January 1, 1989
In this disappointingly bland 18th mystery featuring Inspector Henry Tibbet of the CID, Moyes deals with a contemporary topic--drug smuggling--in a curiously dated fashion. Equally disturbing is her underlying, undoubtedly unconscious, colonialist attitude toward the native population of a Caribbean island as evinced in the descriptions of the characters (i.e., the ``black girl'' of the title). The omniscient Tibbett and his wife Emmy are asked by an old friend to investigate, unofficially, the trafficking of cocaine--``white girl'' in the local argot--on the independent Caribbean island of Tampica. Attempting to implicate corrupt government officials involved in the drug trade, the Tibbetts pose as rich, shady tourists who want to ``invest'' in the island's economy. The Tibbetts and the officials engage in a cat-and-mouse game--until a suspected drug dealer who dies in a suspicious parasailing accident turns out to be an undercover DEA agent. When Emmy is arrested, Henry has to deal with some dangerous characters. Those who enjoy the Tibbetts' civilized adventures will find them in good, though not especially exciting, form.
October 1, 1990
In her 18th mystery featuring Inspector Henry Tibbett of the CID and his wife Emmy, Moyes writes about drug trade on the Caribbean island of Tampica. PW characterized the book as ``disappointingly bland'' although ``those who enjoy the Tibbetts' civilized adventures will find them in good, though not especially exciting, form.''