A Rendezvous in Haiti

A Rendezvous in Haiti by Stephen Becker

223 Pages

Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media, Open Road Media

Release Date: January 12, 2016

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Kidnapping, Military

Lt. Bobby McAllister met Sgt. Louis Paul Blanchard in Belgium in 1918. Blanchard was awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Victoria Cross for his outstanding service. He made an impression on the senior officers. The following year McAllister is sent to Haiti to lead a team of marines. The Whites believed they were superior, and the native inhabitants were savages and should be treated as slaves. McAllister did not necessarily share these beliefs.

Blanchard is also in Haiti but for different reasons. He has made a life on the island with several women. Although he is white, he is accepted by the locals. He is friends with Boniface, a local prominent business owner and cock fighting organizer, and Martel, a guerilla leader. He is tired of the way the island is being overrun by the marines and wants to shake things up. He decides he is going to take a white person hostage, but not any white person. He is going to take Caroline Barbour, General Barbour’s daughter and the love interest of McAllister. He believes this will either keep the marines on base or will provide a most needed ransom.

When McAllister hears of Caroline’s kidnapping, he immediately takes action to get her back. He joins forces with Father Jean Baptiste. Together they travel the island looking for Blanchard and Caroline. They are heading towards Martel believing Blanchard would bring Caroline to him.

The book has a steady pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. The scenery is very descriptive, and the author does a good job making the reader feel immersed in the story. I had a hard time getting into the book, but once I did, I was committed.