Jamaica Me Dead

I recently discovered my Jamaican roots and have been devouring anything Jamaican...imagine my delight when I saw this book!! And, the inside was just as delightful as the outside... I'm a mystery fan, but I haven't ever come across anything quite so ummm...unique. For a book that scores both with characters and a twisty turny plot, that explodes with originality you have to read Jamaica Me Dead.

Not only was this book well-written, engaging, and fun to read but Bob Morris did a great job of capturing aspects of Jamaican culture and its nuances. As a Jamaican, some of the areas in Jamaica he described so well stuck out vividly in my mind. I felt like I was actually there. I read this book in one day because I simply could not put it down. Great job!

Jamaica Me Dead, the latest of Zach Chasteen's adventures, grabs and holds the reader from the opening chapter. After completing this terrifc story, the reader might very well reflect that perhaps the Greeks were right when they claimed that there were no new stories, only new ways of telling them. If so, this is a brilliant retelling of the classic tale of loyalty, betrayal and greed. As we can expect, Morris utilizes his well-known expertise with the Caribbean to realistically create the Jamaican setting. More specifically, a good bit of the action takes place at a swingers' resort, which adds the requisite spice. Zach's compatriots play a primary role, the mysterious but unfailingly loyal Boggy, and Chasteen's improbable lover, Barbara Pickering. She and Zach's mutual commitment to each other is beautiful to share. The story apparently revolves around Zach being called to assist his old friend Monk Devane with mysterious terrorism at the resort. We have some fascinating insights into the machinations of Jamaican politics, and a very insightful portrayal of how the "other half" of Jamaicans carve out a subsistence level existence. In the end this is a story filled with intrigue, and the classic outcome of jealousy and greed. Ulitmately Chasteen learns who is genuinely his friend and who is not. This lesson is compellingly driven home, as we see a man with a perfect plan carry his plan to the brink of completion, only to be undone by his own greed. His arrogance causes him to want even more. As with the Greeks, hubris is his undoing. A brilliant retelling of an age old story. Don't miss it.

I picked up Bahamarama after having read Jamaica Me Dead first. I read a review about Jamaica Me Dead in a Caribbean life-style magazine and ran right out to purchase it. Like Mr. Morris, I have a love for pretty much all things Caribbean (especially Jamaica) so I knew this book would be of interest to me. Only after reading the book jacket did I realize Jamaica Me Dead was the second book of the series. So I read the second book first. I liked it so much that I purchased Bahamarama when I had about 20 pages left to read in Jamaica Me Dead. I really, really enjoyed both books. I had a great time reading them and giggling on my daily bus commute. I loved Zack and would definitely hang out with him (if he were a real person). Both books were easy to read, funny and suspenseful. With enough twists and turns to keep me reading well into the night. The cast of characters were funny, engaging and imaginative. Mr. Morris did an excellent job in describing Zack and letting the reader get to know his background and personality. Also, he got Jamaica down pat! I sure hope Morris doesn't stop at just three books on this character. There are many islands in the Caribbean, and I can see a long and fruitful career in writing a book for each island. Hey Mr. Morris - what about a murder mystery during Carnival in Trinidad - you did mention that the characters had visited there? I would love to see Bahamarama as a major motion picture - I've been trying to figure out who would play Zack and Barbara?

This second chapter in the life of crime-solver Zack Chasteen, a laid-back T shirt and khaki kind of guy-- and this time around quite randy-- is even better than Mr. Morris' BAHAMARAMA. Zack goes to Jamaica to help an old football teammate find out who wants to take out one Darcy Whitehall, owner of a resort that caters to "grownups on spring break," called Libido. Mr. Morris once again proves that he can handle an intricate plot-- with a surprise ending that literally blows the reader away-- and that he knows both his exotic foods and Jamaican folklore. (I still think he should include recipes to go along with his narratives.) He is right good with words too; you have to tip your hat to a writer who makes a verb out of "curlicue." One of the advantages of writing fiction is that the writer can take potshots at anyone he wants to without fear of legal action. Are we to assume that Mr. Morris or someone he knows or cares about has suffered harm from overzealous University of Tennessee football fans? His character Zack makes several negative comments about Tennessee versus Florida. Or course the real kicker is Mr. Morris' description of the two horny airheads from Knoxville, Darlene and Lynette, whom Zack meets on a plane and then keeps running into at Libido: "Both were in their early thirties, I'd guess. Both had bottle-blonde hair, lots of it, done up in a way that ought to be illegal outside of Texas or Tennessee. . . They were pretty enough, if you like that over-the-hill-Hooter's-girl kind of look." This second novel, to the contrary not withstanding-- whatever that means-- is still a great, entertaining read.