Okay, I confess, I picked this book because I enjoy watching Death in Paradise. However, it was not because I expected it to be just like the show, but because I wanted a different perspective on the same setting, with a focus on crime solving. From the book synopsis, it was clear that this would be a less rose-tinted view on life in paradise, and this book delivered on that expectation, and how!
The book features Raythan Preddy –a discredited Jamaican police officer with issues. Preddy is teamed, unwillingly, with Scottish officer Sean Harris on secondment to the Jamiacan Constabulary Force. Completing the team are detectives Javinia Spence and Kathryn Rabino. The team is investigating the murder of the Chinese-Jamaican heir to the wealthy Chinchillerz frozen-food empire, Carter Chin Ellis. To complicate matters, Carter and his brother Lester, were taken into police custody only a little while before the murder for drunken driving. But while Lester was booked, Carter walked out of the police station, and was shot shortly thereafter. Tensions among the team–between Preddy and Harris, who we are never sure can be trusted, and external pressure and interference from the influential Chin Ellis family, all contribute to the stress of the investigation.

The author places the mystery firmly within the Jamaican socio-cultural milieu. Montego Bay is more than just a backdrop to the events. The author’s insights into Jamaican life –the underfunded police force, racial tensions, the class differences, the fenced in tourist areas separated from the “realities” of the island. I especially appreciated the extensive use of both Jamaican patios and the Scottish dialect. Misunderstandings and cultural differences are explored through the perspective of Harris and how the struggle to keep up with language influences the difficulties in bonding between Harris and the team is especially interesting to note.

The author has a very measured hand in describing characters, and whenever one feels that the character may be too stereotyped (for example, Preddy as the troubled detective), she pulls back just enough to add a layer. My favourite characters were the fiesty Spence and Rabino.

The pacing of the novel is just right, and even though it is easy for seasoned readers of crime fiction to guess whodunnit, there are still enough twists and turns to make it a satisfying plot.

With its piercing social lens and realistic, character driven plot, Murder in Montego Bay is a superb debut for Paula Lennon. I do look forward to seeing more of Preddy and team.

I received this book as an ARC through Netgalley for my honest review. I thought it was very well written. The plot was engaging and I enjoyed the characters well enough. The dialogue was a little hard to follow at times, but overall a good mystery!

I really could not get into this book at all. Long drawn out, boring descriptions. Not for me.

This as an intriguing murder, mystery set in Jamaica. I found the Patois a bit disconcerting but there was a good storyline, interesting characters and intelligent detective work. The story moves quickly to its conclusion, with a few unexpected twists and a satisfactory ending.

Enjoyed the characters and setting of the novel. The only problem was reading the dialogue in Jamaican. I usually had to read the dialogue three times to figure out what they were saying.

Thank you for the galley. Unfortunately, I could not read the book before it's expiration. I am certain that as with my previous Jacaranda reads, it would have been entertaining and enlightening.

Lennon penned the first in a series featuring Jamaican detective Raythan Preddy assisted by visiting Glasgow (Scotland) detective Sean Harris. Together they solve the murder of a wealthy Ellis family member. The Ellis family includes Chinese ancestors. The case involves narcotics. Readers question why Harris is in Jamaica and never find the answer. The author overuses Jamaican dialect in conversations. While the author accurately describes Jamaica's impoverished and wealthy residents, it is difficult to connect with her characters. While I appreciated the setting, the book is too gritty for my mystery reading tastes. Readers who enjoy grittier books will rate the book higher than I did. The publisher provided an electronic Advance Reader's Copy through NetGalley with the expectation of an unbiased review.

This book was okay in my opinion. I thought it was a little too laid back but I do like how the interactions between everyone were taking place. Wishing the story had a bit more suspense like most mysteries.

There's a lot to like about this debut crime novel, and overall I enjoyed what was a fast-paced and exciting read. Lennon takes readers to an exotic location, a tropical island 'paradise', and delivers a dark tale with plenty of grit and corruption, belying the 'smiley-faced' Jamaican stereotype. .

Detective Preddy is a proud Jamaican with a stain or two to his name, thanks to a high profile bust that went horribly wrong. He's unsure of his position within the police, but not unsure of his own skills as an investigator. So he struggles when an outsider who's been seconded to his team from overseas, Scottish Detective Sean Harris, seems to be favoured by the local bosses. Is this typical island inferiority, believing that someone from abroad must naturally be better trained or more skilled at their job? Particularly a white man? As far as the ganja-drinking Preddy is concerned, this is his patch and he knows better about catching local criminals than anyone else, whatever the bosses think.

That belief is put to the test with a tricky case, when one of the heirs to the popular Chinchillerz empire is gunned down shortly after being released by the Jamaican police. On the same night Carter Chin Ellis is murdered, his brother Lester is assaulted while in police custody. It's a media nightmare for the local cops, which sees the already tropical temperatures raised several notches. Questions swirl about their competence, even whispers of corruption, as Preddy and his under-funded colleagues try to track down who is responsible. Harris provides an intriguing foil, the foreigner who might be more, or less, than he seems. Is he a political stooge? Or a hard-working investigator who just has different methods to the proud Preddy, and is happy to voice his disagreement at times?

Overall, I enjoyed MURDER IN MONTEGO BAY, and I'd definitely read more from Lennon, if she keeps up with the crime writing. I particularly liked her evocation of the Jamaican setting, which more than just being an 'exotic location', she brought to life in a number of ways, from local customs and lifestyles, to the environment and range of people who populate the Caribbean island. I felt like I was there, alongside Preddy and Harris. At times I thought the local patois might have been a little overdone, pulling me out of the story - but that may have been because I wasn't quite fully drawn into Preddy as the main hero. I was observing (and enjoying) his adventures and efforts, rather than fully empathising or being sucked into the unfolding story without question. I was a little conscious that I was reading a story - an interesting a pretty well-told one, nevertheless - rather than 'living it'.

Having said that, I think that Preddy and Harris could grow into really interesting series characters, if Lennon were to continue their adventures (or Preddy's alone). There's an unusual and interesting dynamic between them, quite believable and multi-layered. Two proud men trying to do their best, with good intentions, but not quite clicking, so grating on each other and providing plenty of drama.

A good debut that shows plenty of promise, a gritty tale set against a vibrant backdrop.

Murder in Montego Bay is set in an exciting place for a drama - there’s the descriptions of the island, the sprinkling of Jamaican patois which adds to the overall flavour and charm.

The murder mystery and the investigation are slow paced but then that mirrors the investigation without the modern day technology and help. It’s old school detective work and that works in its favour. It also makes a change when the lead investigator’s major vice is ganja tea rather than alcohol. The mix of Raythan Preddy and the Scottish detective Sean Harris is nicely done - the “You’re on my patch, watch yourself” kind of working relationship is fun to see unravel and amidst the shabby, old police buildings, things seem more helpless somehow

The setting and style of the novel made it for me and it was a nice “holiday’ spending time with the people amidst the heat and confusion of an island paradise gone wrong

With 18 years of experience, Jamaican police officer Detective Raythan Preddy is about to meet his match in Detective Sean Harris on temporary assignment from a Glasgow, Scotland. Both of these officers make great characters and are both engaging and well developed. The unsung character is probably Montego Bay itself. I think readers will love the characters and the twists this story takes. I truly enjoyed this amazing debut.

A nice debut mystery which is notable for its Jamaican setting. Preddy and Harris are an interesting pair. This isn't Murder in Paradise. which has more of a Sherlockian center, but it's certainly a good read that pulls in lots of aspects of local life. It's not just a transplanted procedural; you will get a real sense of Montego Bay, in part because (heads up) the dialogue is occasionally in dialect, which can be challenging (sound it out.). I liked this for the different viewpoint. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'd like to see more from Lennon a followup with Preddy and Harris would be fun.

I was expecting a cozy murder mystery from the title, and although I do enjoy them occasionally, I would much rather get my teeth into a more gritty twisty tale, and I am pleased that my original thought was wrong, this was not cozy at all. I loved the idea of taking a Scottish police officer totally out of his depth and dropping him into another culture,cracking idea.I liked the lead Jamaican police officer Raythan and look forward to getting to know him and in particular his team more in future books.I have friends from Montego Bay and am used to listening to patois and had no problem understanding it in the book.For me this book really captured the feel of the place as my friends have described it and it was obviously the real deal.Throw in a murder, complex family and other distractions and you have a interesting book to keep you puzzling .I would like to thank Netgalley and the Publishers for letting me have an ARC to read and review, and look forward to reading more in this series.Good book well worth a read.

A standard mystery plot set against a beautiful backdrop. This book was a good-paced read, the plot kept moving, and it is definitely a book you could read in an afternoon should you choose to.

The combination of the Jamaican detective and the Scottish detective was unique and worked very well in this book. There is a lot going on in addition to the mystery which I really liked. It didn't feel like backstories were just thrown in.

This book is also unique in that the characters speak in accented English. As someone who understands Patois, I didn't have any issues with reading the dialogue of the Jamaican characters, in fact it took me a bit more time to read the dialogue of the Scottish character. But I don't think the Patois in this book will be too difficult for people who don't know the language. I think A Brief History of Seven Killings was much more difficult than this one.

Lennon's writing definitely transports you to the island whether you've been there before or not. I was impressed to find out after I finished the book that this was a debut novel. I hope that there will be more books from her and that they will include both of the detectives, they make a great pair and there is definitely an opportunity for a series here.

I am Jamaican and the moment I saw the title I knew I needed to read this. Police procedural mystery/thriller set right here on my island home. If you love mysteries, family dramas and good ole detective work then read this!

This book is a bit of a curiosity. A debut written by a British commercial lawyer of Jamaican descent who has now moved to the Caribbean, it is the first Jamaican crime novel to be reviewed by Crime Fiction Lover. It manages to fend off the sunny-yet-cosy style of the TV series Death in Paradise, but at the same time refuses to descend into the violent darkness of Marlon James’ A Brief History of Seven Killings. We are hoping that this will be the first in a series of police procedurals featuring Preddy and Sean in Montego Bay. It certainly has the potential to fill a gap in the market for more realistic crimes and investigators in a setting which could be paradise if we don’t look too closely. This will appeal to fans of crime authors with a social conscience who set their novels in sunny climates and tourist destinations without the sugarcoating,

Wow this book! It was nicely written and was like taking a quick vacation which would have been great until the Murder in Montego Bay! Really enjoyed this book and can not wait until the next one from Paula Lennon. Please write another one quickly!

This book was very slow moving and very hard to understand due to the dialect that was used. People who aren't familiar with the language used in Jamaica will have a hard time getting into this book. I almost quit reading it because it was frustrating trying to make sense of the dialogue.

Murder in Montego Bay is Paula Lennon’s debut but it feels as if it’s part of an established series. It’s set in Jamaica, which is something I loved. It made it stand apart from standard crime novels set in the UK or US. I thought it gave a really balanced feel of the country and the people.
The characters were complex and interesting. I occasionally struggled with the Patois but it didn’t interfere with my understanding of the story.
The mystery itself was quite interesting. I especially liked the action-packed resolution. However, I felt that the investigation of the murder was a little passive. It seemed as if the detectives mainly responded to leads coming up, rather than initiate avenues of investigation themselves. I would have also liked to find out more about the victim and his family. Often crime novels explore personal relationships, leading to figuring out motive and perpetrator, but in this book the focus was more on the leading detective and his life. I thought it made the story a little slow in places.
Overall, I enjoyed the book but I didn’t love it as much as I’d hoped. However, I’m sure other readers will love it more.

4 stars

Detective Raythan Preddy is a Jamaican police officer with eighteen years’ experience. Detective Sean Harris is on temporary secondment from a Glasgow, Scotland station. They respond to a shooting outside of an estate on the island. A man named Carter Chin Ellis was shot three times, but there are other cartridges lying about as well. He was just released from the police station and was on his way home. He and his brother are heirs to the Chinchillerz Empire. They are very wealthy.

As they begin their investigation, they interview witnesses and relatives. They get somewhat mixed results at first. The mixed Chinese and Jamaican Chin Ellis family begins immediately to interfere with the investigation in annoying and dangerous ways.

I found the mixture of Jamaican patios and Glaswegian Scots to be very interesting and entertaining. This book is very well written and plotted. The suspense starts out immediately and increases through the rest of the book. The use of language to further the plot is both creative and inventive. This is my first Paula Lennon book, but it won’t be my last. I immediately went to Amazon to look for other books by her. I’ve never been to Jamaica and this book lends and interesting and delightful look at the island and its people. The differences between the wealthy and the rampant poverty on the island are well drawn and startling. I am looking forward to the next Raythan Preddy novel.

I want to thank Netgalley and Jacaranda Books/Jacaranda for forwarding to me a copy of this nice book to read.