Based in Benin, West Africa, Bruce Medway makes a living as a "fixer" for traders along the part of the coast that was once called the White Man's Grave. It's a tough existence, but never life-threatening until he crosses the mighty Madame Severnou. Warned off further involvement by his client, Jack Obuasi, his energies are redirected into the search for a missing expatriate, Steven Kershaw. Kershaw turns out to have been a man of mystery: trader, artist, womanizer, and a sado-masochist. Against background rumblings of political disruption, in the face of endemic official corruption, egged onby an impecunious Benin policeman, Medway pursues the elusive phantom of Kershaw across West Africa. Instruments of Darkness powerfully evokes the atmosphere, politics and people of West Africa. With Bruce Medway's ironic voice, flashes of humor that may recall Raymond Chandler, and unforgettable characters, this compulsively readable thriller has become a cult classic, and the beginning of a remarkable series. Read Less