Cecily Baron is the daughter of the house of Nettleton, a family who has headed the social and economic life of Jamaica since colonial days when the sugar farming was carried out by slaves. She accompanies her father Archie, a faded minor movie star to a reunion in the plantation house which is now occupied by her aunt, a gently decrepit former grande dame and Marsden, Archie's son by a former marriage. Marsden has great plans to restore the old house to its past glory by turning it into a luxurious casino, backed by the mafia. Cecily is reunited with an old lover Paul,a part Jamaican politician who is activelt trying to end U.S. dominance of the island and who is the target of trouble makers, intent on murder and mayhem.It's a light story which reads a bit like an old Bette Davis melodrama!

Reading Lois Battle's "Habit of the Blood" you'll be transported to the lush Caribbean, underneath of which simmers social and political unrest.

This is the story of Ceci Baron, a 30-something with wanderlust and a prestigious family pedigree. After years of travelling, she returns to her native Jamaica to face up to family issues and become reacquainted with the love of her life.

There are several interesting story threads, from Ceci's dysfunctional fmaily to her taboo romance with one of Jamaica's prominent leaders. Battle writes wonderful discriptions of Jamaica and very convincing dialogue.