Synopses & Reviews
The Van Der Byl Diamond Company, willed by its founder to his son Benedict, daughter Tracey and estranged foster-child Johnny Lance, turns out to be a bequest not of love, but of hatred. For it is couched in such terms as to offer Benedict an instrument of destruction of his bitterest rival. 'Destroy Johnny' was the old man's implacable message to his son, and, obsessively jealous of his foster-brother, Benedict sets out in ruthless pursuit of this goal.
In a desperate bid to support Johnny, Tracey acquires for him the concession in the diamond-rich seabed round the coral islands of Thunderbolt and Suicide off the savage South West African coast, and Johnny throws all his resources into the construction of a vessel that will recover the stones from the ocean floor and repair his fortune at last. But Benedict, already involved in illegal diamond-dealing as a sideline, seizes this chance to attack his rival and, with a network of accomplices and some ingenious electronic tampering, plots to syphon off the diamonds. Johnny will not only be ruined by his liabilities, he will also be a laughing stock.
However, Benedict's obsessive jealousy is his undoing. He cannot resist stripping his rival of his beautiful but bitchy wife Ruby as well, and when he then discards her, she takes her revenge, precipitating a climax of murder and destruction that consumes Benedict at last.
Narrated with Wilbur Smith's irresistible driving thrust, this is a tale of brotherly hatred, redeemed only by the deepening love between Johnny and Tracey. It is set in London, Cape Town, on the thunderous seas around the ocean diamond fields and ends in a final confrontation between Johnny and Benedict in the blistering hyena-infested desert.
Review
"Wilbur Smith leaves fans feeling that they sailed alongside Sir Hal because the geography and the era appear so genuine. This is what makes a Smith book worth reading."
--Midwest Book Review on Monsoon
"Smith's novel is far more than your typical pirate script...A fascinating account...Smith deftly evokes not only the horrific but also the beautiful, particularly the lush landscape of Africa."
--The Washington Post Book World on Birds of Prey
"As usual, Smith...peoples his tale with unforgettable characters...Swashbuckling and sensuous, Birds of Prey is not for the faint-hearted. This latest epic transcends the average action-adventure yarn."
--The Orlando Sentinel
"A rich, compelling look back in time when history and myth intermingled."
--San Francisco Chronicle on River God
"Throughout The Seventh Scroll, as in all Wilbur Smith novels, the plot twists and turns with constant surprises...This old-fashioned adventure novel keeps the reader enthralled all the way to its very exciting conclusion."
--The Washington Post Book World
'A gem of a suspense/adventure novel' - Daily Mirror
Praise for Wilbur Smith
“Smith is a master.” —Publishers Weekly
“One of the worlds most popular adventure writers.” —The Washington Post Book World
“A rare author who wields a razor-sharp sword of craftsmanship.” —Tulsa World
“Wilbur Smith is one of those benchmarks against whom others are compared.” —The Times (UK)
"Best Historical Novelist--I say Wilbur Smith, with his swashbuckling novels of Africa. The bodices of rip and the blood flows. You can get lost in Wilbur Smith and misplace all of August."--Stephen King
"Action is Wilur Smith's game, and he is a master."--The Washington Post Book World
“The worlds leading adventure writer.” —Daily Express (UK)
"Wilbur Smith rarely misses a trick."--Sunday Times
“Smith is a captivating storyteller.” —The Orlando Sentinel
“No one does adventure quite like Smith.” —Daily Mirror (UK)
"A thundering good read is virtually the only way of describing Wilbur Smiths books.” —The Irish Times
Synopsis
One of the world's most acclaimed adventure writers has created a story filled with family drama amidst the exotic diamond empires of South Africa.
Synopsis
New York Times
bestselling author Wilbur Smith has set the standard for globe-spanning adventure, pulse-pounding suspense, and risk-it-all human drama. The Diamond Hunters
delivers it—as two men with a passion for power fight to control a family legacy and untold fortune in South Africas dazzling and perilous emerald coast…
A FATHERS LEGACY.
The Van Der Byl Diamond Company has been ruled to the death by its founder, Jacob, who has bequeathed the invaluable business to his son Benedict, his daughter Tracey, and unexpectedly to Johnny, his estranged foster-child—and his most bitter rival in diamond hunting. But the inheritance
does not come from paternal love, but from inconsolable hatred.
ONE SON AVENGED IT.
To Benedict, Jacob has made an unyielding demand…destroy Johnny. Ruthlessly jealous of his brothers success, Benedict vows to pursue his goal—across the roiling ocean waters that hide fabulous fortune
to the diamond-rich seabeds in the coral islands of Thunderbolt to a fabled cache of
riches waiting beneath the African earth.
ONE SON WOULD KILL FOR IT.
But as Tracey—and a long-lost love—enter the fray, what unfolds under the desert sun is a violent life-and-death struggle of greed, betrayal, passion, and murder that could consume them all.
“Smith is without rival.”
--Tulsa World
About the Author
Wilbur Smith is the bestselling author of many novels, each meticulously researched on his numerous expeditions worldwide. His bestselling Courtney series includes Assegai, The Sound of Thunder, Birds of Prey, Monsoon, and Blue Horizon. His other books include Those in Peril, River God, Warlock, The Seventh Scroll, and The Sunbird. His books are now translated into twenty-six languages and have sold over 120 million copies. Smith was born to a British family in Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia, in Central Africa, and attended Rhodes University in South Africa. He has homes in Cape Town, London, Switzerland and Malta.