Elin Hilderbrand (The Identicals, The Perfect Couple) is well known for her Nantucket settings and familial drama. But Winter in Paradise stands apart, as it's not set on Nantucket. This novel is still full of family tension amid a gorgeous island setting--this time in the Caribbean.
Irene Steele has been happily married for 35 years when she gets a shocking call. Her husband, Russell, has died in a helicopter crash off the coast of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Since Russell was supposedly on a business trip, Irene is left reeling. She and her two grown sons--Baker, a stay-at-home Houston father, and Cash, a ski instructor in Colorado--head to the Caribbean to find out more about Russell's death.
To her horror, Irene discovers that Russell had a second life in St. John, including a massive villa and a mistress, Rosie, who also died in the crash. Things get more complicated when Irene meets and likes Rosie's father. Meanwhile, Cash and Baker, who have never gotten along, are busy keeping secrets from each other and their mother as they, too, grapple with their father's betrayal.
Hilderbrand has created an entertaining, poignant and immensely likable family in the Steeles and an irresistible setting in her depiction of St. John. Sure to inspire wanderlust and leave readers desperate for the next entry in this projected trilogy, Winter in Paradise is a perfect blend of beach read and cozy winter novel. --Jessica Howard, bookseller at Bookmans, Tucson, Ariz.