Reviewed by Alexandria Ducksworth, Independent Book Review.
A compelling Caribbean mystery equipped with plenty of secrets and backstabbing
Three young girls are missing in Jamaica’s Parrot Valley, and social activist Carmen Young is doing everything in her power to bring awareness to the situation. But problems escalate when two people die during a protest. And to top it off, Carmen’s fiancé Julian is arrested in America with a murder of his own. What else could even go wrong?
Meanwhile, Detective Benjamin Rhodes is on the protest murder case. A tip from the town drunk leads him to the town’s dark underbelly and to the truth of both mysteries.
Author Horane Smith has created a thrilling mystery in this lush Caribbean landscape. The Queen That Wears the Crown is like an intoxicating combination of escapism and reality. Everything seems to be happening at once, and it isn’t without its accompanying action. There’s the case of the missing girls, the protest deaths, and Julian’s arrest, but there’s also much more beneath the surface. Smith successfully reveals that even the smallest quaint towns have their dirty laundry.
There are tons of shady activities and characters lurking around Parrot Valley. Brook Cunningham is the town’s known rich son and definitely one of those characters. Carmen’s engagement to Julian means nothing to Brook; he’s been vying for her hand for years. Brook is no saint despite the town seeing him as one, and he ends up playing a devious role in this plot.
Human trafficking is a major theme in The Queen That Wears the Crown. Carmen’s ambition and resilience are essential attributes to a situation that feels hopeless. Through Carmen’s quest to uncover the truth behind disappearances and murders, the novel explores how corruption seeps into small-town life, making the fight for justice an uphill battle. Carmen’s role highlights the complexities of activism in a community where trust is fragile and those in power may not have the people’s best interests at heart.
Horane Smith paints a vivid picture of Parrot Valley’s social issues. Themes like deportation, economic struggle, and rising crime contribute to the story’s tension, highlighting the town’s fractured state and the challenges its residents face in the wake of tragedy. This backdrop enriches the novel’s themes greatly.
Carmen Young is a smart protagonist with a strong will to fight for people’s rights, but her personal goal is simple: settle down with Julian after he graduates from college in America. While she has a strong head on her shoulders, readers may find her sudden distrust of Julian after his arrest somewhat unbelievable. They’ve been together for 15 years. Sure, the sudden surprise is devastating, but it feels off-base for her to turn her back with so little proof.
The Queen That Wears the Crown is filled with secrets waiting to be unlocked. All I could think of while reading was the British TV show Death in Paradise. Parrot Valley is filled with colorful characters, from the persistent detective to the town gossiper. Every chapter leads readers deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole of the town’s mysteries.
Horane Smith succeeds in crafting this satisfying island thriller. Those who love good tropical locations with their mysteries will relish all the good that The Queen That Wears the Crown has to offer.
BOOKLIFE REVIEW
LIVELY AND APPEALING CHARACTERS, ENTERTAINING TWISTS, AN ENGANING MYSTERY
Carmen Young is the jewel of her family—beautiful, assistant manager of a local bank, and a
social activist driven to build a better world. Her nickname, “Queenie,” speaks to her status in
her hometown of Parrot Valley, Jamaica, where she takes the lead by organizing protests against
the local police department, for their lack of interest in investigating the young girls disappearing
from the area—including her fiancé’s cousin, Janice. While waiting for Julian to return home
from New York to marry her, Carmen takes the girls’ disappearances to heart, until one of her
protests ends in violence, landing her in the middle of a dangerous investigation.
Smith (author of By the Rivers of Babylon) propels Carmen’s focus with her strong sense of right
and wrong, crafting a female lead who remains stalwart in her plans, not just for herself and
Julian, but also for the missing girls she’s determined to help. Even the wealthy Brook
Cunningham, a man Carmen’s known since childhood, can’t distract her from the future she
envisions—despite his constant attempts to woo her. In a delicious twist, Smith casts doubt on
Julian when a female friend from his study group in New York goes missing—and he’s arrested
for her murder. Though he proclaims his innocence, readers can’t help but wonder if the missing
Jamaican girls and murdered student are somehow intertwined.
The setting of this engaging mystery gives the novel depth, as Smith constructs a Jamaica that
tourists rarely get the chance to see: small towns full of hardworking people trying to carve out
futures for their families. The characters are lively and appealing, particularly Carmen, who will
win readers’ hearts as her world is turned upside down and she fights to reveal who she can trust.
The twists and turns are entertaining, and Smith handles challenging material—sex trafficking,
addiction, and murder—with a graceful touch.
Takeaway: Twisty, consuming mystery of young girls disappearing in Jamaica.
Comparable Titles: Lisa Jewell’s Then She Was Gone, Michael Connelly’s 9 Dragons.