The Bottom Line: An irresistible blend of murder, island culture and noir. Silverman is a master storyteller.
Brian Silverman’s Calypso Blue is a deeply layered crime novel that blends the taut intrigue of a mystery with the lush atmosphere of the Caribbean. At its center is Len Buonfiglio, a former New York hero who lives in self-imposed exile as a bar owner on the island of St. Pierre. As the story begins, Len learns that legendary musician Lord Ram is dead. Officially, he died from an accidental fall. Unofficially, it could be anything from a domestic betrayal to something far more sinister.
Len’s bar becomes the site of an impromptu fete in Ram’s honor. As the celebrants gather, gossip points to a prime suspect: Queen Sassy, Ram’s glamorous widow. Despite being an expat trying to live quietly, Len soon finds himself pulled into the mystery by both Superintendent Keith McWilliams, the island’s sober-minded police chief, and later, Sassy herself.
Silverman keeps the stakes rising with clever interwoven threads: a mysterious shipment of vermouth with Caribbean-themed labels that attracts dangerous outsiders. The sudden reappearance of Betta Baptiste’s estranged Italian husband, who finds himself in trouble. But Silverman’s greatest achievement from a character perspective is Queen Sassy herself. Far more than a grieving widow under suspicion, she’s also an ambitious artist fighting to preserve her reputation, and her every move sends tongues wagging. From the opening sections of the book to the last, Sassy maintains a constant presence whether she’s actually in a scene or not.
Nearly as striking is the dialogue of the locals, often written in the lilting vernacular of St. Pierre. Conversations flow with musical cadence and humor (“The Queen no can lift a heavy Dutch pot filled with chicken fricassee and smash the Lord’s skull with it. No she cannot”), often sounding as if they could be sung in calypso themselves. This unique voice not only animates the supporting cast but also underscores Len’s perpetual status as both insider and outsider—he can participate in island life, but he’ll never quite speak its language.
The murder mystery itself is a slow-burner that pays off nicely. Calypso Blue offers both a gripping investigation and a vivid journey into the soul of a Caribbean island on the edge of truth and rumor.
