What they say
“A Scream in the Shadows is the debut novel of St. Lucian Mac Donald Dixon. The narrator, a retired police detective, reflects on his poor, rural boyhood marked by the discovery of the mutilated body of his 13-year-old half-sister, under the bushes. During the 13 years his father is held as prime suspect awaiting trial in Her Majesty’s Prison in Castries, he sets out to solve the murder, eventually becoming a member of the local police. The drama weaves in and out of violent spousal abuse and diverse family loyalties, as the narrator attempts to come to grips with feelings about his parents, his siblings, and his own growing family. Lots of local color, the story moves right along.”
– New West Indian Guide, “Bookshelf 2022”, spring 2023
“This new novel by a writer from St Lucia is a wonderful book and, as a regular visitor to the island myself, reminded me of the incomparable vistas, smells and beauty of its shores, even though it concentrates on areas which tourists rarely venture into.”
– Maxim Jakubowski, review in The Max on CrimeTime UK
“In triumphantly transposing the whodunit detective story to the sleepy villages of rural St Lucia, Dixon’s novel shines light on gender-based violence and shows how those shadows blight generations.”
– Lisa Allen-Agostini, editor of Trinidad Noir
“A welcome addition to a glaringly under-exploited genre in Caribbean writing.”
– Jacob Ross, author of Black Rain Falling
“A Scream in the Shadows is the debut novel of St. Lucian Mac Donald Dixon. The narrator, a retired police detective, reflects on his poor, rural boyhood marked by the discovery of the mutilated body of his 13-year-old half-sister, under the bushes. During the 13 years his father is held as prime suspect awaiting trial in Her Majesty’s Prison in Castries, he sets out to solve the murder, eventually becoming a member of the local police. The drama weaves in and out of violent spousal abuse and diverse family loyalties, as the narrator attempts to come to grips with feelings about his parents, his siblings, and his own growing family. Lots of local color, the story moves right along.”
– New West Indian Guide, “Bookshelf 2022”, spring 2023
“This new novel by a writer from St Lucia is a wonderful book and, as a regular visitor to the island myself, reminded me of the incomparable vistas, smells and beauty of its shores, even though it concentrates on areas which tourists rarely venture into.”
– Maxim Jabukowski review in The Max on CrimeTime UK
– Lisa Allen-Agostini, editor of Trinidad Noir
– Jacob Ross, author of Black Rain Falling
Reading from new crime novel: A Scream in the Shadows
A new reading in the En Papillote series: an extract from A Scream in the Shadows, a powerful crime novel by the St Lucian writer Mac Donald Dixon.
About the Author
Mac Donald Dixon
About the Author
Mac Donald Dixon
Mac Donald Dixon was born in St Lucia, West Indies, where he still lives. He is best known as a playwright, but is also an accomplished poet, painter and photographer. A Scream in the Shadows is his third novel.
