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A review by gwendolyn_kensinger
Something's Guava Give by Carrie Doyle
3.0
This is the second installment in the Trouble in Paradise cozy mystery series by Carrie Doyle. It remained tropical, summery, and fun. I could imagine this series playing out as a show on Netflix or Hulu. There’s just something so charming about it. The descriptions are perfect and so dreamy. The characters are all over the top and in Something’s Guava Give even more of the island’s residents are introduced.
Plum has decided to stay in Paraiso and has opened her very own villa broker agency. It’s a work in progress but not much progress is made because a publishing heiress from NYC who was vacationing in Paraiso is found dead at the mansion of an eccentric tycoon, and Plum’s old colleague, Gerald asks for her help in the investigation. This book is packed with scheming millionaires, sleazy rock stars, and devious B-list celebrities. Gerald ends up flying to Paraiso to bunk with Plum while the loose ends of the investigation are tied up, and Plum and Juan Kevin Munoz once again team up to find out who killed the heiress.
There were lots of characters coming and going. The aforementioned millionaires, rock stars and celebrities as well as the heiress’s best friend who she was vacationing with, and lots of guests and friends of the eccentric tycoon. Imagine a Spanish style mansion with lions and panthers and wild birds roaming around, sharks in the pool, multiple guest rooms with people coming and going, a disco party, the works. “In the glittering Caribbean starlight, Villa la Grosella Negra took on an entirely new identity. Although it was still gaudy and vulgar, an example of when someone has too much money and entirely no taste, the tiki lights festooned around the disparate structures gave it a hint of the ethereal. Combined with the fake volcanoes, the plethora of firepits, and the massive cauldrons spouting flames, the property emitted a mysterious and tantalizing vibe”. Then on top of all that she is contending with Gerald who randomly crashes at her townhouse/business, drinks more than he works and you just have a lot going on.
I think it had too many characters coming and going and I don’t particularly enjoy reading about the rich and famous, and there was definitely not enough of Juan Kevin, so while I enjoyed it for sure and definitely plan to continue in the series, I didn’t quite enjoy this installment as much as the first.
Plum has decided to stay in Paraiso and has opened her very own villa broker agency. It’s a work in progress but not much progress is made because a publishing heiress from NYC who was vacationing in Paraiso is found dead at the mansion of an eccentric tycoon, and Plum’s old colleague, Gerald asks for her help in the investigation. This book is packed with scheming millionaires, sleazy rock stars, and devious B-list celebrities. Gerald ends up flying to Paraiso to bunk with Plum while the loose ends of the investigation are tied up, and Plum and Juan Kevin Munoz once again team up to find out who killed the heiress.
There were lots of characters coming and going. The aforementioned millionaires, rock stars and celebrities as well as the heiress’s best friend who she was vacationing with, and lots of guests and friends of the eccentric tycoon. Imagine a Spanish style mansion with lions and panthers and wild birds roaming around, sharks in the pool, multiple guest rooms with people coming and going, a disco party, the works. “In the glittering Caribbean starlight, Villa la Grosella Negra took on an entirely new identity. Although it was still gaudy and vulgar, an example of when someone has too much money and entirely no taste, the tiki lights festooned around the disparate structures gave it a hint of the ethereal. Combined with the fake volcanoes, the plethora of firepits, and the massive cauldrons spouting flames, the property emitted a mysterious and tantalizing vibe”. Then on top of all that she is contending with Gerald who randomly crashes at her townhouse/business, drinks more than he works and you just have a lot going on.
I think it had too many characters coming and going and I don’t particularly enjoy reading about the rich and famous, and there was definitely not enough of Juan Kevin, so while I enjoyed it for sure and definitely plan to continue in the series, I didn’t quite enjoy this installment as much as the first.