This is not a plot spoiler, as it is not necessary to the mystery at all. This would have been five stars, but there is one part of the book that I thought was in very poor taste at best. That’s the perfect amount of mystery in my book. I felt surprised but also to a certain level knew that I could have figured it out if I’d thought a bit more. The plot is not predictable but it’s also not entirely off the wall.
The murder weapons are creative and well-thought-out. The murders (and attempted murders) happened at the right frequency and managed to be a surprise at least part of the time. Every character really has their own life and they manage to intertwine just the right amount. I certainly learned a few words of Hawaiian along the way in addition to thinking fondly of how nice it would be to live in a place with such tropical beauty. The setting represents both the beauty of Hawaii and the diversity of Hawaiians and Hawaiian culture. Not to mention an aging hippie who thinks he’s engaged to a dolphin. If Cheers had a set of geriatric hula dancers who started “rehearsing” aka drinking before noon. A Hawaiian seaside tiki bar that feels like Hawaii’s answer to Cheers. She also has that every woman quality that lets the reader insert herself into the story. This lets both her and the inevitably hunky police detective she’s helping seem smart and efficient. She lends insight that it makes sense only she would have, such as being able to infiltrate the halau competition.
On the other hand, when she does help, she’s good at it. She only helps when asked and even then, she’s a bit reluctant to disrupt her life. She’s smart and willing to help but isn’t running amok destroying the police department’s days. They’re all entertaining in their own way, but this series is also unique and engaging enough to keep me coming back for more, and thankfully those unique elements stayed strong in the second entry.Įm is a good cozy mystery heroine. I’ve dipped my toe in a few cozy series, but this is the first one that’s managed to call me back for a second helping. Before she knows it, she’s entering the geriatric Hula Maidens halau into the biggest hula competition on the island to help her get in where she can snoop. But when the hunky fire dancing detective Roland Sharpe asks for her help looking into some suspicious deaths in a high-profile, competitive halau (hula group), she just can’t say no. Em Johnson, manager of the Tiki Goddess Bar on Kauai, never intended to get involved in one murder investigation, let alone two.
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