Aloha, Mr. Lucky [Hardcover]

Corson Hirschfeld (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2000

There's trouble brewing in sunny Hawaii.

It's been a bad month for free-spirited journalist Star Hollie. Not only does he owe money to Mako, a feared loan shark, but he also runs a personal ad with dangerous and unanticipated results. When one of the beautiful and lonely women who answers his ad turns up dead on the beach, Star is pulled into a conspiracy that could keep Hollywood in B movies for years. Bringing him face to face with an ex-military sadist, two dim-witted Appalachian twins, and a financier with dreams of turning an earthly paradise into the ultimate golf resort. Star finds himself not attracting beautiful women, but attracting a whole monsoon of trouble that keeps this unlikely slooth dodging bullets, lava, and legends.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

All four authors (David Nevin, Thomas Fleming, Barbara D'Amato, Spider Robinson) who have donated blurbs to the bound galleys of Hirschfeld's debut comic thriller invoke the names of Carl Hiaasen and Elmore LeonardAand therein lies the rub. Except for the Hawaiian setting (Waikiki and environs, laid on with a trowel), there's really nothing much new here. We've met all these characters too many times before: the goofy, slightly seedy but basically lovable hero (a magazine writer named Star Hollie); the seriously sociopathic hillbilly twin brothers, Ray Don and Bobby Lee; the venal TV evangelist, the Reverend Jaycie Pitts; and the rest of the usual suspects, including randy women and colorful locals. Hollie sets up a fake sex-for-sale scam to pay off his debt to a dangerous loan shark called Mako, and gets into a heap of trouble after a woman who falls for the scam is found dead on a nearby beach; the twins douse themselves with Pine Sol and Lemon Pledge before committing mayhem; Pitts's greed involves him in a lethal battle between property developers and environmentalists. About the only readers who might be delighted at Hirschfeld's late entry into this overcrowded field are FloridiansAwho could feel some relief at seeing all the silliness and violence transferred to another venue. Agent, Eleanor Wood. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

With this quirky and hilarious debut novel, set against a Hawaiian backdrop, Hirschfeld announces himself as a player in the mystery genre. Debt-ridden but carefree journalist Star Hollie runs a personal ad in the local paper, hoping to turn his dating experiences into a magazine article. However, through a brief encounter with a possible subject, he is unwittingly drawn into the center of a corporation's aggressive, violent attempts to transform a beautiful natural paradise into a golf resort. Hirschfeld fills the landscape of his novel with unforgettable characters, and he captures the flavor of Hawaii with much the same skill as Carl Hiaasen captures south Florida. Despite his oafish and insouciant character, Hollie remains likable, and he's sure to charm many readers. Hirschfeld will no doubt be compared to Hiaasen and Elmore Leonard, and more novels like this will keep him in such company. An outstanding first effort, one that should be popular in public library fiction collections.
-Craig L. Shufelt, Gladwin Cty. Lib., MI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (March 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312870027
• ISBN-13: 978-0312870027
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,933,457 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aloha Corson Hirschfeld !, March 5, 2000

By 

Stod Rowe (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aloha, Mr. Lucky (Hardcover)

What a first novel ! This well conceived story never lets you down and makes for quick enjoyable read. Corson brings to life the language and flavor of Hawaii that only a devotee could bring to the forefront. His characters are as real as they are compelling. You will be left intrigued by the past of this island paradise that clearly has more to teach us about its culture, archaeology and its flora and fauna. Corson weaves a wonderful yarn. Best read on the beach or headed there. You will learn a lot about the culture and ethnology of Hawaii by reading this book.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read, March 26, 2000

By 

Karen Jobalia (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aloha, Mr. Lucky (Hardcover)

I found myself laughing out loud many times as I read this delightful book. It was not only funny and well written, it carried a punch. The build up was wonderful - a real page turner - and the ending was great. I'll be waiting with anticipation for the next novel Hirschfeld puts out. This one was a slam dunk.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars leave 'em laughing, April 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Aloha, Mr. Lucky (Hardcover)

This is one of the best capers I've ever read. I laughed for pages at a time. The prose is so polished, the plot so tight, and the characters so well limned that I found it difficult to believe that it is a first novel. Comparisons are inevitable, so I will skip them (although, hint: what writer has the same initials?). One thing that set this book apart was that there is a great deal of Hawaiian mythology and natural history woven through it, and I learned quite a bit. Enjoy!