Paradise Interrupted (Carole Ann Gibson Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Penny Mickelbury (Author)

Book Description

Series: Carole Ann Gibson Mysteries | Publication Date: February 13, 2001

Before Carole Ann Gibson even has a chance to enjoy the white sand beaches of Isle de Paix, she senses there's something sinister lurking in this tiny Caribbean paradise. She's seen evidence of an international drug operation taking place, and somewhere on the island there's also a fugitive in hiding -- Denis St. Almain, a drug kingpin on the run from a murder charge.

Carole Ann's famous smarts, instincts, and raw courage will be tested to the utmost in Paradise Interrupted, the latest installment in Penny Mickelbury's acclaimed Carole Ann Gibson mystery series. Luckily, this particular sleuth -- a Washington, D.C., lawyer-turned-private detective -- loves a challenge.

The adventure begins as C.A. and her partner, ex-cop Jake Graham, are called in to help the new island government improve its security and communication systems. Already the new president's bodyguards have been shot dead, and soon enough a construction foreman is murdered, and a new road to the interior uncovers a secret that threatens the lives of islanders and cops alike. But that's not all: after heeding a mysterious call for help, C.A. finds herself not only working for the island government, but also coming to the aid of the island's most wanted criminal.

As Carole Ann untangles the web of social and political ties that binds her suspects, she learns that everyone has something to hide -- Viviene and Odile, owners of a popular restaurant and sisters of the deposed president; the de Villages, a reclusive, aristocratic family protected by armed guards; and of course Denis St. Almain himself, who has the unnerving habit of materializing in the most unexpected places. What Carole Ann learns about theisland's dangerous past leads her all the way back to Washington, D.C., and threatens her very life.

Penny Mickelbury's Paradise Interrupted is the most exciting Carole Ann Gibson mystery yet -- a page-turning tale of blackmail, political sacrifice, family secrets, and betrayal.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The protagonist in this fourth book in Mickelbury's series of atmospheric mysteries (The Step Between, etc.) is Carole Ann Gibson, an African-American criminal defense attorney and half-owner of Gibson, Graham International, a flourishing private security company in Washington, D.C. Carole Ann and her partner in the firm, Jake Graham, a hard-boiled former homicide cop, work well together, although they spend a lot of time arguing good-naturedly over their different approaches to criminal justice. One of their new clients, the president of the Caribbean island of Isle de Paix, hires them to set up the infrastructure and security arrangements needed if the island is to attract tourists after the sudden and mysterious departure of a long-term Communist dictator. Just before Carole Ann leaves to oversee work on the island, a judge that she knows is killed in D.C., and an accused drug dealer, Denis St. Almain, is suspected of the murder. When she arrives on Isle de Paix, Carole Ann is horrified to discover that violenceAand St. Almain himselfAare present on the beautiful, unspoiled island as well. An employee on a road-building project she's supervising is killed and the heavy equipment torched. In order to do her job, Carole Ann must discover who is wreaking havoc in this island paradise. Unfortunately, this mediocre mystery doesn't stray far from the obvious, and the conventional characters, depicted in unlikely situations, make for uninspiring reading. The author provides little suspense, but she does create an attractive Caribbean setting. Agent, Charlotte Sheedy. (Feb. )
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Fans of the Carole Ann Gibson series will appreciate this change of pace as the heroine works without her usual partner. Visiting the Caribbean's Isle de Paix to help the economically embattled government build new roads, Gibson confronts corruption and murder. For most collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; First Edition edition (February 13, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684859912
• ISBN-13: 978-0684859910
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,804,155 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great addition to this mystery series, January 24, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Paradise Interrupted (Carole Ann Gibson Mysteries) (Hardcover)

As a defense lawyer with her own security firm, co-owned with Jake Graham, African-American Carol Ann Gibson lives the American dream. Carol and Jake have offices on both coasts and are so popular they have a large international clientele.

Their latest customer is the Caribbean nation Isle de Paix, who recently had a bloodless coup that replaced its Communist leader with an individual friendly to the West. The island country wants to become a tourist haven to build up its fledgling economy and top rate security is a must. Upon first glimpse, Carol Ann thinks she entered Eden, but though feeling idyllic, she sets out to enforce security and insures roads are built so that an infrastructure can begin to form.

However even paradise can be interrupted when snakes are about, especially since the road will destroy the lucrative cash crop marijuana. Soon a man keeps popping up who may be a dangerous felon or part of the DEA. Pirates seem to sail freely on all sides of the island, leaving Carol Ann to wonder what is going on and the determination to learn who is interfering with paradise.

The fantastic heroine is a believable person who wants to make the world a better place. Her partner is a hunk and the support cast (on the isle and in the courtroom) helps readers understand what drives Carol. The dynamic story line relegates race to a minor bar of local politics even as the reader obtains a different taste then normally seen of an island paradise. As usual, Penny Mickelbury escorts her audience on a tour of Paradise with this superbly written mystery.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I Couldn't Get Into This Book!, September 30, 2001

By 

c.m. miller (marietta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paradise Interrupted (Carole Ann Gibson Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I have read the first two books in the series and loved them!I received the third installment after I had already started reading "Paradise." It moved very slow for me and I couldn't connect with the characters. Micklebury is an excellent writer and even though I didn't like this story, I love her writing and will continue to support.
C.M. Miller---Author, Taxes, Death, & Trouble
Accrual Way To Die

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expect, November 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Paradise Interrupted (Carole Ann Gibson Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I did not like this book at all. I really thought this was going to be a really good mystery book but I was wrong. I do not recommend this book.