Caribbean Evil by Merryn Allingham

 

Caribbean Evil (The Tremayne Mysteries Series, Book Three) by Merry Allingham.

Published 8th October 2020 by The Verrall Press.

From the over of the book:

When Paradise isn’t quite what it seems …

Nancy Tremayne has landed the job of her dreams in London. But this is 1955 and her husband, Leo, an art expert, has a project in the Caribbean and expects her to travel with him.

Reluctantly, she packs her suitcase for Malfuego, but almost as soon as she arrives on the island, witnesses a brutal attack on a defenceless young man. And there is worse to come.
Much worse.

When a murder occurs, Nancy is asked for help and, along with her husband’s assistant, Archie, discovers the very darkest side of the island. Together, they are forced to confront a terrifying situation —and, at the same time, find their lives have become dangerously entangled. 

After Malfuego, their worlds will never be the same again...

*************************************

Caribbean Evil is the third book in the Tremayne Mayne Mysteries series, following on from Venetian Vendetta and it's prequel The Dangerous Promise, about the thrilling adventures of Nancy Tremayne. I was at a bit of a disadvantage with this one, as I have not read the previous books and had clearly missed out on quite a lot! However, I was still able to piece together enough bits and pieces to get the gist of what had gone before - enough to understand the state of play at the start of the book anyway. Forgive me if you have read the previous books and I am making some false assumptions here!

Nancy has escaped a the arms of a difficult and dangerous man, and is now married to steady Leo Tremayne, an art expert. Although he is quite a bit older than her, and things are not always comfortable between them, they are settling into married life and are looking forward to the birth of their first child - even if their ideas of what married life entails may not always coincide.

In the company of Leo's assistant, Archie, they have set off to a the Caribbean island of Malfuego, where Leo has been employed to help establish a high class art gallery. Nancy was not keen to accompany Leo, and leave her burgeoning career as an apprentice art restorer behind in London, but as his wife she has little choice. It also seems that the situation between her and Archie is a bit fraught after their recent adventure in Venice, which seems to have changed the nature of their relationship.

What follows is a rather exciting mystery set against the backdrop of a small Caribbean island with problems of its own. Rebellion is in the air, and everyone seems to have secrets to hide - drugs, forbidden love, murder and mayhem all have a part to play, as Nancy and Archie set out to get to the bottom of what is going on on Malfuego, and also find their relationship heading into equally dangerous waters.

The contrast of the 1950s glamour of the top set of Malfuego's social scene against the poverty of the less fortunate local population is stark indeed and it makes for a tense backdrop. You are never quite sure what is at the bottom of the whole dangerous mess until very near the end of the story, and there are plenty of red herrings along the way. The whole story is reminiscent of a mix of the charm of a Death in Paradise mystery, mixed with the peril of a James Bond thriller, and I found it all rather enjoyable.

This is definitely the kind of book where you would get the best from the story if you have read the previous ones, as it would have really helped if I had been aware of the whole history between Nancy and Leo, and the circumstances of her adventure with Archie in Venice, but nonetheless it was a nice bit of nostalgic escapism in itself.

Caribbean Evil is available to but now from your favourite book retailer in ebook and paperback formats.

About the author:

Merryn Allingham was born into an army family and spent her childhood moving around the UK and abroad. Unsurprisingly it gave her itchy feet and in her twenties she escaped from an unloved secretarial career to work as cabin crew and see the world.

Merryn still loves to travel and visit new places, especially those with an interesting history, but the arrival of marriage, children and cats meant a more settled life in the south of England, where she has lived ever since. It also gave her the opportunity to go back to 'school' and eventually teach at university.

She has written seven historical novels, all mysteries with a helping of suspense and a dash of romance - sometimes set in exotic locations and often against a background of stirring world events.

She has recently changed genre to write crime. Her debut, Venetian Vendetta, is a classic crime novel set in 1950s Venice. Plenty of intrigue and danger and still with that dash of romance.