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Ray Robertson #2
Haitian Graves
The vibrant color and sounds of Haiti hide dark secrets.
RCMP sergeant Ray Robertson is serving with the United Nations in Haiti, a land of brilliant color and vibrant life, Vodou and vast above-ground cemeteries. Ray’s job is to train the local police and assist investigations. One call comes in from the home of a wealthy American businessman. The man came home to find his beautiful, young Haitian wife floating face down in the swimming pool. The American embassy and the Haitian police immediately arrest the gardener, and the case is closed. But Ray isn’t so sure, and he keeps digging. Until one night he finds himself in a Vodou-saturated cemetery, surrounded by above-ground tombs and elaborate statuary, confronting a killer with nothing left to lose.
This is the second in a series featuring RCMP sergeant Ray Robertson on his various postings overseas.
RCMP sergeant Ray Robertson is serving with the United Nations in Haiti, a land of brilliant color and vibrant life, Vodou and vast above-ground cemeteries. Ray’s job is to train the local police and assist investigations. One call comes in from the home of a wealthy American businessman. The man came home to find his beautiful, young Haitian wife floating face down in the swimming pool. The American embassy and the Haitian police immediately arrest the gardener, and the case is closed. But Ray isn’t so sure, and he keeps digging. Until one night he finds himself in a Vodou-saturated cemetery, surrounded by above-ground tombs and elaborate statuary, confronting a killer with nothing left to lose.
This is the second in a series featuring RCMP sergeant Ray Robertson on his various postings overseas.
- GenresMystery
160 pages, Paperback
First published August 25, 2015
About the author
Vicki Delany
62 books1,977 followers“It’s a crime not to read Delany,” so says the London Free Press.
Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most varied and prolific crime writers.
She is the author of four cozy mystery series: The Tea by the Sea series from Kensington Books, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series from Crooked Lane and the Year Round Christmas series from Penguin. Under the pen name of Eva Gates she writes the Lighthouse Library Series.
Visit Vicki at www.vickidelany.com , www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor, and twitter: @vickidelany
Vicki is part of Mystery Lovers Kitchen (http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com) and Killer Characters (http://www.killercharacters.com)
Visit Vicki at www.vickidelany.com
Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most varied and prolific crime writers.
She is the author of four cozy mystery series: The Tea by the Sea series from Kensington Books, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series from Crooked Lane and the Year Round Christmas series from Penguin. Under the pen name of Eva Gates she writes the Lighthouse Library Series.
Visit Vicki at www.vickidelany.com , www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor, and twitter: @vickidelany
Vicki is part of Mystery Lovers Kitchen (http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com) and Killer Characters (http://www.killercharacters.com)
Visit Vicki at www.vickidelany.com
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 12, 2015
Haitian Graves is a short, very concise mystery featuring Ray Robinson, a Canadian Mountie serving as a UN adviser in Haiti. At just under pp., the book has little room for extraneous descriptions or red herrings which contributes to its rapid flow.
The story is more cozy than hard-boiled. While entertaining, it is not exactly exceptional.
*This review book was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review. While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review, it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review.
FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
• 5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
• 4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
• 3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered good or memorable.
• 2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
• 1 Star - The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.
The story is more cozy than hard-boiled. While entertaining, it is not exactly exceptional.
*This review book was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review. While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review, it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review.
FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
• 5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
• 4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
• 3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered good or memorable.
• 2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
• 1 Star - The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.
January 29, 2021
Great story. I wish it were longer (though I realize it’s part of series intended to be fast reads). Really enjoy the unusual premise of a RCMP officer in another country as a UN representative. Hope there are more in the series.
August 22, 2025
A standard murder mystery in an unusual setting (Haiti) with an unusual detective (an RMCP policeman on loan to the UN). An interesting and brief tale told in an effortless style that is engaging and entertaining.
April 10, 2018
An excellent, short mystery. You can read this one in about an hour.
June 1, 2024
4.75⭐️
Really good book/short story, just wish it was longer.
Really good book/short story, just wish it was longer.
May 31, 2026
A good quick mystery. I’m not usually into mysteries but this kept me interested.
May 22, 2016
This is marketed in a format the publishers are calling a "rapid read," and that feels right-- I started it Saturday morning, went out to run some errands, came back and finished it by lunch, mostly satisfied. And I guess the way you do that is to keep the mystery focused-- a lot of mystery novels metastasize, the initial mystery flowering into some deeper conspiracy, but here, Delany stays focused on the one story-- a married woman's death by drowning-- and works to solve that. And it mostly works.
The detective in this book (and one that precedes it), Ray Robertson, is driven by moral indignation, which is kind of an interesting take, given that Robertson spends a lot of time in third world spaces-- the previous book had him in Somalia, and this one is set in Haiti, and Robertson's recognition of the failures of colonialism, his sense that something is set up wrong on the culture as a result of Western intervention, does a neat trick of allowing Western values to still play a role in the story (because I think otherwise Western readers like me would find the novel hard to engage with) but not to make us feel too culpable for the legacy of colonialism. In other words, Delany allows us to have our cake and eat it, too.
And in this mystery, the villain is a white guy who is committing one crime that kind of underwrites the exploitative nature of the colonial relationship, molesting his young native daughter. By stopping this, Robertson gives us a cathartic way to purge our own guilt over North-South relations. I'm not trying to overthinking this (too late, you are probably saying) but I think there's a deliberate axis of ideas this book is working through, and those ideas are interesting enough to mention.
Otherwise, Robertson is a modestly engaging detective-- he's got modest troubles in his marriage, he likes to cook. He speaks decent french. I might go back and read the previous book just to see how his approach works in sub-Saharan Africa.
The detective in this book (and one that precedes it), Ray Robertson, is driven by moral indignation, which is kind of an interesting take, given that Robertson spends a lot of time in third world spaces-- the previous book had him in Somalia, and this one is set in Haiti, and Robertson's recognition of the failures of colonialism, his sense that something is set up wrong on the culture as a result of Western intervention, does a neat trick of allowing Western values to still play a role in the story (because I think otherwise Western readers like me would find the novel hard to engage with) but not to make us feel too culpable for the legacy of colonialism. In other words, Delany allows us to have our cake and eat it, too.
And in this mystery, the villain is a white guy who is committing one crime that kind of underwrites the exploitative nature of the colonial relationship, molesting his young native daughter. By stopping this, Robertson gives us a cathartic way to purge our own guilt over North-South relations. I'm not trying to overthinking this (too late, you are probably saying) but I think there's a deliberate axis of ideas this book is working through, and those ideas are interesting enough to mention.
Otherwise, Robertson is a modestly engaging detective-- he's got modest troubles in his marriage, he likes to cook. He speaks decent french. I might go back and read the previous book just to see how his approach works in sub-Saharan Africa.
June 14, 2015
Book 2, in the Ray Robertson series
This is a Rapid Reads novel: slim book, huge characters and a lot said in less than 150 of printed pages, the perfect concept for a novella and one that stands on its own two feet.
In “Juda Good” (Book 1) RCMP Sergeant Ray Robertson served with the United Nations in South Sudan. In his next outing “Haitian Graves” he has moved to his next posting: Haiti, the land of colours and Vodou beliefs where he will take the role as an advisor and mentor to the local police. The plot is centered on the case surrounding the death of a woman found in swimming pole of one of Port-au-Prince best neighborhoods. We have Ray taking a whole new role and stepping outside his job description to solve the mystery of what really happened to this unfortunate woman.
Of course the case is easily solved but getting there is what makes this book captivating. Through the drama we have a thought provoking portrait of post- quake Haiti with all the misery it brought to the population. The writing is clear, concise, no time for frills and long sentences after all there are limited pages. All good things are there, exciting drama, good characterization and a style that is not taxing for those pressed for time. This book can also be enjoyed both the young and the young at heart.
This is a Rapid Reads novel: slim book, huge characters and a lot said in less than 150 of printed pages, the perfect concept for a novella and one that stands on its own two feet.
In “Juda Good” (Book 1) RCMP Sergeant Ray Robertson served with the United Nations in South Sudan. In his next outing “Haitian Graves” he has moved to his next posting: Haiti, the land of colours and Vodou beliefs where he will take the role as an advisor and mentor to the local police. The plot is centered on the case surrounding the death of a woman found in swimming pole of one of Port-au-Prince best neighborhoods. We have Ray taking a whole new role and stepping outside his job description to solve the mystery of what really happened to this unfortunate woman.
Of course the case is easily solved but getting there is what makes this book captivating. Through the drama we have a thought provoking portrait of post- quake Haiti with all the misery it brought to the population. The writing is clear, concise, no time for frills and long sentences after all there are limited pages. All good things are there, exciting drama, good characterization and a style that is not taxing for those pressed for time. This book can also be enjoyed both the young and the young at heart.
November 15, 2015
I won Haitian Graves in a door prize at the Suffolk Mystery Festival. Which was an amazing time! If you're a Hampton Roads local or are visiting some day in the future, check out if the festival is happening. I loved it!
Haitian Graves was a very quick read. Just shy of 160 pages, the book is quick. Because of that, this review will be short. The writing was easy to get into. For the mystery part, I wasn't too surprised at who the killer was or the motives of the killer.
Mostly, the book had an exotic feel. I've never been to Haiti, but it felt like I was there. The main character, Ray Robertson, is a character I wouldn't mind learning more about. I'm sure there is more to his character in the first book of his series, Juba Gold. However, I didn't feel like I needed to have read that book to understand Haitian Graves.
For Haitian Graves, it is the setting and the mystery that was the focus of the book. It is a decent read to break any monotony in your life or if you're busy.
Haitian Graves was a very quick read. Just shy of 160 pages, the book is quick. Because of that, this review will be short. The writing was easy to get into. For the mystery part, I wasn't too surprised at who the killer was or the motives of the killer.
Mostly, the book had an exotic feel. I've never been to Haiti, but it felt like I was there. The main character, Ray Robertson, is a character I wouldn't mind learning more about. I'm sure there is more to his character in the first book of his series, Juba Gold. However, I didn't feel like I needed to have read that book to understand Haitian Graves.
For Haitian Graves, it is the setting and the mystery that was the focus of the book. It is a decent read to break any monotony in your life or if you're busy.
January 1, 2018
Mstery plot, fun read and quick.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews