The provided text comprises excerpts from the novel "The Dealer and the Dead" by Gerald Seymour, focusing on several interwoven plots related to the international arms trade and its consequences. A central narrative thread follows Harvey Gillot, a wealthy arms broker whose past illegal dealings lead to a contract being placed on his life by the aggrieved residents of a Croatian village near Vukovar, who blame him for a failed weapons delivery during wartime. Simultaneously, the sources introduce Robbie Cairns, a professional killer from London hired to execute Gillot, detailing his stakeout and failed attempts due to unexpected events like a wasp attack and Gillot wearing a bulletproof vest. The text also highlights the efforts of British law enforcement, particularly Detective Mark Roscoe, and arms-trade campaigner Megs Behan to either track or intercede in the situation, ultimately culminating in a tense confrontation in the village where Gillot survives the assassination attempt, although Cairns is killed by an unknown party.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.