It’s the long-awaited next book in the mystery series set on Mexico’s Isla Mujeres on the Caribbean coast. TANGLED ISLA is full of island atmosphere, familiar characters, and the real places that have made the series such a fan favorite.
When last we saw her, Jessica Sanderson had left the island and followed vintner Mike Lyons back home to Canada. (There to star in Lock’s new Death in the Vineyard series.) But homesick for the dear friends she left on Isla Mujeres, she heads back for a visit without Mike or crime-sniffing pooch Sparky (Based on Lock’s own pup of the same name).
Of course, she promptly ends up at a crime scene.
A young American woman goes missing. She worked in the restaurant owned by Jessica’s close friends Yasmin and Carlos. At the same time, a folk parade is disrupted, a costume stolen, and the islander leading the event is assaulted. Later, the woman’s body is retrieved from the ocean. She was killed and cut in a peculiar way that harkens back to several unsolved murders in Florida.
In a clever turn of star characters, the central investigator in this Isla book isn’t Jessica but Diego, a charter boat captain. Jessica gets involved (sorry, no spoilers) but Diego does the legwork which puts him in a great position to be the main character in forthcoming Isla books.
As a native islander, his preeminence gives the books a subtly tougher vibe. He’s got more to lose when crime hits the island. Diego also has insider knowledge and leverage against the local cop who likes to drink and cut corners.
Loose ends are wrapped up at the end, but Lock has left me impatient to find out what’s ahead for the residents of Isla Mujeres. Will a new version of Jessica arrive and drive the next book? Will Diego continue to solve crimes while raising 4 kids and eking out a living as a charter boat captain (my vote)? Or will Yasmin and Carlos come to the fore as in previous books?
No matter where the Isla Mujeres series goes, I’m there!
