The Dealer and the Dead by Gerald Seymour

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.