Title: Love Jamaican Style
Author: McDougal Griffiths
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 978-0-7388-5533-2
Pages: 126
Genre: Fiction
Reviewed by: Carol Davala
Pacific Book Review
McDougal Griffith’s Love Jamaican Style is a well-paced blend of passion, sex, and a whirlwind of adventure surrounding a new college graduate on the isle of Jamaica. Here, an unexpected job opportunity turns into a deadly escapade involving uncovered drug smuggling and criminal activities.
It’s the last year of high school for suave ladies’ man, Merv. While women are often attracted to this handsome student, early on Griffith reveals this central character has a bad temper. Flash backs detail an earlier time when Merv’s own girlfriend, Gloria, suffered the consequences of his violent aggression. Though Merv tends to have a wandering eye, he claims dedication to Gloria.
Months after graduation, a young woman who had often tried to entice Merv, gets him a job checking trucks in and out of a warehouse facility. Warned to not ask any questions, the easy work and high pay put Merv at odds with his usually proud parents and concerned girlfriend who request information about his lucrative employment.
Merv’s own curiosity gets the best of him as his secret discoveries bring about a series of intense threats, chases, and shoot-outs. Here the violence is sharply defined as in the likes of “Merv fired, a very lucky shot, which erased Sharky’s two front teeth and finally exploded at the back of his head.” Griffith showcases the sentiments of good and bad in his characters as Merv ultimately seeks to revenge a death that he feels responsible for.
Perhaps expected of novels and/or novellas playing out against a tropical backdrop, Griffith highlights the beauty of the Jamaican countryside including the bright sunshine and warmth of the breezes blowing inland from the ocean. With the central character’s sexual prowess, the heat index expectantly rises within the action of the storyline as well. Here Griffith includes a variety of Merv’s sexual rendezvous, from a display of Merv’s near assault-like sexual urges; to Gloria’s losing her virginity to Merv; to unexpected passions in a jail cell.
In contrast, what sets Griffith’s work apart from more traditional presentations of good vs. evil characters and scenarios is that here the narrative often includes the background and causes that contributed to characters going astray. While readers may not be swayed to sympathize with these individuals, the information allows for a better understanding of their evils and shortcomings. Whether in the teenage fights with bullies, sexual lusts, uncovering nefarious dealings, outrunning the law, or finding loyalty in old friendships, Griffith fills his story with interlocking characters and continuous forward moving action. Though less than 150 pages, Love Jamaican Style packs a punch with steady entertainment, and keeps us guessing as to what’s around the next bend.
