The inner conflicts of a mismatched band of mercenaries threatens to derail an important mission in Wilbur Smith's dramatic adventure novel, The Dark of the Sun, set during the Congo Crisis.

'The bend in the road rushed towards them, just a few more seconds. Then, with a succession of jarring crashes that shook the whole body of the car, a burst of fire hit them from behind. The windscreen starred into a sheet of opaque diamond lacework, the dashboard clock exploded powdering Shermaine's hair with particles of glass, two bullets tore through the seat ripping out the stuffing like the entrails of a wounded animal.'

Bruce Curry is the leader of a mercenary band with the dubious support of three white officers. His mission is to relieve a mining town cut off by the fighting and to retrieve a priceless consignment of diamonds. Ranged against his ill-disciplined unit are bandits, guerrillas and hostile tribes that roam the land. But there is another, even deadlier enemy - one of his own men . . .