Review: The Mapping of Stranger Desires
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 29, 2014
I first encountered Eden Baylee in late 2012 when I read her collection of poems and flash fiction, entitled 'Hot Flash'. The literary quality of her writing and her wit encouraged me to dip into the erotic novellas in her 'Spring into Summer' collection. I have been a fan ever since.So when I discovered she was writing a full-length mystery/thriller novel, I was intrigued.'Stranger at Sunset' is a great piece of fiction writing with engaging characters, many of whom - in the fine mystery tradition - have embarrassing and potentially lethal secrets. The novel opens with a fine noir scene, which could have been straight out of Dashiel Hammett, and then Ms. Baylee's dark lens pans back to give us a view of the various people assembling for a holiday at Sunset Villa in Jamaica.The backdrop of the Caribbean island in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy gives 'Stranger' an exotic feel, and the author treats the reader to the sights, sounds and smells of that wonderful island. The cast of this drama is well-drawn and diverse, displaying a variety of psychological types well-suited to a whodunnit. Humour, feisty encounters and a hint of romance make for a heady cocktail.Some mysteries are so plot-driven, that the characters come over as two-dimensional, mere grist for the plot, but Ms. Baylee knows how to avoid this. The events grow organically out of human interactions, rivalries and grievances.For me, Eden Baylee remains 'the cartographer of desire', although she demonstrates here her skills include mapping not only sexual attraction, but many of the other emotions that haunt us.I look forward to the next of Dr. Kate Hampton's adventures. An excerpt of the second book in the series - 'A Fragile Truce' - is included at the end of the novel. Bring it on!