Primitive Secrets
A Storm Kayama Mystery
Deborah Turrell Atkinson
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-017-6 (15905840176)
Publication Date: October 2002
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): When Storm Kayama walks into her lucrative Honolulu law
firm one morning, she’s shocked—and grieved— to find
her adopted uncle at his desk, stiff and cold. Years before, Miles
Hamasaki had fulfilled a promise to Storm’s father and brought
her to be raised with his own family. But, as questions surround
Miles’ death and her adopted family begins to close ranks, Storm
suspects that he has been murdered.
Heading to the Big Island for a weekend escape from escalating
pressures, she narrowly escapes a terrible accident. Storm takes refuge
in the home of her Aunt Maile, a traditional Hawaiian healer, and Uncle
Keone, a paniolo on the huge Parker Ranch. There she encounters a
legend from her youth and a family totem, or ‘aumakua, which Aunt
Maile promises will protect her. As Storm struggles to heal her own
childhood wounds and bring justice to Hamasaki’s killer, she also
comes to grip with the rifts in her own life and culture.
From the winding cane roads of Hamakua to the seedy side of
Honolulu’s Chinatown, with a deft juxtaposition of a bustling
Honolulu against the island’s legends and wild beauty, Atkinson
reveals a Hawaii that few visitors ever see as she unfolds a clever,
contemporary plot laced with island lore.
Review: Deborah Turrell Atkinson introduces attorney Storm Kayama in a mystery set in Hawaii, Primitive Secrets.
Atkinson's Hawaii is fascinating to read, coupling beautiful
descriptions of the islands with unusual tales of local legends. But
she misses the mark with her character, Storm Kayama, and the mystery
in which she finds herself. It's as if there are two books here: a
genuinely interesting environment for an atmospheric mystery, blended
with a somewhat dull and rather pedestrian plot.
There is clearly potential here for this series, but this debut mystery is at best disappointing.
Special thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of Primitive Secrets for this review.
Review Copyright © 2002 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Mysteries in this series ...
Primitive Secrets
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), 2002
ISBN-10: 1-59058-017-6 (1590580176)
The Green Room
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), 2005
ISBN-10: 1-59058-019-8 (1590580198)
Fire Prayer
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), 2007
ISBN-10: 1-59058-402-3 (1590584023)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-402-6 (9781590584026)
Omnimystery keywords for Primitive Secrets ...
Location(s) referenced: Honolulu, Big Island, Hawaii.