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What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand

Contemporary fiction

What Happens in Paradise

3peat author

Elin Hilderbrand is officially a 3-time author at BOTM, which is a pretty big deal!

by Elin Hilderbrand

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Quick take

Here's your ticket to a summer state of mind. Just make sure to read Winter in Paradise before you dive in.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, Fast_Read

    Fast read

  • Illustrated icon, International

    International

  • Illustrated icon, Whodunit

    Whodunit

  • Illustrated icon, Second_in_Series

    Second in series

Synopsis

A year ago, Irene Steele had the shock of her life: her loving husband, father to their grown sons and successful businessman, was killed in a helicopter crash. But that wasn't Irene's only shattering news: he'd also been leading a double life on the island of St. John, where another woman loved him, too.

Now Irene and her sons are back on St. John, determined to learn the truth about the mysterious life—and death—of a man they thought they knew. Along the way, they're about to learn some surprising truths about their own lives, and their futures.

Free sample

Get an early look from the first pages of What Happens in Paradise.

What Happens in Paradise

Part One

Irene

She wakes up facedown on a beach. Someone is calling her name.

“Irene!”

She lifts her head and feels her cheek and lips dusted with sand so white and fine, it might be powdered sugar. Irene can sense impending clouds. As the sun disappears, it gains a white-hot intensity; it’s like a laser cutting through her. The next instant she feels the lightest sprinkling of rain.

“Irene!”

She sits up. The beach is unfamiliar, but it’s tropical—there’s turquoise water before her, lush vegetation behind, a rooster and two hens strutting around. She must be back on St. John.

How did she get here?

“Irene!”

A man is calling her name. She can see a figure moving toward her. The rain starts to fall harder now, with intention; the tops of the palm trees sway. Irene dashes for the cover of the tree canopy and wishes for a towel to wrap around her naked body.

Naked?

That’s right; she forgot to pack a swimsuit.

The man is getting closer, still calling her name. “Irene! Irene!” She doesn’t want him to see her. She tries to cover up her nakedness by hunching over and crossing her arms strategically; it feels like an impossible yoga pose. She’s shivering now. Her hair is wet; her braid hangs like a soggy rope down her back.

The man is waving his arms as if he’s drowning. Irene scans the beach; someone else will have to help him because she certainly can’t. But there’s no one around, no boats on the horizon, and even the chickens are gone. There will be a confrontation, she supposes, so she needs to prepare. She studies the approaching figure.

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Why I love it

What Happens in Paradise is Elin Hilderbrand’s wonderful follow-up to the first book in her romantic mystery series set on a sleepy—or not so sleepy?—Caribbean island. It’s also the second book that BOTM has featured by Hilderbrand this year, and the one that establishes her as our second-ever “threepeat” author.

Longtime fans of the author and her cozy yet elevated books—and I know there are millions of them out there—are probably delighted to see this as a selection, while others may be wondering if we chose this book simply because there are millions of them out there. All I have to say about that is: Don’t knock this book until you’ve read it. The Paradise series is a treasure chest of can’t-guess-it plot twists, salty family drama, and pure reading bliss.

This book picks up where Winter in Paradise left off: Iowa housewife Irene is struggling to accept the unexpected death of her jetsetting businessman husband, her sons Cash and Baker are each struggling with their girl dramas, and Ayers—the deeply relatable St. Johns local—is making bad decisions. If you didn’t read Winter, I encourage you to grab both books now and dive in, because this trilogy is heating up, and you can tell it’s only going to get better. Intricate plotting, a diverse cast of likeably flawed characters, and a beachy setting right as I’m swapping my summer clothes for sweater weather are all I need right now—surely you can’t disagree?

Member ratings (9,683)

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Contemporary fiction
View all
The Last Love Note
What Does It Feel Like?
Anita de Monte Laughs Last
The Wedding People
Honey
The Leftover Woman
The Same Bright Stars
Bye, Baby
Swan Song
The Days I Loved You Most
The Connellys of County Down
Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life
Jackpot Summer
Adelaide
The Collected Regrets of Clover
Again and Again
Evil Eye
Black Cake
Maame
Romantic Comedy
Someone Else’s Shoes
Once There Were Wolves
We Are the Brennans
The Bad Muslim Discount
What Comes After
Olga Dies Dreaming
Last Summer at the Golden Hotel
Monster in the Middle
Nine Perfect Strangers
The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany
The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes
Honey Girl
In Every Mirror She's Black
Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband?
Sankofa
The Unsinkable Greta James
The Love of My Life
The Five-Star Weekend
The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto
The Wishing Game
Behold the Dreamers
The Mothers
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things
Little Fires Everywhere
The Music Shop
Where’d You Go, Bernadette
The Reckless Oath We Made
Dear Edward
When We Were Vikings
The Girl with the Louding Voice
A Good Neighborhood
Big Summer
All Adults Here
Happy & You Know It
Friends and Strangers
The Comeback
True Story
The Last Story of Mina Lee
Troubles in Paradise
White Ivy
This Close to Okay
The Chicken Sisters
The Prophets
In a Book Club Far Away
The Other Black Girl
Apples Never Fall
A Quiet Life
We Are the Light
The Most Likely Club
The Fortunes of Jaded Women
When We Were Bright and Beautiful
The Hotel Nantucket