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.