Chicago-area firefighter Eddie Gilbert is headed back to the Florida Keys and the open seas of the Caribbean. A beautiful woman and an interesting job offer are waiting. He is tasked to find a young doctor who has gone missing. What happens next will ikeep you glued to the pages of Caribbean Calling.
Firefighter and paramedic-turned-author Jimmy (J.D.) Gordon was born and raised in Chicago where he developed a taste for the finer things that the Windy City has to offer - pan pizza, live blues and the Cubs.
Jimmy dropped into the world of literature, literally. After falling off a train and breaking his knee Jimmy had to spend quite a bit of time recuperating. While visiting the firehouse his peers asked what he planned to with all that time away. This when Jimmy said the words that he now claims to have changed his life. "I should write a book."
Despite some skepticism from his peers ("You don't even use punctuation on your run reports!"), he completed a novel, Island Bound, and made it a point to use punctuation throughout.
Another injury, sustained on the job, ended his career in the fire service. Aside from writing Gordon spends his Spring and Summer as an umpire for high school and youth baseball. He now lives with his wife and children in Glen Ellyn IL, a suburb of Chicago.
Eddie Gilbert is a Chicago native and firefighter/paramedic with a knack for finding trouble in paradise. In Caribbean Calling (Red Engine Press, August 2006), author J.D. Gordon's reluctant hero returns to a world that keeps pulling him back, a place where sunny tropical breezes mask a dark underbelly.
This is Gordon's second book in his series featuring Eddie Gilbert, a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan and Parrothead (a commonly used nickname for fans of singer Jimmy Buffett). He doesn't stray far from the formula that made his first effort, Island Bound (1stBooks Library, May 2002), strike a chord with many of the same Hawaiian shirt- and grass skirt-wearing loyalists who flock to outdoor music venues every summer in search of that elusive lost shaker of salt.
This time around, Eddie is not just away on vacation from his job as a firefighter/paramedic for the fictional Salt Creek Fire Department but is down in Tampa, Florida, testing the waters a bit. He's taken a trial job in the employment of Bruce Klein, the influential shipping tycoon and ex-Congressman whose daughter Eddie had rescued from the hands of some modern-day pirates in Island Bound.
Asked by a fellow firefighter why'd he'd go back south after all the trouble his last vacation had brought him, Eddie simply shrugs and says, "I don't know, for some reason the Caribbean calls to me."
At first, Eddie is disappointed when he finds that his new job seems nothing more than that of a "high-priced courier," but, not surprisingly, there's much more to his assignment than first meets the eye. Soon, Eddie finds himself once again in the position of trying to save a damsel in distress. This time, it's Dr. Elaine Keller, a recent medical school graduate who's been taken prisoner by a Caribbean island drug lord.
Caribbean Calling is classic escapist fiction, filled with adventure, colorful characters and exotic locales.
If you like pina coladas and getting caught up in a good story, Caribbean Calling is the perfect escape for you.
The Author, J.D. Gordon, signed my review copy and it says "Looks like it, but not a kids book!!!". This is certainly true. The cover looks cute and has a YA feeling, but on the inside it's an adult story about cults, government corruption, and human trafficking. I thought Caribbean Calling was an incredible book. It kept me on the edge of my seat, turning pages late at night, needing to know what happens next. My favorite character was Johnathon aka Kangaroo. I loved his attitude and personality, along with his funky accent. I was hoping that he would have been in the story a little bit more. There wasn't a character that I disliked. The plot was written very well. Eddie, who was a hero for being a firefighter, was also a hero for rescuing Elaine. When I was reading, I found no punctuation mistakes or spelling errors. Caribbean Calling is a wonderful read that I highly recommend. However, I agree with the author and recommend it for mature adults, 18 and older.
A Chicago firefighter takes a job in Florida for a change of pace and ends up in a world of guns and powerful rich n'er do wells. Good plot. Kept my interest. Would definitely read another book by this author. Good summertime/beach read. Only complaint is the story is "told" alittle too much at times.
This is the book to read while on vacation. Or even just pretending to be on vacation! I loved the characters, the Buffett/Key West references and knowing the author doesn't hurt!