Since deciding to go "all-in" on her new life on the Caribbean island of Paraiso, Plum Lockhart has worked hard to build her vacation property leasing business. She has always been one for a challenge, and, apparently, so is her former co-worker Lucia Garcia. She has jumped ship from Jonathan Mayhew Caribbean Retreats and joined Plum in her new venture. But, their latest client acquisition is a broken-down relic of bygone luxury, Villa Tomate, and it is in desperate need of significant renovations before the women can advertise it for leasing and bring in some much-needed cash.
Both Plum and Lucia are hard at work when Plum receives a desperate cry for help from her old friend and sometimes nemesis, Gerald Hand. It seems his intern, who is vacationing on Paraiso, at his recommendation, is in trouble with the resort hotel security, accused of stealing. What makes matters worse is the girl's father is the owner of the magazine Gerald works for, and the man's his boss!
When Plum gets to Juan Kevin Munoz's hotel security office, she finds him questioning the young lady. Arielle Waldron, who definitely has been stealing items from hotel and pool guests; her designer bag is full of things reported missing. She denies everything, even though she's been caught on camera, and her horrendously entitled attitude isn't helping her case. However, with Plum's encouragement, Juan Kevin decides to only ban her from the resort rather than have the police arrest her. Arielle has a friend with a private villa on the island where she can go, and both Plum and Juan Kevin fervently hope they never have to deal with her again. However, the next day Arielle is found murdered on the beach.
SOMETHING GUAVA'S GIVE is the second delightful novel in author Carrie Doyle's series, Trouble in Paradise, and I think I liked it even more than the first, if that's possible. Plum has softened and relaxed a whole lot since arriving from New York City and her hard-charging lifestyle there. She seems like she's getting into the groove of island life and adapting to island time. I love that Lucia is with her in her new business because she's a wonderful foil to the volatile Plum. Also, I was glad to see that there is still a potential romantic relationship for her with the yummy Juan Kevin.
But not all the great characters are good guys. Plum's nemesis from Jonathan Mayhew's, Damián Rodriguez, is back and as smarmy as ever. He adds an element of tension that goads Plum to stretch herself and do more and do better. However, a different sort of tension is present in the form of Martin Rijo, who really hates Plum for doing business with the woman that stole his late father away from his mother. He's a very threatening figure and feels dangerous and unpredictable. This is one scary dude! On the other hand, I was glad to see that Plum and Captain Diaz, the leading investigator on the island, may be able to put aside their egos and work together in a complementary fashion.
The description of the island setting, its amenities, and the villas continued to WOW me. You can feel the heat and humidity, the sunshine, the beaches, as well as the dappled shady roadways under the palms. I want to visit a resort like this myself someday, only without the murders!
The course of Plum's investigation offered several good solid suspects for the murderer, and she does an excellent job unraveling the mystery surrounding Arielle's death. Plum seems to be able to spot prevarication in the best of them. When necessary, she is still quite blunt but appears to be working on her social skills to get the best results when asking prying and indelicate questions. She, Juan Kevin, and even Gerald are quite practical in the path their investigation takes, and the author left a tantalizing clue here and there for readers to notice and, perhaps, connect the dots on their own.
I highly recommend this new addition to the cozy mystery genre as well as the previous, debut novel in the Trouble in Paradise series especially to readers who enjoyed the late M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin series. (Plum and Agatha share many of the same qualities.) With its engaging and quirky characters, lovely resort setting, and well-plotted murder investigation, SOMETHING'S GUAVA GIVE is an exciting return to the luxurious Las Fruitas Resort on the island of Paraiso.
Nothing ruins an ocean view like a body on the beach!
Plum Lockhart went out on a limb when she ditched her corporate job in New York City and moved to the Caribbean island of Paraiso. Now the head of her own villa broker agency, Plum spends her days chasing down clients and lounging on white sand beaches.
But the sweet life turns sour when a publishing heiress is found dead at the mansion of an eccentric tycoon, Dieter Friedrich. Even worse, Plum's old colleague cashes in a favor and asks her to investigate. It looks like she'll need to fit a murder case into her already jam-packed schedule!
Friedrich is known for his shady dealings, but he's not the only bad apple on the island—Plum will have to contend with a scheming millionaire, a sleazy rockstar, and devious B-list celebrities. And joining Plum once again is Juan Kevin Munoz, the distractingly gorgeous Director of Security. Despite the sparks between them, they'll need to stay focused on the case—there's a murderer hot on their heels!
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy