Mahu Fire
A
Hawai'ian Mystery with Kimo Kanapa'aka
Neil
S. Plakcy
Alyson Publications (Trade
Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-59350-079-3 (1593500793)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59350-079-5 (9781593500795)
Publication Date: May 2008
List Price: $14.95
Synopsis
(from
the publisher): Six months have passed since Honolulu homicide
detective Kimo Kanapaka'a's return to Honolulu from his undercover
assignment on the North Shore. He's becoming more comfortable with his
visibility as Honolulu's only openly gay homicide detective, including
mentoring a group of gay teens.
Kimo, his family and friends are attending a local charity event in
support of gay marriage when a bomb disrupts the gala. Kimo is
determined to find out who feels strongly enough against the issue to
kill—but it's possible that his high profile will stand in
his way.
With hunky fireman Mike Riccardi at his side—day and
night—Kimo digs through the ashes to find that not only is
heat dangerous for the heart, but that fire can burn through the
hottest of motives.
Review:
Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa'aka investigates threats
against the gay community including a bomb that injures members of his
family and kills a city official in Mahu Fire, the
third mystery in this series by Neil S. Plakcy.
Kimo is assigned to investigate the shooting death of an old man and a
dead rooster in the same neighborhood. What makes the situation unusual
is that both were killed by the same gun. Later, at a black tie dinner
that included many prominent gay residents, a bomb is detonated,
killing one, the Vice Mayor, and injuring many others. A string of
disturbances had been plaguing the city, but the bombing was a
considerable escalation in the violence. And then another person is
killed at a gay marriage rally. Kimo has more than just his
investigation on his hands when a teenager is mentoring disappears and
his ailing father takes a turn for the worse. A wildfire on the island
just adds to the complexity of what turns out to be a series of
interconnected relationships that Kimo needs to sort out before someone
else is hurt or killed.
In contrast to the previous book in this series which had a credible
and interesting mystery, there is little to note in this regard in Mahu Fire. The
first half in particular is written far more as gay fiction than
mystery fiction with a gay character. Kimo spends much of his time
pursuing a relationship with firefighter Mike Riccardi; the fact that
he's supposed to be investigating a murder is clearly secondary. From a
plot perspective, the investigation becomes slightly more important in
the second half of the book but by this time the there is little
suspense since it is obvious who is behind all the violence.
There would seem to be much potential in this series. Hawaii still seems exotic to many people
and in many ways is a perfect locale for a mystery, and an openly gay
police officer is, or should be, a positive role model. But the author
squanders the opportunity to use either to great effect in Mahu Fire. There is
little of Hawaii in the book; the fire described at the end of the
book, for example, is so generic it could have taken place in
California or Florida. And, oddly and somewhat inexplicably, the
author's portrayal of Kimo at times tends to reinforce many of the
negative stereotypes people have of the gay community.
It's not clear where Plakcy is taking this series. Mahu Fire as gay
fiction is mildly entertaining. As a mystery, however, it is a step
backward and that's unfortunate.
Special thanks to Breakthrough Promotions for providing an ARC of Mahu Fire for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Mysteries in this series ...
Mahu
Haworth Press (Trade Paperback), September 2005
ISBN-10: 1-56023-533-0 (1560235330)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56023-533-0 (9781560235330)
Mahu
Surfer
Alyson Publications (Trade Paperback), August 2007
ISBN-10: 1-59350-007-6 (1593500076)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59350-007-8 (9781593500078)
Mahu Fire
Alyson Publications (Trade Paperback), May 2008
ISBN-10: 1-59350-079-3 (1593500793)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59350-079-5 (9781593500795)
Omnimystery keywords for Mahu Fire ...
Location(s) referenced: Honolulu, Hawaii.