In light of the untraceable activities of a suspected drug ring on Paradise Island, Detective Jérôme Richard, an undercover INTERPOL agent, is sent to the island to help with the investigation. As a cover, he was recently appointed as the senior detective in the police headquarters on the island’s capital. However, all leads seem to steer towards dead-ends, and the drug ring, led by Alain Marchand, always appears to be steps ahead.

Meanwhile, Mandy has recently won a vacation to the Tropical Island Paradise, located on the island. She is excited and makes her way to the island in hopes that she finds the love of her life. Nevertheless, on her first day on the beach, her purse gets stolen, and Detective Jérôme is invited to conduct investigations. When the detective meets with Mandy, they make a special connection. However, Jérôme soon finds out that the thief has interesting connections with the drug ring, and he plans to use the thief to infiltrate them. Yet, with a possible romantic relationship brewing between him and Mandy, Jérôme must choose between two seemingly divergent paths. Does he choose love or his job? Rendezvous in Paradise by Annick Weilche is the book to read!

In terms of what I like about the book, it is always a joy to read novels like these, where the author successfully integrates several themes into an excellent plot. The writer explores themes of love, betrayal, and more throughout the novel in a way that would excite every reader. I like how the writer introduces an air of uncertainty in the story, especially with the connection between the detective and Mandy. While I was rooting for a romantic relationship between them, I was wary of the fact that it could put Mandy in danger and the investigation in jeopardy. That said, the character development was great, mostly for the main characters, even though I expected to read more about Marchand's father, given the role his bastard son had to play in the overall story. Maybe the writer sheds more light on certain characters in the sequel.

Another glaring positive about this novel is the pacing. The frequent dialogue between the characters ensured that the story was fast-paced. Also, the volume is easy to read, given the simple language the author employed to tell the story. Additionally, I love the way the author portrays locations, especially when the writer depicted some of the spots Mandy visits during her holiday on the island. I often felt like I was there in person because of the author’s detailed descriptive style.

The only thing I don’t like about the book is how sloppy the “bad guys” seem to be as the story progresses. I found it a bit unrealistic, given that they were the same group of people that previously covered their tracks excellently to the extent that the detective didn’t have any previous success with the investigation. For example, the way the drug ring recruited the mole was very uncharacteristic of a drug ring. They recruited him without putting him under the microscope.

Nonetheless, this book is a good read, and I look forward to seeing how it all plays out in the next book. Moreover, this publication is exceptionally edited, as I didn’t notice any errors throughout the text. I rate Rendezvous in Paradise 3 out of 4 stars. The one-star deduction is a result of the unrealism I found with the story at times. Readers that are interested in detective books filled with romance, action, and mystery would enjoy this book. I have to note that there some instances of the use of profane words. Happy reading!