Book Review: Virgin Island Vengeance

Reviewed by Josie Prado

A missing girl’s case turns into a maze of deceit and danger in this thrilling action novel.

Ray Ramage is a wealthy, retired naval intelligence officer. Or rather, he should be. An old friend, Deke, calls Ray to tell him that his daughter Rachel has gone missing while on spring break in the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

Deke has not been able to pull enough resources to find her, so Ray agrees to help him and puts things in motion. Joining Ray on his quest is Maggie Bryant, a beautiful B-list actor who has become enamored of Ray, and Snuff and Jay, two of Ray’s employees who work on his boat. 

When they arrive at the islands, it’s evident that the systems in place are drastically different. The police are either lax or overworked, and some of the locals would rather keep Rachel’s disappearance a secret. Ray is finally able to get a lead when he meets with the local detective, Carla Mendez, who tells him that Rachel was last seen at a bar before she went missing. 

Snuff tries to gather intel at different bars but is soon brutally murdered. Ray’s motivations for solving this case are now more personal than ever. After contacting his old boss, Ray’s directed into working with an old nemesis, Mack. Despite the bad blood, Mack tells him about the two men who have Rachel: Evan Thatcher and Dessalines. Ready to avenge Snuff and find Deke’s daughter, Ray goes into the belly of the beast. 

Virgin Island Vengeance thrives with its fast pace and strong dialogue. The characters are drawn wholly and with precision, short descriptors doing a lot of work in showing the lively characters at the heart of the novel. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but nothing ever feels muddy. Action thrillers need clarity and good characters talking authentically—and this one’s got it.

Ray is also a terrific leading man, especially with how morally gray he is. He shows us heroic acts, yes, but his actions can also be harsh and violent. The death of Snuff is a major turning point for him—it becomes time for Ray to take justice into his own hands. I wondered if the book would justify his actions in some way, but instead, it asks readers to decide for themselves, resulting in a higher investment in the outcome.

Sometimes I wanted to look outside of our immediate purview to gather the larger politics of the Virgin Islands and capture the culture more. The romance between Maggie and Ray is sweet, but some of their dates get in the way of the plot and I longed for more Maggie in the main conflict.

Action readers, strap in! Ray’s got a story and a mission worth experiencing.

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