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DEATH LURKS IN THE BUSH by Kate Grilley Prime Crime, July 2002 224 pages $5.99 ISBN: 0425185494 Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

After the reports and devastation of Gilda, the hurricane that hit the Caribbean Islands, positive news is coming. The Queen of Denmark is expected on the island of St. Chris and everyone is in a dither. Miss Maude was a childhood friend of the Queen so she is well apprised of the visit and plans a dinner party. Before the arrival of the Queen, Miss Maude has a tasting party and many people became ill with flu-like symptoms. This indeed becomes one of the puzzles of this story.

Kelly Ryan, the morning DJ, owner and general manager of the radio station, is a friend to Miss Maude. She is more than concerned when so many people start becoming ill, herself included. I like Kelly as a character. She is an amateur sleuth, in addition to her daytime job. A very funny line from Kelly is found on page 111. "If I admitted to being on the scene when another body was discovered on St. Chris, the island gossips would put me on the short list for the Jessica Fletcher Award."

Kelly, as well as other islanders, attends two funerals in this book. An interesting tidbit was that the mourners wore white, not black, to funerals. Both of the deaths appear to be normal deaths at first, but that is not the case.

I enjoyed the "feel" of this book, not previously reading any books by this author. This reader knew we were in the Caribbean because the words told us. But more importantly, I knew we were there because of the sense of history with the connection to Denmark and also the elements of the weather and nature that were so prominent. The characters are real and well developed. The only character that I did not feel an attachment for was Kelly's lover, Michael. I did like him better as the book progressed and am curious if he is in the two prior books in this series, which are Death Dances to a Reggae Beat and Death Rides an Ill Wind I recommend this book.