Summary
Small Island is a crime thriller marking the debut of Anthony Pignataro’s Charley Ridgway series. Set in contemporary Maui on the Hawaiian Islands, the story follows Charley Ridgway, a former US Army officer now working as a bartender at a resort. His mundane life takes a dangerous turn when he becomes involved with Clarissa Daniels, a former B-movie actress connected to the local underworld. As Ridgway gets entangled in a web of corruption involving crooked law enforcement and shady real estate deals, he must navigate the hidden dangers lurking beneath the surface of this tropical paradise.
Plot
In Small Island, former US Army officer Charley Ridgway has settled into life as a bartender at a resort on the beautiful Hawaiian island of Maui. Still, he can’t help feeling bored and restless, which makes him vulnerable to trouble. One night behind the bar, he meets Clarissa Daniels, a former B-movie actress. While he is flirting with her, a young thief seizes on the opportunity to attempt to rob the bar’s cash register. Ridgway chases him across the resort and manages to catch him, but the hoodlum escapes. From these two encounters, Ridgway finds himself drawn into a dangerous world of corruption and deceit linked to a powerful real estate developer.
As he investigates corruption within local law enforcement and real estate development, Ridgway must confront both external threats and his own moral compromises. The story unfolds against the complex backdrop of Hawaiian culture, where the island's seemingly idyllic surface conceals a network of criminal activity and moral ambiguity.
Themes
Displacement and belonging
Charley Ridgway's experience as a former Army officer working as a bartender reflects themes of cultural and personal displacement. Despite living in a tropical paradise, he feels isolated and disconnected, viewing his surroundings as failing to meet his intellectual and emotional needs.
Corruption and moral ambiguity
Small Island explores how corruption permeates seemingly respectable institutions, from law enforcement to real estate development, forcing characters to navigate moral gray areas.
Appearance vs. reality
Small Island examines the contrast between Hawaii's tourist-friendly image and the darker realities of island life, where criminal activity and corruption thrive beneath the surface.
