What Happens in Paradise

What Happens in Paradise is the second book in Hilderbrand’s trio of novels set on St. John in the US Virgin Islands. In the first book in the series, Winter in Paradise, Midwestern magazine editor Irene Steele and her two adult sons, Cash and Baker, receive the cryptic news that Russ, their husband and father, has been killed in a helicopter crash off the coast of St. John in the US Virgin Islands. The three Steeles travel to St. John and take up residence in the lavish, secret villa that Russ owned on the island, and begin investigating his death. As they become more immersed in the tight-knit island community, they slowly unravel the details of Russ’s double life with his mistress, Rosie, and his daughter, Maia. Grappling with unexpected upheaval in their own lives—Baker’s wife’s infidelity and the failure of Cash’s business—Irene’s sons feel an immediate connection with St. John and its residents, particularly Rosie’s grieving best friend, Ayers Wilson. Similarly, Irene finds a romantic spark with Rosie’s stepfather, Huck Powers, who agrees to help her uncover the secrets of Russ and Rosie’s relationship. The novel ends with the Steeles and Huck getting calls from the FBI informing them that the helicopter crash may not have been accidental.

Structurally, both Winter in Paradise and What Happens in Paradise (the first and second books in the trilogy) end with cliffhangers, positioning the three books as episodic rather than interconnected standalone novels. What Happens in Paradise sees Irene and her sons relocating to St. John, taking jobs on the island, and continuing to unravel the truth about Russ’s work and the events that led to his death. In the process, all three Steeles pursue new romantic relationships, extending the arcs Hilderbrand began in Winter in Paradise, in which Russ’s death serves as a catalyst for Irene, Cash, and Baker to make changes in their own lives and pursue more fulfilling futures. The cliffhanger ending of What Happens in Paradise reveals the FBI’s seizure of Russ’s assets, including Irene and Russ’s family home in Iowa City, leaving Irene without a familiar life to which she can return and pushing her toward new beginnings.

The third novel in the trilogy, Troubles in Paradise, details Irene and her sons’ journey to establish their lives on St. John and resolves the remaining elements of the mystery surrounding Russ’s criminal past. Hilderbrand’s series sits in conversation with other contemporary series that explore the complexities of familial and romantic relationships, such as Marisa de Los Santos’s Loved Walked In series.