The Raine Forest

“At six feet two inches tall with light brown hair and ocean blue eyes, Simon was an impressive figure.  He had impeccable manners, a million dollar smile and a fun personality that made him very popular.  He fit in with his colleagues at Withington almost immediately and assimilated into the downtown Charleston culture very smoothly.  He loved the weather.  He loved the cobblestone roads that lined many of the old streets and alleys in and around Charleston’s peninsula.  He absolutely loved the food and frequented many of the fine dining establishments located there.  Most of all, he sincerely loved the people.  The well heeled Carolina ladies loved him and so did the flirty college girls and young professionals.  Simon made friends easily and was so happy to live in such a beautiful seaside city that, in many ways, reminded him of Southport.” 

— From The Raine Forest

In his debut novel, author James Pagett shares the thrilling story of Simon Raine as he navigates the choppy waters of family conflict while also experiencing the treacherous and dangerous pitfalls of real estate development in the Caribbean.

Simon, a former British fighter pilot turned shopping center developer, moves from London to Charleston, SC to work for Withington Realty Corp., one of the largest owners and developers of shopping centers in North America.  Married to Claire, a school teacher, they are blessed with a little boy and live in the West Ashley area of Charleston.

The Raine Forest begins with Simon pulling his belongings together for a business trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Withington has been selected by one of the largest retailers in the world to develop grocery anchored shopping centers throughout the island. In San Juan, Simon meets with a commercial real estate broker named Carlos Posada and along the way, he is introduced to a beautiful Hispanic woman named Angelica Floyd.  Angelica, who works at the local Planning Office in the City of Rio Ancho, is stunning.  Her outer beauty is surpassed only by her inner strength.  Their friendship has a profound impact on Simon, as he deals with discord and danger, causing him to delve deeper into his soul to discover more about himself.

With vivid detail and richly crafted passages, James Pagett takes you from cobblestone roads of downtown Charleston to the lush Puerto Rican rainforest and back to The Holy City, as Charleston is affectionately known.  In addition to Simon, Claire, Carlos and Angelica, the reader is introduced to a deep bench of lively characters including the man who hired Simon, “Big Arthur” Withington; Withington CEO Bill Gottlieb; City of Rio Ancho Planning Director Antonio Vargas; and Simon’s complex, humorous and unpredictable in-laws, Jerry and Gloria Bennett.

James Pagett skillfully develops The Raine Forest as if he were painting a colorful picture with prose.  He infuses life into each of his compelling characters and his attention to detail enriches each scene in this fast paced, easy to read corporate thriller.