''Vicious Circle'' is a 2013 novel by

Wilbur Smith Wilbur Addison Smith (9 January 1933 – 13 November 2021) was a Northern Rhodesian-born British-South African novelist specializing in historical fiction about international involvement in Southern Africa across four centuries. He gained a f ...

.Review
at Publishers Weekly

Plot

Major Hector Cross, a British security officer, ex-SAS operative and owner of security company Cross Bow Security is settled into peaceful marriage with widowed

billionaire A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least 1,000,000,000, one billion units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. It is a sub-category of the concept of the ultr ...

Hazel Bannock, owner and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of Bannock Oil Corporation. Hazel is now pregnant, and has largely recovered from the death of her daughter; heiress Cayla Bannock (in "''Those in Peril''"). After a gynecologist visit, the pair set out in separate vehicles for their English estate. An ambush occurs and, while Hector kills the pair of gunmen attacking his wife's vehicle, Hazel is badly wounded from a bullet wound to the head. Rushed to hospital, their baby daughter, named Catherine Cayla Bannock-Cross, is saved by

caesarean section Caesarean section, also known as C-section, cesarean, or caesarean delivery, is the Surgery, surgical procedure by which one or more babies are Childbirth, delivered through an incision in the mother's abdomen. It is often performed because va ...

. Hazel dies of

brain damage Brain injury (BI) is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors. In general, brain damage refers to significant, undiscriminating trauma-induced damage. A common ...

the next day. Hector believes the murder is the result of the blood feud from surviving members of the family of Hadji Sheikh Mohammed Khan Tippoo Tip (the

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

of Cayla's kidnapping, killed in "''Those in Peril''"). A second attempt is then made on Catherine and Hector's lives when a pair of hired thugs use white phosphorus

grenade A grenade is a small explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a Shell (projectile), shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A mod ...

s to burn down Hector's estate. The thugs are captured by Hector's security personnel and enough details of their employer are provided to identify him, but he is killed by Hector without giving up his employer (to save the life of one of his team). Tracking down the new Tip Clan leader, Aazim Muktar, in Mecca, Hector secures Catherine in a fortress atop a

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...

in Abu Zara. Hector then slips into Mecca to confront Muktar, only to learn he’s a peaceful holy man. Determined to identify the true villain, Hector investigates the business interests and past associates of Hazel and her first deceased husband and Bannock Oil's founder, Henry Bannock. Also at this time, Hector begins to accept his loss and move onto a relationship with

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

Jo Stanley. Jo's boss, Ronnie Bunter, Henry's old friend and Bannock Family Trust lawyer, gives Hector the details of the destruction of the entire Bannock family, in a

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

written by Ronnie on Carl Peter Bannock, Henry's stepson (briefly mentioned in "''Those in Peril''"). Carl was born Karl Pieter Kurtmeyer, his biological father Heinrich was a German Gestapo officer, and despite being an acknowledged

genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for the future, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...

, no one was aware he was a cruel, twisted, sadistic monster. Henry married Carl's mother, Marlena, and takes both her and her son into his home and family, with Carl eventually becoming a company

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

and Henry's heir at Bannock Oil. Secretly, Carl sexually groomed his half-sister, Sacha, and eventually the abuse drove her insane, but the truth is uncovered by his younger half-sister, Bryoni, who secures Sacha's testimony on record. Carl is infuriated at being discovered and assaults and

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

s Bryoni, only for the Bannock family staff to stop him and have him arrested by the police. With his history of abuse of his sisters publicly exposed, Carl's personal and professional life is destroyed by a public trial, which has him imprisoned in Texas on all charges for many years. Applying his genius to his desire for revenge, and retaining his status as a Bannock Trust beneficiary, Carl befriends and begins a torrid sexual relationship with Johnny Congo, aka King John Tembo Kikuu of Kazundu, originally a refugee of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

n royalty, now a psychopathic ex-

U.S. Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

and crime lord on death row for dozens of

homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...

s. Using Johnny's connections and his own wealth, Carl has a gang of Mexican

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

break into the tropical estate of his mother and sisters, drown Marlena for her abandonment of him, and subjects Sacha and Bryoni to a horrific fate - Carl sells them to a

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

brothel A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...

, where they endure countless rapes, beatings and

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

injections, both during the journey and endlessly upon arrival. Sacha dies of illness, and Bryoni is crippled and eaten alive by a pack of wild

pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...

s. This is all retained on video at Carl's direction, which is then sent anonymously to Ronnie and shown to Henry. Henry, at this point married to Hazel and father to Cayla, is ailing due to age, bad health and worry of his missing daughters. The horrific scenes on the video cause Henry to suffer a fatal

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

, exactly as Carl designed. Hazel is then left to run Bannock Oil. Carl is released from

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...

after serving his full sentence, and, knowing he cannot stay in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

or modern society due to his crimes, engineers Johnny’s escape, and the two psychopaths restore Johnny to his African throne in the Congo. Establishing a kingdom of

gluttony Gluttony (, derived from the Latin ''gluttire'' meaning "to gulp down or swallow") means over-indulgence and over-consumption of anything to the point of waste. In Christianity, it is considered a sin if the excessive desire for food leads to a ...

and sadistic

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

, Johnny is a tyrannical king and Carl acts as his prime minister. Carl learns of Cayla's beheading in "''Those in Peril''", and this motivates him to have Johnny give the order to have Hazel killed. With the death of Hazel, Catherine is now the final heir, and Hector realizes Carl is the one who wants her eliminated. With Carl and Johnny's activities facing investigation from the

U.S. government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executi ...

, Hector gathers Jo and his team and marshals them to attack and destroy Johnny's kingdom. Johnny is knocked out and captured, while Hector cripples Carl and ignores his sadistic pleas of innocence and offers of bribes. Despite Jo's protests against killing the defenseless Carl, Hector enacts vengeance for Hazel and the Bannock family - Carl is thrown into his own crocodile pit and eaten alive. To prove his love to Jo, however, Hector agrees to turn over Johnny to the

U.S. Marshals Service The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The Marshals Service serves as the enforcement and security arm of the U.S. federal judiciary. It is an agency of the U.S. Department of Jus ...

, so they can return him to prison for execution. Hector, however, does make a point of punching Johnny in the face after he shouts he gave the order to have Hazel killed at Carl's direction. Believing the threat to Catherine is now totally removed, Hector and Jo receive the news Johnny attacked and killed three of his guards and escaped. Jo, knowing Hector blames her for stopping him from killing Johnny when he had the chance, and not wanting any further part in his extra-legal lifestyle, leaves him. Hector is left on his own with his daughter, planning to hunt down Johnny.

References

External links

''Vicious Circle''
at Wilbur Smith Books {{Wilbur Smith Novels by Wilbur Smith 2013 British novels Macmillan Publishers books