Under the Palms

Sequel Perfectly Flows From Prior Book. This is one of those books where everything I said about its prior book, Beneath The Surface, still feels spot on for this book as well. This is the continuing saga of one family and their business empire and the machinations as the patriarch of the family faces his coming death and everyone else is biting at the bit to become his chosen successor. The atmosphere switches from a yacht off shore near Catalina Island to a resort onshore... as the Santa Anna winds kick up, with all of their usual effects on both land and people (at least per so many books and even some real life reports I've seen, I've never lived in Southern California or indeed anywhere west of the Alabama/ Georgia State Line).

Because this flows so perfectly from Beneath The Surface, you really do need to read that book first. But once you do, you're likely going to be glad that this book is already available - I read almost 130 books between reading them both as Advance Review Copies.

Whatever you feel about dark family/ boardroom dramas is how you're going to feel about this series as it currently exists, as both books have really identical feels. Rouda actually did a truly superb job in doing so well with the first book and then managing to clone the stylings so effectively in this tale while telling a similar yet distinct tale the furthers the overall universe - and even allows for some intriguing possibilities for any potential Book 3.

Overall a very fun book, and also on the shortish side at under 300 pages. Very much recommended.