First published 2016
Terry White arrives in Jérémie broke and desperate. The 2008 financial crisis destroyed his savings, so he takes a UN job training Haitian police in this remote coastal town. Jérémie has more coffin makers than restaurants and dirt roads that wind down to brilliant blue water. Terry befriends an idealistic judge who studied in America and wants to clean up local corruption. Terry convinces the judge to run against Sénateur Maxim Bayard, a corrupt but popular politician who controls the town. The election campaign heats up as Terry throws himself into the political fight. Then Terry falls in love with the judge's wife. His personal betrayal collides with the dangerous political battle he helped start. Terry must navigate between his growing feelings, his loyalty to the judge, and the violent realities of Haitian politics. The election approaches as Terry's romantic obsession threatens to destroy both the reform movement and his friendship with the judge.
Genres: fiction, romance, contemporary, political-thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Jérémie, Haiti
Period: 2008
435 pages · Kindle Edition · Sarah Crichton Books
Content warnings: violence