Escape To Paradise - Watch Out for the Killer
Dollycas's Thoughts
The bottom drops out of Plum Lockhart's life when the travel magazine she works for goes belly up. After she fails to land a job at any other New York magazine she decides to leave the cold weather behind and take a job on the Caribbean Island of Paraiso as a village broker. Thinking it would a vacation in paradise until she could find a new position back in the states she arrives to find she may have made a grave mistake. She is used to the pressures and fast pace of New York and island life is all about relaxation. The fact that she doesn't speak the language doesn't help either.
Her first task is to rent out Casa Mango for the holiday weekend. She assumes the place hasn't rented due to the state of the place so she authorizes some updates and cleaning and rents the place out. Sadly, one of her clients is found dead soon after his arrival and she finds herself in hot water. Murder is not a popular thing in paradise so Plum finds herself pitted against the police chief. The resort's Director of Security is very helpful and he's pretty easy on the eyes too. Now she just needs to catch a killer before she is forced off the island by her very unhappy employer.
Plum Lockhart would be labeled a high-maintenance woman by many. She is very confident and has a high opinion of her abilities. She is totally unlikeable and very selfish. She is definitely not made for island life. She meets a similar co-worker who is just as arrogant and high maintenance and I disliked him more than I disliked Plum. After meeting him I was cheering for her. She does receive some good advice that doesnÃ?Æ'Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¾Ã?¢t really take hold until late in the story. She is still far from perfect but I have hope she continues to improve as the series continues.
The author introduces several island residents and guests and almost all are shady in some way. I really liked Security Director Juan Kevin Munoz. His interactions with Plum are totally entertaining. The man had tons of patience but that could come from the laid-back lifestyle he has lived his whole life. He is smart and fun to be around and I am excited to see what develops between him and Plum.
The mystery laid out by Ms. Doyle was very well plotted and written and there were a ton of suspects. Plum works hard to pin the suspects down but really needs Juan Kevin's help because he knew the lay of the land and many of the people involved. Several had secrets that made them look guilty and it took a lot of digging to get to the big ah-ha moment when things come into focus.
Let's face it, an island paradise is the perfect setting for a cozy mystery series. New characters can be introduced in each new story while the core characters continue to develop and grow stronger. Plum makes a great decision at the end that has me anxiously awaiting to see what Ms. Dolye has in store for her protagonist and the residents of Paraiso and all the visitors that come to the island. You can only have so many dead bodies before tourism takes a hit but I see many more exciting adventures in Plum's future. Trouble in Paradise can be very entertaining for mystery lovers. This book has set this series off to a great start.
