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The private island of Mustique is a playground and tropical paradise for international high society, with everyone from movie stars and musicians to royalty and high-powered corporate moguls owning villas among the lush vegetation. But every Eden is liable to have a serpent, and when a young woman disappears, Solomon Nile, the island's only trained policeman, begins an investigation that stirs up the silt that lies beneath the island society's glittering surface. Lady Veronica, former lady-in-waiting to England's Princess Margaret, along with her husband Lord Blake, were the original owners and developers of the island, and when it becomes clear that Lady Vee's goddaughter Lily and her friends are the ones under threat, Lady Vee joins Nile in the investigation, providing necessary entry into the world of the rich and famous. Together, Nile and Lady Vee work to uncover the murderer as a tropical storm bears down on the island, threatening destruction and blocking any escape. In the end, they do solve the case, but not before almost becoming victims themselves.
Anne Glenconner tells the tale of MURDER ON MUSTIQUE by alternating between a third-person narrative from Nile's perspective and a first-person one from Lady Vee's. Lady Glenconner, herself once lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret and former owner of Mustique, obviously draws heavily on autobiography for Lady Vee's story (barring, one presumes, the hunt for a killer), and it's these chapters that flow most smoothly and draw the reader into this world. While the Nile's chapters are a bit rocky at the beginning of the novel, as the plot picks up pace and the intricacies of it develop, Nile's chapters, too, settle into a page-turning rhythm. People being people, rich or poor, famous or not, the twists and turns, as well as the motivations and subterfuges the novel portrays, all ring true, and the story is so engrossing that the reader doesn't mind a few less-than-believable occurrences. Overall, the cast of characters is developed well enough to engage concern and interest, and the main characters in particular are likeable enough to hope for a series—although the tiny island and its limited inhabitants may not be able to support too many more murders. All in all, MURDER ON MUSTIQUE is a fun read and an easy escape into a world where it's a delight to be a fly on the wall, even if you can't be a full-blown member of the party.
§ Meredith Frazier, a writer with a background in English literature, lives in Dallas, Texas
Reviewed by Meredith Frazier, June 2022
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