<I>The Goat Woman of Largo Bay</i> begins the detective series featuring Shad, a bartender in a fishing village in Jamaica, who is the community problem solver and right hand of Eric, an American who owns the bar and a hotel left in ruins by a hurricane. <P>When Shad sees movement on the island offshore, he thinks it's just a goat.  But it turns out to be Simone, an American who has run away from her professional and personal life in the U.S., an intriguing woman who captures Eric's heart.  Always keeping his ear to the ground, Shad discovers that a gunshot heard near Simone's place late one night isn't exactly friendly fire, but tied to a plot to harm Simone and ultimately manipulate local elections. But why does someone want to harm Simone? And what does she have to do with the elections?  Only Shad can find out.   <P>An irresistible character is born in <I>The Goat Woman of Largo Bay</i> and Royes wonderfully blends suspense and the soul of the islands in this smart debut.