Customer Reviews

Wet Feet: Sex, Life and Murder in the Caribbean

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is an enjoyable beach read - all the more if you know the Caribbean island of St. Maarten/St.Martin where the story unfolds. To be sure, the premise is ripe for development. Retired NYC detective Jack Donnelly has lost his wife prematurely to cancer. He has returned to this Dutch/French island paradise they once visited. He occasionally offers his expertise to a local Dutch-side investigator even as he skirts the island's laws as an undocumented resident. Stray cats always seem to find Jack sensing he is a lost soul. The Island is a pretty postcard, but paradise has its serpents. That's the convention and the reality. A nasty creep is murdered. No surprise that multiple suspects surface. Among the suspects are Jack's friends Andy and Dana.

So far so good. But Jack seems to exist mostly to explain that island bureaucracy and protectionist immigration policy thwart economic progress. And for a guy who is (presumably) reflecting on the loss of his wife, he seems to have no shortage of casual hook-ups. OK, but if we meet Jack Donnelly again, which would be nice, let's hope for a little more investigative insight, NYC street smarts, and more interaction with the French side of this unique island. Maybe Jack will have something to say to or about the Gendarmes or find himself a 'French side' girlfriend to help bridge the cultural differences. Jack's character seems a bit lost attending an off-island conference in Jamaica where he engages in some free-style kink with a female investigator attendee, but there are no insights in his bedside summary to her of the murder back in St. Martin. You almost feel sorry for him. He has been pushed off the island and out of the plot. When we last see Jack he has returned to St. Maarten and we leave him walking across a parking lot! By this time the story has shifted its interest to friends Andy and Dana and they have the final chapters pretty much to themselves.

Perhaps there will be be better use of the natural and cultural environment of the island the next time we are there - the parched dryness of the inland hills, the torrential rains during hurricane season, the constant wind at Orient Bay, the fussy French attention to dining detail in Grand Case, the sparkling night lights of pricey hillside villas, and the various social classes on both the French and Dutch sides of the island. I read WET FEET on a dreary, cold, fall New York day and it held my interest while I imagined myself back on this wonderful island. I look forward to the next mystery and promise to be reading it in St. Martin.

I read "Wet Feet" just after a week in St. Martin. A great "post beach" read. The subtitle, "Sex, Life and Murder in the Caribbean" says it all. There is sex.

There is "Life in the Caribbean." This is perhaps where the book shines as it takes you around the Island from Grand Case to Guana Beach (a beach I had never heard of, but it is real.) It gets you involved in the life of the expats who some who manage to live there and want to stay. It also hits on the immigration issue from the unusual perspective of light skinned Americans who want to stay in a tropical paradise, in spite of their immigration status (some are illegal).

And, there is murder. But this is not your typical bad guy murders good guy and detective solves the mystery. To say more here would reveal too much. Go read and see for yourself.

This is a quick beach read especially if you are in St Marteen. It is fun to identify with the surroundings, and it is easy to get involved with the people in the book, I would recommend it.

This book was OK in terms of plot, but I felt the diction was a little off - seemed like it was translated from another language as the dialogue seemed stilted and unnatural. An alright read.

Clearly a first effort by amateur writers. Poorly written, full of typos, grammatical mistakes, plot inconsistencies. Sometimes I was not sure if I was reading a novel or a guide to living in St. Maarten. The author(s) we very impressed with their own adventure to live in a foreign country and as such frequently remind the reader of how "different" living in St. Maarten can be. Not worth the time or money to read.

Worst writing EVER! The victim of this murder in the Caribbean was the English language. Teachers could use it in those "Correct the errors in this sentence" exercises. The authors confuse ""isle" with "aisle" and "then" with "than." And that's the least of this book's problems.

However, there is some redeeming social value in the descriptions of the difficulties the main character faces trying to live and work legally on St. Maartens, and his comparison of himself with the "undocumented workers" trying to make a living in the USA.

This book is pitiful. I lived in Sint Maarten for years & found the whole thing amateurish. Terrible editing (boarders instead of borders, etc.), the poorly written, gratuitous sex scenes made the whole thing laughable.

The only good thing about this book is the cover. Save your money.

Kept my interest from the first page all the way through to the end! The central character, Jack Donnelly, brought to mind an old literary friend from the 1950's, Mike Hammer. I was delighted by the multi-faceted story: island culture, beach life, personal angst of Jack (me/reader, Mike Hammer dropped into the 21st century), and politics. I was entertained for the read and left with ideas to ponder after. On to the next in the series: Island Ice.

A fun, fast moving, page turner. I loved the book. Being a regular visitor to St Maarten, made the book extra fun! The action happens at "real" hot spots that we visit when we are there, so I felt like I was a part of the story! Hard to believe this is their first book! I've read the second book too -- it is even better with great tie ins to the first story. Island Ice is book 2! I couldn't wait to start it after I finished Wet Feet! Books kind of have that James Patterson feel, quick paced and keep you guessing to the end! Looking forward to book 3.

Easy and entertaining reading, actually I couldn't put it down. The fact that I'm a regular visitor to St.Maarten/St.Martin made this book a enjoy to read, as I could related to the places and establishments.