The Talented Mr Ripley (Film Tie-in)
The Confidential Agent: An Entertainment (Vintage Classics)
Loser Takes All (Vintage Classics)
Degree of Guilt
The Knot Garden
Chained!
Time to Depart
A Dying Light in Corduba
The Outside Man
The Patient's Eyes: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes (Murder Rooms S.)
In a True Light
Adam and Eve and Pinch Me
The Man in the Queue

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Why did it take me so long to discover Robert WIlson?
Terrific Setting is the Saving Grace
africa!
Good, But Not Great
If Chandler Lived in West Africa

Blood Is Dirt
Robert Wilson
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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A Darkening Stain
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The Company of Strangers

ASIN: 0156011255

Book Description

Enter into a treacherous world in West Africa, where British expatriate Bruce Medway, a clandestine “troubleshooter” and debt collector, finds himself unexpectedly immersed in toxic waste scams and mafia crime when a job for his newest client turns out to involve more than the recovery of two million dollars. But Napier, the client, isn’t the worst of Bruce’s problems; that falls to Selina, Napier’s seductive daughter, who wants more than money—she is out for revenge. In his attempt to help Selina, Bruce delves into more danger than he bargained for.

Nothing is static in this intense plot-driven novel where truth is murky and motives are hidden.While Bruce is no stranger to lies, deceit, and crime, he has never met anyone like Selina and her cohorts. And even though Selina is alluring, not even love can change the fact that in this world, blood is dirt.

A Harvest Original

Customer Reviews:

Why did it take me so long to discover Robert WIlson?.......2006-09-25

My first taste of Wilson's writing was A Small Death in Lisbon! WOW!! Powerful but brutal. Since then, I've been reading everything I can get my hands on by this author.

Wilson draws on Africa for this tale and it is tautly written with complex characters. I can never see around the next corner, I am constantly amazed as Wilson pulls rabbit after rabbit out of the hat.

What I like about Wilson is that even when he's being brutal, he never forgets to be funny as well. Some of the better one liners I've read have come from his novels.

Always brutal, his characters flawed as we would expect, plots in keeping with today's drama, Wilson's novels are way ahead of the formulaic mystery writers in America. Though I ususally pass my books on to others, Wilson is one author I hate to part with.

Looking forward to the next novel.

Terrific Setting is the Saving Grace.......2006-04-14

When Bruce Medway, now headquartered in Benin, is approached by a client about a Nigerian scam, he is initially skeptical. When that client turns up murdered, Medway begins his quest for the killer, particularly after the victim's daughter comes to Benin looking for revenge. Medway's hunt for the killer leads him into neighboring Nigeria and its corrupt system, and a plot to sting a presidential candidate.

"Blood is Dirt" is the third book in Robert Wilson's Bruce Medway series, and the second I've read. Both have the same pluses. "Blood is Dirt" features some excellent dialogue, real suspense, and a wonderfully drawn setting. Despite being written in 1997, it is also quite timely, given that Nigeria is a continuing trouble spot for the world. As on character notes, Nigeria shouldn't be dysfunctional, and yet it is, because certain people within and without are profiting from its failure as a state.

However, I was frustrated to find many of the same minuses as his previous book. Medway is a more grounded and likable character now that his girlfriend, Heike, has returned to him. But he remains a little more distant than he ought to be for the reader to fully appreciate. He's descent enough, but the reader never quite connects with him, which is a bad thing for a mystery/suspense novel.

Moreover, the plot is far more convoluted than it needs to be, as Medway pursuit a scam artist leads to the Italian Mafia, expatriate businessmen, and corrupt Nigerian politicos. Consequently, a lot of incidents occur that rarely seem relevant at the time, and even then, only half really matter. While a good mystery is layered, Wilson frequently spackles on plot-lines like dense concrete, some of which serve no purpose other than to obfuscate. The end result is to leave the reader rather indifferent to as to who the killer is and what their motives are. Indeed, it's quite possible you'll forget everything as soon as you close the book.

The saving grace of this series for me has been its terrific and unusual setting. I have the last volume of the series, and I will read it. But I am happy I bought these books from the bargain shelf.

africa!.......2005-02-21

Like Robinson's, The Sapphire Sea, this well written novel takes us into the steamy alleys of Africa through the eyes of an outsider who knows the inside track. You may not like what you see, but you can't stop turning the pages. Good stuff.

Good, But Not Great.......2004-09-14

The back cover compares the author to Raymond Chandler. This is true only to a degree. The narrative is first person and the writer attempts to imitate Chandler, but the plot is confusing and the ultimate solution is somewhat simplistic and obvious. The author writes well, but the reader is always flipping to prior chapters to try to figure out who a character is and where the character entered the story. In sum, this book is good, but not great.

If Chandler Lived in West Africa.......2004-07-06

If Raymond Chandler was an acerbic Brit living in Benin, well, okay, he wouldn't be Raymond Chandler, but Robert Wilson is a latter day Chandler, who describes the complexities of African corruption, gives us the flavor of heat and violence, and presents an expat private eye (Bruce Medway) who is smart, funny and about the only dry thing in West Africa.

This novel is interesting, smart about Africa, especially Nigeria, Benin, corporate fraud and political corruption. It's also funny and moves along at a good clip. Wilson is deft with characterization and complexity, and the writing is so evocative you'll feel by turns drunk, hot or terrified as you read.

A great example of what detective fiction should be: smart, original, funny and interesting.

La patria, imbricación de tierra y sangre. (México)(TT: The Motherland, a mix of blood and dirt) (TA: Mexico): An article from: Siempre!

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La patria, imbricación de tierra y sangre. (México)(TT: The Motherland, a mix of blood and dirt) (TA: Mexico): An article from: Siempre!
Jaime Labastida
Manufacturer: Edicional Siempre
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00096QRWK
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Siempre!, published by Edicional Siempre on November 7, 1996. The length of the article is 940 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: La patria, imbricación de tierra y sangre. (México)(TT: The Motherland, a mix of blood and dirt) (TA: Mexico)
Author: Jaime Labastida
Publication: Siempre! (Refereed)
Date: November 7, 1996
Publisher: Edicional Siempre
Issue: n2264 Page: p22(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Dirt Wet with Blood
Marie Alighieri
Manufacturer: HMS Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1552530590

Book Description

A collection of short works including poems, short stories, and one-scene dramas.

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Blood Is Dirt
Robert Wilson
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJDGZI

Blood, Dirt & DNA: For Attorneys & Investigators

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Blood, Dirt & DNA: For Attorneys & Investigators
Irv Baggett
Manufacturer: Baggetts Investigative Enterprises
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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