The Carib's Smile: the first Jacinta Joseph Caribbean adventure

Jacinta "JJ" Joseph is a tough New Jersy homicide detective who retires to her native St. Theresa, expecting something of a vacation--sipping fruity drinks with little paper umbrellas--that sort of thing. Instead she gets involved in solving four murders with the help of Oni, a Carib Indian grandmother. Together they take on the evil, patriarchal forces that dominate the island.

This is a story of romance, mystery and comedy. You'll enjoy JJ's struggles to adjust to island life after so many years in the US. From the frenetic pace of New Jersey with a Starbucks on every corner, to a village life of cocoa tea, dogs sleeping undisturbed on the main street, and monkeys who fling feces, JJ slowly comes to terms with her new life, with her true self, finding love and a sense of family in the process.

This is the first of a three novel series. The second novel, "The Judge's Wife," will find JJ digging deeper into the forces that control the island while her family life becomes ever more complicated.

The third novel, "The Women, Left," will, of course, bring some resolution to the chaos that JJ creates in the previous novels.

With these novels Ron Frazer continues his love affair with the Caribbean islands where he once lived.