The Dealer and the Dead: A Thriller

From Booklist *Starred Review* Seymour (A Deniable Death, 2013) tells the story of a tiny Croatian village whose inhabitants held out for weeks against a much larger, better-armed force of Serbian paramilitaries during the Bosnian War. The villagers knew survival depended on getting antitank rockets, and they pooled everything they owned to buy them from an arms merchant. But the weapons were never delivered, and the Serbs committed atrocities that survivors have been waiting two decades to avenge. They learn the name of the arms dealer who betrayed them. Once again, they pool everything they own, this time to hire a hit man. Seymour loves detail, and The Dealer and the Dead serves it up brilliantly. He takes readers inside the minds and lives of a baker’s dozen characters, from villagers and the British arms merchant to a London cop whose “Flying Squad” is tasked with stopping contract killings, to a driven woman who tracks the international arms trade for an NGO, and a forensic scientist who has been unearthing Croatian victims for 20 years. The Bosnian conflict was spectacularly cruel. Two decades on, it continues to spur headlines and to provide potent plotlines for novelists. It’s fitting that Seymour, one of the finest contemporary espionage novelists, shines his unique light on it. --Thomas Gaughan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. “A war crime propels this stellar thriller from Edgar-finalist Seymour (Harry's Game)…. How Seymour develops these characters and manipulates them until they all end up in Vukovar is a testament to his talent and skill.” ― Publishers Weekly, starred review “Seymour loves detail, and The Dealer and the Dead serves it up brilliantly…. The Bosnian conflict was spectacularly cruel. Two decades on, it continues to spur headlines and to provide potent plotlines for novelists. It's fitting that Seymour, one of the finest contemporary espionage novelists, shines his unique light on it.” ― Booklist, starred review “Those who are drawn to densely woven, slowly unfolding plots and thoughtful writing will rate this book a winner. Decades after establishing himself as a master of British spy fiction with Harry's Game , Seymour shows no signs of slowing down or losing relevance.” ― Kirkus “Seymour [is] incapable of creating a two-dimensional character . . . The ending is brilliantly orchestrated.” ― The London Times “Crisp, taut and contemporary, by a stylish writer.” ― The Observer (UK) “Discerning thriller readers can safely say that the best practitioner currently working in the UK is the veteran Seymour. He is, quite simply, the most intelligent and accomplished in the current field . . . Here, we have a typically compromised Seymour anti-hero, a masterfully organised globe-spanning narrative and a mass of highly persuasive detail. The Dealer and the Dead is Seymour firing on all cylinders, and his rivals need, once again, to look to their laurels.” ― Barry Forshaw, author of The Man Who Left Too Soon “With Seymour, not only do you get a cracking story deftly told, but you also feel you are learning something.” ― Birmingham Press “The final scenes are brilliantly orchestrated by Seymour, the sustained tension becoming almost unbearable . . . Without doubt, The Dealer and the Dead is one of the finest thrillers to be published so far this year.” ― Yorkshire Evening Post “[Seymour's] meticulous research shines through in his latest thriller.” ― Oxford Times “Riveting.” ― Manly Daily “In a day when shop-worn plots in the disguise of well-written books are doing the rounds, The Dealer and the Dead comes as a refreshing, breathtaking story that keeps you gripped right till the very end.” ― Indian Express “ The Dealer and the Dead displays [Seymour's] usual ability to concoct a tightly controlled plot that is cleverly engineered . . . steadily crafted into a compelling tale . . . Another first-class thriller from the always reliable Seymour.” ― Canberra Times “A tense thriller.” ― Choice “Veteran British spy novelist Gerald Seymour has written an extraordinary work of fiction. This is Seymour's 21st novel, and critics on both sides of the Atlantic have for years compared him to John le Carre, Graham Greene, Eric Ambler and other masters of spy fiction, but his reputation has never quite equaled theirs. No matter. Serious readers will find in A Deniable Death not only suspense, strong characters and a realistic look at the world of espionage, but a majesty that is rare in fiction. At a certain point, the novel rises to a mythic level, portraying courage and loyalty and sacrifice almost beyond understanding.” ― Washington Post “Outstanding… Seymour (Harry's Game) is strong on the details of surveillance and spycraft, but on even surer ground with his characters as he focuses on Gibbons's stoic dedication, Badger's ruthless single-mindedness, and Foxy's prideful professionalism. Even the Engineer comes across as a human being, thanks to a complex subplot about getting his wife to the West for cancer treatment. Once the narrative gains momentum, it's hard to put this one down.” ― Publishers Weekly, starred review on A Deniable Death “A book for those seriously into espionage who want to absorb every detail of how a spy mission is planned and carried out… Seymour's painstaking attention to detail is a plus, as it gives the story an authentic ring and lets the reader experience the mission in real time.” ― Kirkus on A Deniable Death “A vividly drawn ensemble of spooks, terrorists and civilians.” ― Sunday Times Books of the Year 2011 on A Deniable Death “Picking up a novel by Gerald Seymour is like taking a deep breath of fresh air . . . When readers get to the nailbiting climax, involving an agonising wait for airborne rescue, they may be wondering why they should bother with any other thriller writer.” ― Independent (London) on A Deniable Death “The novel exemplifies Seymour's ability to create and control a large, vividly drawn ensemble who are unwittingly connected (in this case via two fed-up soldiers)… Also characteristic is a Hitchcockian skewing of the reader's sympathies, with the ostensible good guys in Whitehall shown as coldly ready to sacrifice lives, and the bomb-maker seen in the round as both killer and devoted husband.” ― The Sunday Times (London) on A Deniable Death “Seymour is a master of the thriller set on the murky edges of modern war . . . As ever he juggles action, context and suspense with a special-forces level of expertise.” ― i on A Deniable Death “After 28 novels, Seymour's empathy for those he ensnares in his moral minefields remains movingly even-handed.” ― Daily Telegraph (London) on A Deniable Death “A gripping thriller.” ― Sun on A Deniable Death “Mr Seymour is . . . on form . . . The tradecraft of silent watching and the discomfort, thirst and increasing claustrophobia of the hideout are brought very much to life . . . the grim landscape of the border region and the harsh lives of its inhabitants are skilfully evoked.” ― The Economist (Australia) on A Deniable Death “Great storytelling . . . You just have to read this novel as it is absolutely gripping.” ― Eurocrime on A Deniable Death “Gerald Seymour is the grand-master of the contemporary thriller and Deniable Death is his greatest work yet. Gripping, revealing and meticulously researched, this is a page-turning masterpiece that will literally leave you breathless.” ―Major Chris Hunter, author of Extreme Risk “Suspense master Seymour dazzles with commanding language and meticulous detail.” ― Entertainment Weekly on Rat Run “Seymour is not one to cut corners. He does his research, thinks hard about his story and gives us richly imagined novels that bristle with authenticity.” ― Washington Post on The Collaborator “In a class of his own.” ― The Times on THE WAITING TIME “A dense, intensely satisfying thriller from one of the modern masters of the craft, Seymour's latest novel will remind the world just how phenomenally accomplished a thriller writer he is.” ― Daily Mail on THE COLLABORATOR --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Starred review. ."..a testament to (Seymour's) talent and skill." - Publishers WeeklyStarred review. "."..a testament to (Seymour's) talent and skill."" - Publishers Weekly --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Gerald Seymour was a reporter at ITN for fifteen years. He covered events in Vietnam, Borneo, Aden, the Munich Olympics, Israel and Northern Ireland. He has been a full-time writer since 1978. Seymour's first novel was the acclaimed thriller Harry`s Game , set in Belfast, and since then six of his thrillers have been filmed for television in the UK and US. The Dealer and the Dead is Seymour's twenty-seventh novel. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Read more