General Books - Fiction, Literature & Poetry

> Macmillan Caribbean Writers 

Rum Justice

“I was impressed by the many shades of grey that the author painted on the moral and cultural differences… All of these issues make Rum Justice an interesting and informative read.  And unlike many tales of island life written by foreigners, Ms. Harmsen’s prose sparkles with wit, authenticity, humour, pathos and even outrage…”

Bob Berlinghof, Caribbean Compass

"Harmsen propels the reader on a breathtaking journey that is at once terrifying yet uplifting, nostaligic, yet powerfully tropical."
St. Lucia Online

"The narrator factors in questions of 'them' and 'us'  - simmering issues of class and race - which come together to provide the makings of an explosive situation, and this superior thriller has a nice feel for some of the subtleties of Caribbean realities."
Colin Rickards, She Caribbean

When “Smiley” Riley Jackson, the handsome water-taxi driver, turns up at sea with his face chewed away by the fishes and a bullet wound in his chest, the finger of suspicion quickly points to the Cunninghams, wealthy Americans visiting the Eastern Caribbean island of St Cecilia. Not only has Hazel Cunningham, who was quickly dubbed a djanmèt by the locals, been spending a lot of time with the deceased behind her husband’s back, she has also caught the attention of the close-knit community in LaPointe Sable by threatening to ‘shoot herself a black man’, presumably with her husband’s unlicensed pistol. Awa! A quest to bring the American couple to trial sparks an international media frenzy in paradise: but where, on an economically struggling island run by self-regarding politicians and laid-back officials and with a history of colonialism and slavery are truth and justice to be found - not just for the Americans but for Smiley's friends and family as well?

 

Jolien Harmsen (b. the Netherlands, 1966) holds a PhD in Social History and has worked as a newspaper editor and radio correspondent. She has written several historical studies, including a general history of St Lucia (forthcoming). She has been based in St Lucia for more than a decade. Rum Justice is her first crime novel.