Ironshore by Pierre Renaldo is a 20^th
century gothic novel set on steamy Caribbean island.
Based on "actual events" this novel has everything a reader could
want from a Caribbean horror story: pirates, buried
treasure, shamans, ghosts, sultry women, and of course, dastardly deeds gone
wrong.

Ironshore is set on the very real island
of Roatan,
off the coast of Honduras.
The basic story takes place in the year 1953, although much of the action
occurs elsewhere in the 1930s and 1940s. From a harrowing escape from Nanking in
1933 as a child to the humiliation of being a sexual prisoner in a "Japanese
Officers’ Recreational Center" during WWII to the murder of her military husband
at the hands of a traitorous superior, Murielle "Muri"
Cartier has seen it all and survived. Miraculously she has found herself in
possession of some ill-gotten uncut gems making her a very wealthy woman. Muri
decided to sell the stones and settle down to some quiet and remote corner of
the world. La Sonrisa, a small inn on the beautiful
and remote Caribbean island
of Roatan,
off the coast of Honduras
fit the bill, besides the price was right (cheap with no questions asked). Muri
grabs the bargain and along with Leon Vinoy, a friend
of her husband’s, a veteran of the French Foreign Legion, and keeper of the
secrets of her past, depart the Orient without a backwards glance. After the
minor annoyances of dealing with inexperience island laborers, Murielle staffs
her inn with Newt Springer, a former British sailor turned fishing pro and handyman; Newt’s lover, Carmencita
Valesquez, waitress/housekeeper; sexy head housekeeper Nissa
Toma, who is part superstitious native, part upper
crust British;
and cook Polly Soo, ancient, loyal, and self
appointed adopted mother to Muri. La
Sonrisa opens its doors and its first guests arrive including: Sarah Perry,
mystery writer ever in search of a plot; athletic
and artistic Ginger & Reggie Dilley;
Buster Harper, a Florida orange
farmer in search of land for expansion; and
Sam "Leib" Leibowicz,
an honest NY detective forced into early retirement after revealing
departmental coruption. If the registered guest were
not enough to handle, Muri and her staff must also
deal with a few unregistered visitors including: Bombey Mutute,
a local witch doctor with tremendous political influence searching for his
missing sister; Monique de Moisenbeek,
Mutute’s assistant and a seer who communicates with
the dead; the
mysterious Charles Foster, archaeologist, adventurer, trained OSS assassin, and
the former owner of La Sonrisa; and a strange green glowing phantom. Can Muri, her staff, and supportive guests: discover who or
what the phantom is and get rid of it, can they find out what happened to the
missing Elise Mutate, Bombey’s sister and Foster’s
hot-tempered lover, and can they appease the witch doctor and the seer enough
to depart before all the guests flee in terror and Muri and her beloved La Sonrisa
fall into financial ruin?

From
local legends, piracy, buried treasure, paranormal phenomenon, all the way to passion,
murder, and a duel with machetes, this book has everything to make it a Caribbean classic.
It should appeal to a wide audience from romance readers, mystery buffs,
paranormal & occult enthusiasts, and to anyone heading out for a Caribbean
vacation…or just dreaming about one. The book is all the more fascinating due
to the tantalizing tagline "a supernatural thriller based on actual events".
How can a reader resist? The photographs at the beginning of the book, although
grainy, add that extra "you are there feeling". The book only major flaw
is its annoying typos. Otherwise, the book is very enjoyable and quite
interesting.

Pierre
Renaldo is a writer, columnist, and semi-retired general contractor. He is the
editor of Coastwatcher: Caribbean West
(a weekly newsletter about life in the Bay Islands of Honduras and the North
Coast) and of Roatan Insights (a
monthly e-magazine about living/retiring in the Bay Islands, and building your
dream home in a third world paradise.) He has also written a number of
non-fiction books including: Felix Prince of Cats and Mitch the Great Storm
of the Century; How to Build Your Dream Home in a Third World Paradise; How to
Survive In Third World Retirement: The Handbook and a novel entitled: Red
Dog Chronicles (2001). Renaldo
is a resident of the island of
Roatan,
the setting of this tale.

Ironshore by Pierre Renaldo is a scary modern
gothic novel based on "actual events". It is a spooky beach book
perfect for a Caribbean holiday. Recommended.

© 2003 Su Terry

Su Terry: Education:
B.A. in History from Sacred Heart University, M.L.S. in Library Science from
Southern Connecticut State College, M.R.S. in Religious Studies/Pastoral
Counseling from Fairfield University, a M.Div. in
Professional Ministry from New Brunswick Theological Seminary, a Certificate in
Spirituality/Spiritual Direction from Sacred Heart University. She is a
Licensed Minister of the United Church of Christ and an Assistant Professor in
Library Science at Dowling College,
Long Island, NY.
Interests in Mental Health: She is interested in the interplay between
psychology, biology, and mysticism. Her current area of research is in the
impact of hormonal fluctuation in female Christian mystics.

Categories: Fiction