A Caribbean court drama

Jolien Harmsen is a Dutch resident of St Lucia. First published in Dutch in the Netherlands as “Rum, Roti, Onrecht”, Macmillan has just published the author’s translation of her book into English under the Macmillan Caribbean label.

The story is told by Claire, a 30-ish Australian freelance journalist, who lives in LaPointe Sable a village by the sea, well away from Belmont, the capital of St Cecilia. Michael and Hazel Cunningham aren’t the most welcome of visitors to the island, Michael is an alcoholic, and when she’s well liquored up, Hazel says she wants to shoot a “nigger” even as she invites handsome water-taxi driver “Smiley” Riley Jackson aboard their yacht “Footloose” for a bit of the other while her husband is asleep.

“Smiley” disappears, is found with half his face chewed off by fish - and a bullet in his chest. There’s little doubt, in most locals’ minds (including Claire) that Hazel did it, but the weapon can’t be found, the Cunninghams claim their gun was stolen in the neighbouring island of St Pierre. The Cunninghams are arrested, the US press (thanks to Claire) get hold of the story and descend on St Cecilia, write sensational articles full with half-truths on corruption and drug smuggling and portraying the Cunninghams as benefactors and victims of racism. And there’s the sensational trial ...

It’s best to leave the rest to readers - especially West Indians overseas who’ll find this book full of all things, good and bad, they remember of home: of maxi-taxis, the ups and downs of life on a small island, some French patois (for St Lucians), echoes of Carnival (but not much about pan), politics, the police.

Which is all well and good and a welcome dose of nostalgia for the homesick, but too often the author gets carried away in long descriptions of life in St Cecilia - at one point she interrupts the action to devote almost a whole chapter to the frustrations of shopping.