Don't Drink the Water

This is my first E.J. Pugh mystery. It was a very fast read, the mystery kept me guessing, and I liked the characters of the four sisters. The memories of E.J. and her sisters while they were growing up greatly helped in understanding the dynamics of their dysfunctional family. The mystery itself was good, clues were there, but not obvious. I will read the other books in this series with enjoyment. If you are looking for an easy fast read, this is it.

This book combined mystery, humor and travel. Anyone visiting St. John will recognize Cruz Bay, lush hills, abandoned sugar mills, and lazy afternoons with fritters and rum! Her relationship with her sisters was real and hilariously funny. She often would go back into her childhood and relate events that explains her love-hate relationship with her sisters. The time she was locked in the bathroom and left on the family road trip made the reader understand her often stormy relationship with her sisters. The murder was the focal point of the book, but her descriptions of St. John, her hilarious characters, and her family relationships kept me turning pages into the dark, humid, tropical night!

Although E.J. Pugh and her 3 sisters don't get along, their mother contrives a group vacation for them in the Virgin Islands. (Though I noted that mom didn't go along on vacation with the group!) Naturally E.J. finds several dead bodies, to the point that the local police chief says E.J.'s group causes him more problems than college kids on Spring Break.While exploring the island wonders and solving the murders, E.J. finds herself delving deeper into her family relationships. A fast, easy read, you can take this one to the beach with you. I found myself laughing out loud at times.

E.J. Pugh never much liked her sisters, so it's only because the manipulations of her mother that she finds herself spending her vacation with them on a Caribbean island. Family disfunctions play out as expected until E.J. discovers a body in the house with connections to one of her brother-in-laws. She may not much like her family, but as accidents continue E.J. and her lovingly tolerant hubby will investigate to protect them from a murderer.Although a relatively short novel, the pace is fast and entertaining, interjected with the humor that Cooper has mastered in all of her mysteries.