This book was chosen by Bernardine Evaristo as her 'lockdown read' in a recent BBC Radio 4 interview. As I admire her work, I thought I'd give 'Black Rain Falling' a go, despite not having read a Crime novel since a summer reading Agatha Christies when about 14yrs, ( a very, very, long time ago). 'Black Rain Falling' was stupendous. If you're looking for a book to cleanse the reading palette, then this is it: cracking story, superb characterisation, animated & vivid writing AND all set amongst the stunning scenery and startling beauty of a spice island. There is much to learn about the culture and life of a Caribbean Island in post-colonial times. References to local flora&fauna run through the book: I so enjoyed looking up the species of trees and fruit, from the most poisonous tree on the planet to one that soothes a troubled mind. Cooking is clearly a vital part of Grenadian culture and the food is described with real relish & digested with love. They'll be falling over one another to turn this into a movie, each scene is sharp and clear in its realisation. A brilliant, brilliant read. Much wider readership appeal than just Crime buffs. The only minus was the rather dreary & clichéd book jacket - surely they could have done better, especially with so much great visual material in the book? I can truly say that I thoroughly enjoyed every page between the covers. Thank you Mr Ross!

This is a fast moving and multi-layered story. Personalities and landscapes are developed and described vividly. The story takes twists and turns, some unexpected and kept my interest and attention. I look forward to reading more by this author. However, I hope I’m not being pedantic when I say I was surprised at a little carelessness toward the end of the book. On page 399 Digson states ‘To help with the processing, Lazar Wilkinson put forward Jonathan Rayburn-I’ll refer to him as Jan Ray from now on. ..’ Yet in the next paragraph Digson goes on to state ‘He also recruited Jonathan Rayburn...’ A slight quibble about a book I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend.