George Hall is an Englishman who goes to work on the
beautiful Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean in 1977.
This becomes a JOURNEY TO DEATH. Revolution is in the air
and George, who has fallen in love instantly with a local
girl, is not immune to the tensions. Veronique never wants
to leave her home, and George would have been content to
stay with her. But the other ex-pats warn him to leave.
Then thugs bundle him onto a plane.
Now we move to the present day. I was caught up in the
drama and was unhappy about the gap of time. But George,
we learn, married in Britain, and has returned for a
holiday with his wife and grown daughter Lucy. Mainly we
follow Lucy, recovering from a break-up, who chats to
locals and ex-pat hotel worker Adrian and tells them her
father used to work here. This triggers action from an
unsatisfied man. What could George have done to harm him?
I love the exotic descriptions of the island, the markets,
ocean life and sports such as parasailing. We see that
international money has contributed to making the island a
tourist destination, but this means the best hotels are
owned by Russians instead of locals. Lucy is told to buy a
sunblock with jellyfish repellent, but natural hazards
aren't
the only trouble she faces. Someone seems intent on causing
her harm or at the very least, distress. Before too long
the story turns dark as an abduction occurs.
We see the local police station, the British High
Commission, the capital Victoria, jungle interior and
sparkling white beaches. Such a variety for an island three
miles across. JOURNEY TO DEATH builds tension upon the
setting,
where the tourists are out of their element and the local
police dismiss a vanished person as someone who has gone to
tour other islands. The heat can make people see things,
dehydration make them weak and dizzy. No reason to panic
unduly... but the reader knows differently.
Leigh Russell has written a really unusual crime story in
this dramatic location; a chiller enough to cool the blood
even while reading about the tropical heat. JOURNEY TO
DEATH is the summer holiday you hope you'll never take.
Crime fans who enjoy exploring new lands will love this
book and the courageous Lucy above all.
Lucy Hall arrives in the Seychelles determined to leave her
worries behind. The tropical paradise looks sun-soaked and
picture-perfect—but as Lucy soon discovers, appearances can
be very deceptive. A deadly secret lurks in the island’s
history, buried deep but not forgotten. And it is about to
come to light.
As black clouds begin to gather over what promised to be a
relaxing family break, Lucy realises that her father stands
in the eye of the coming storm. A shadow from his past is
threatening to destroy all that he holds dear—including the
lives of his loved ones.
A dark truth is about to explode into their lives, and that
truth is going to hit them right between the eyes.
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