Private investigator Jade de Jong's biggest problem on her diving holiday in St. Lucia is her fear of the water--until her boyfriend, police superintendent David Patel, announces that he intends to go back to his wife. As if this devastating news isn't bad enough, Jade's scuba instructor is brutally murdered and she and David find themselves pulled into a complex murder investigation full of corruption and bizarre twists.
The Fallen, Jassy Mackenzie's third Jade de Jong novel, highlights a wide range of contrasts in its settings. Mackenzie builds suspense through her depiction of crime-riddled Johannesburg's greed and corruption; she also beckons readers to the beautiful beaches of St. Lucia, worth risking life and limb to protect, and offers characters willing to go to great lengths for what they believe.
The true gem of The Fallen is the electrifying plot. The pace is constantly swift, right up to the last page, and Mackenzie throws in appropriate clues throughout the course of the novel while still maintaining a high level of suspense and mystery. Some minor plot details, such as police neglecting to take a cell phone after frisking a suspect, may leave some readers a little quizzical, but the pace will quickly jerk their focus back to the story. (The ending, however, so forcibly sets up the continuation of Mackenzie's series that some readers may protest a lack of closure.) --Jen Forbus of Jen's Book Thoughts