Author Description

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.