This is a thrilling police procedural set on the Big Island of Hawaii. It starts when someone found a body at the army’s training area bearing all the marks of ancient ritual. The murder is the grisliest of cases detective Koa Kane had to face in his long career. This whodunit is told through the eyes of Koa, the protagonist.
Adze makers and astronomers are the backbone in this historical fiction and the perfect stage for a phenomenal murder mystery. Following the case along with Koa we have a ton of elements to draw us in. The author has woven into his story some forensic, anthropology, the history and culture of the Island people and has coloured his words with the language of native Hawaiians, I found the result to be a fascinating lesson in the Hawaiian heritage without boring us to death. Some may find the Hawaiian language to be a distraction. I did at first but I soon noticed the English translation followed the expression and from then on it was smooth sailing…..:)
At the beginning the tempo is definitely slow but when it flared up it flipped into a fast-paced and exciting thrill and did not stop till Koa solved the case. We all know that Hawaii has beautiful beaches and outstanding sceneries but this story brings Koa at the top of Mauna Kea at the Observatory in winter smack in the middle of a snow blizzard where he wished he had snow tires and chains on his wheels…brrrrrrrrrrr. Vividly said, the segments on the volcano give chilling feelings….most of all Mr. Mccaw brings to life with great specificity and detail the Hawaiian Islands and through Keneke Nakino, the victim found in the lava tube at Pohakuloa army training site, the tragedies of its people.
This is a very engaging story and a great read very hard to put down. The sceneries brought back fond memories of my travels to the Big Island, Hilo in particular.
I would like to thank the Independent Publishes Group and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read this book
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