The Man Who Turned Both Cheeks — Gillian Royes

PICTURESQUE AND IMPOVERISHED Largo Bay is the background for this explosive novel about love and fear, the second in Gillian Royes's mystery series featuring Shad, a Jamaican bartender-detective. With the arrival of Joseph, estranged son of Eric, the bar's owner, hopes for the village's future come alive but are soon to be threatened. Janna, who has returned to the island, falls for Joseph's good looks and charm, but she isn't the only one with an eye for this mysterious man.

As questions about Joseph's sexuality arise, Shad struggles with protecting the survival of his beloved birthplace amid the deeply ingrained culture of intolerance that surrounds him. What it means to be a man and a father raises questions within the bartender's own home, as his longtime love, Beth, pressures him to make a commitment.

In a land where religion is strong, but life is cheap and violence is often the answer, what will it take for Shad to protect Eric and his family? In this truth-telling sequel to The Goat Woman of Largo Bay, the village must confront its own darkness or lose a bright future.