A dear friend of mine, Susan M. Toy, just launched her eBook, Island in the Clouds. I was lucky enough to have a peek at the process of publishing an eBook as she prepared it for publication, and even luckier to have the chance to read it just before it was finalized.

From Susan’s blog:

The dead body in the pool is putting a serious dent in Geoff’s morning. An ex-pat property manager on the Caribbean island of Bequia, Geoff doesn’t want a spotlight shone on the secret past he left behind in Canada, but now he’s the suspect in a brutal murder. With no help from the inept local police force, he’s drawn into investigating the murder himself, to clear his name. As Geoff finds out more about the circumstances surrounding the killing, and he and his loved ones find themselves in danger, he begins to see a very dark underbelly of the place some people call paradise…

Part travelogue, part mystery, Island in the Clouds takes a long, hard look at the reality of living in a place that seems perfect — from the outside, anyway.

I am undeniably biased, but I loved Island in the Clouds. The main character is flawed but loveable (like many of my favourite characters are), the plot moves along at a snappy pace, and I had no idea who the murderer was until I should have.

You can find Island in the Clouds on Amazon, or, if you live in Calgary, Susan plans to sell eBook copies through several local bookstores (you can read more about that here).

Update: Island in the Clouds is now available for Kobo as well.

Island in the Clouds is Susan’s first novel, but she’s well-versed in the book industry, having worked as a bookseller and publishing rep, and now, a consultant for authors. To learn more about Susan, you can follow her on Twitter, check out her blog, or visit her website.

Have you read a self-published book that you loved recently?