Island in the Clouds [Kindle Edition]

Susan Toy (Author)

Book Description

The dead body in the pool is putting a serious dent in Geoff’s morning. An ex-pat property manager on the Caribbean island of Bequia, Geoff doesn’t want a spotlight shone on the secret past he left behind in Canada, but now he’s the suspect in a brutal murder. With no help from the inept local police force,  he’s drawn into investigating the murder himself, to clear his name. As Geoff finds out more about the circumstances surrounding the killing, and he and his loved ones find themselves in danger, he begins to see a very dark underbelly of the place some people call paradise…
Part travelogue, part mystery, Island in the Clouds takes a long, hard look at the reality of living in a place that seems perfect — from the outside, anyway.

Product Details

• File Size: 407 KB
• Print Length: 181 pages
• Publisher: IslandCatEditions (February 1, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0074DU5A6
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #578,874 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Magical Caribbean Mystery February 2, 2012

By Michael Fay

Format:Kindle Edition

Island in the Clouds is a wondrous mystery, set on the lush island of Bequia in the Caribbean. A Canadian with a secret past becomes both suspect and investigator for two murders on the island. Along the way, he shares sharp insights into the history and life of this gleaming gem of a place. Susan M. Toy is a keen stylist, who never fails to drive her story forward with a sure hand. As in all well-crafted mysteries, the solution to the crimes is both thoroughly surprising and perfectly logical. Ms. Toy shows us the sights and lets us hear the rhythms of the islanders and, cunningly, lets us peek into the lives of a sexy set of expats.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Island in the Clouds, by Susan Toy February 27, 2012

By Glenna Jenkins

Format:Kindle Edition

Island in the Clouds by Susan Toy - A Review
Geoffrey shows up for work, on Monday morning, late, dishevelled, and with a hangover to find the body of a naked woman floating face down in a swimming pool. First, he has a drink. Then he calls `Doc.' And only after explaining the situation to his trusted friend, does Geoffrey call the local police. This makes us wonder at his logic. But it takes repeated attempts to get an answer at the police station, and when they finally do arrive, they contaminate the scene, fail to take photographs and implicate our protagonist in the murder. Even his pothead Rastafarian gardeners warn him about the local authorities: `Dey no knows. Dey no helps ... you no trust nobody." Uh, oh, Geoffrey, what have you happened upon?

Geoffrey soon discovers that the dead woman is Sara Wilson, the ex-wife of the owner of the estate he is looking after. When Mr. Wilson tells Geoffrey that he doesn't trust the Bequia police to do a competent job and asks him to find the killer, we know that Geoffrey's ideal life on the island of Bequia, `where nothing ever happens,' is about to change in a drastic and potentially dangerous way.

Part murder mystery, part travelogue, Susan Toy's `Island in the Clouds' introduces us to an eclectic cast of characters and takes us from luxury vacation homes and up-scale hotels to seedy bars and a high-seas chase as her protagonist searches for Sara's killer. My immediate impression of this novel is that Ms. Toy knows this island well--it's history, its people, its lore--and she blends its beauty and diversity into a ripping good tale. `Island in the Clouds' is an excellent representation of its genre and Susan Toy is a wonderful new talent.I can't wait to read her next installment, but for now I highly recommend this read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Satisfying Tropical Murder Mystery February 2, 2012

By CM

Format:Kindle Edition

Island in the Clouds is a wonderful murder mystery, set on Caribbean island of Bequia.

After finding a dead body in a pool, property manager Geoff finds himself the main suspect, and also the lead amateur investigator on the case. Geoff, like many of the lively characters in this story, has a hidden past that threatens to catch up with him at some point.

This story moves at a fast clip, and (like all good mysteries) doesn't reveal its secrets a moment too soon. Highly recommended for a weekend read!

More About the Author

Susan M. Toy has been a bookseller and an award-winning publishers' sales rep. While living on the Caribbean island of Bequia, Susan began writing the first of four Bequia-based novels as well as another novel, three novellas and numerous short stories.

"Island in the Clouds, a Bequia Perspectives novel" is the first print publication from Alberta's newest publishing company, IslandCatEditions, owned and operated in Calgary, Alberta, by Susan Toy. A self-styled "author impresario," Toy has promoted fellow Alberta authors to provincial libraries, writers and readers, since 2009 through her original business, Alberta Books Canada. A long-time participant in the publishing business, primarily promoting and selling books, Susan sees this new publishing venture as a means of "introducing theories I have developed on the direction this business is moving and how to effectively reach new readers." Releasing "Island in the Clouds" first as an eBook in February 2012 and testing interest in a possible print edition was part of Susan's publication plan.

Susan M. Toy shares her time between Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where she makes a living, and Bequia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, where she has a life with her partner, Dennis, three cats, and an extensive personal library.