A Review of “Trouble in Paradise: A Violet Darger Novella (Violet Darger Book 7.5) by Tim McBain and LT Vargus

Full disclosure – I was provided an advanced reader’s copy of this book by the authors but have voluntarily provided a review. All opinions are my own.

The Dark side of Paradise

In a tropical paradise a teenage girl goes missing in a manner eerily similar to past events. When the investigation gets bogged down in politics and nepotism, the girl’s father calls in a favor. Darger, Loshak, and Spinks arrive on the island to assist for a few days in between assignments, but when they arrive, they are stonewalled at every turn. When the missing girls shows up in a shallow grave and another body nearby fingers begin to point in many different directions. Is the culprit her well connected boyfriend, her father, her mother and stepfather or someone else altogether. Joined by Violet’s ex Owen, the team scour the small island of Curacao to uncover the truth. When Owen becomes a suspect the team realizes they need to pull out all stops to uncover the truth before it’s too late.

Trouble in Paradise is a short novella that serves as a bridge between Dark Passage and the upcoming Countdown to Midnight, and while this is technically a part of a larger series, Trouble in Paradise can be read out of sequence without feeling as if you have missed most of the plot. While we see Violet reunited with her ex-flame Owen Baxter, we also witness a growing dynamic between Darger and Spinks. I can’t recall if this is the first time the two have worked a case together, but the early interactions in Trouble in Paradise give promise for a good rapport and tons of heartburn for Loshak. Even though the book only clocks in at around 150 pages, the character development was still excellent, and the story moved at a pace that kept my interest and had me laughing out loud at one particular “side” character. Whether this is your first introduction to Agents Darger and Loshak or if you’re a long-time fan like myself Trouble in Paradise will not disappoint.