Diamond Head (John Caine Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Charles Knief (Author)

Book Description

Series: John Caine Mysteries | Publication Date: March 15, 1998

Winner of the seventh annual St. Martin's Press/PWA Best First Private Eye Novel Contest, newcomer Charles Knief spins a compelling mystery replete with scandal, intrigue, and an appealing new P.I.--retired U.S. Naval officer John Caine, living aboard his sailboat in the beautiful waters of Oahu, getting by doing "favors" for friends. But this time, the favor involves the brutal murder of Vice Admiral Winston's daughter, who it seems was involved in the snuff film industry.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It must have been the action, some of it beyond credibility, that captured the 1995 St. Martin's/Private Eye Writers of America Best First Private Eye Novel prize for this high-strung debut. John Caine, retired Navy SEAL, lives a quiet life on Duchess, a 56-foot sailboat moored in Pearl Harbor. But that quiet is shattered when Max, an old comrade in arms, enlists him to help their former commanding officer, Admiral MacGruder, whose daughter, Mary, was recently raped and murdered. Drugs or worse may have been a factor, and, if unsolved, the young woman's death might sink the Admiral's political aspirations. Caine seeks the help of Chawlie, a Chinese fixer who's worth $200 million and has his long tentacles in everybody's business. Through Chawlie, Caine acquires the police file on Mary's death, which leads him to Carter Thompson, a producer of pornographic and snuff films. At times, Knief's prose is powerful, such as his description of the horrific rape and murder of a girl on film. Elsewhere, he succumbs to hackneyed cliches, as when the narrating Caine describes one of Chawlie's emissaries as "a real dragon-lady-bitch-goddess." Caine is pretty excessive himself, able to swim 10 miles, doing battle with sharks and jellyfish with a bullet in his butt and handcuffs on his wrists. But at least he has trouble with the ladies, including homicide detective Kate Alapai. If Knief reduces the tallness of his tales and settles for a hero instead of a superhero, his Caine could lead a successful series.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Readers who miss John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee will be pleased to meet John Caine, who's as McGee-like as they come, from his courtly attitude toward women and on-the-water living accommodations to his compunction to right all wrongs. Even better, first-time author Knief's writing style is almost as ingratiating as MacDonald's (if significantly more graphic), even to the sidebar philosophical commentary on modern society. After moving to Hawaii and setting up his own private-eye business, retired navy man Caine agrees to find the psychopath responsible for the death of his former commander's daughter. Caine wants to keep the whole story under wraps, but police detective Kate Alapai has other ideas, despite the obvious sexual attraction she shares with the maverick P.I. Knief's writing is smooth and seamless, and he's concocted an involving plot to go with his likable, attractively macho hero and exotic setting. The result: an action-packed, satisfying debut. Emily Melton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (March 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312965478
• ISBN-13: 978-0312965471
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,364,051 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Subtlety is not part of this equation., August 7, 2003

By 

Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Diamond Head (Hardcover)

Very much in the tradition of the old-fashioned mystery (which includes John D. MacDonald and his Travis McGee series), Diamond Head is the first of the John Caine mysteries, all set in parts of Hawaii that the tourists do not see, and featuring a repeating cast of characters. Caine is a former Navy SEAL, now living on a sailboat outside Pearl Harbor and working as a private investigator, a haole (outsider) in the multicultural milieu of Hawaii. Macho in the extreme, he is the consummate hero, willing to perform superhuman deeds to protect someone's honor, fulfill an obligation, and right the wrongs of the world. (No one ever said he had to be realistic.)

When his old commanding officer tells him that the daughter of a respected admiral has been found murdered, Caine finds himself investigating the island's big business of pornography and the disappearances of the young women who are its stars. Knief's dialogue is terse and unadorned as Caine begins his fast-paced investigation into the Hawaiian counterculture, using all his resources, some of them illegal, and his considerable martial arts expertise to get answers. The bad guys are really bad, and Caine is larger than life, a huge hero of almost epic proportions. Being handcuffed, thrown overboard by crooks, shot, and attacked by sharks ten miles from shore, barely slows Caine down in his pursuit of justice. Knief is not trying to blaze new trails in detective fiction here, and that is part of the novel's nostalgic appeal. His hero is from the old tradition in which men were men, crooks were evil personified, and justice could be found at the end of a fist. Mary Whipple

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good read, March 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Diamond Head (John Caine Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Of all the 'new Travis McGee' characters I've found, this one captures the character best. He's almost too close, but then if you liked the original, you want it to be close. The introspection is there, the 'broken bird' (especially in the second and third novels) is there, and the atmosphere is there. Because John D. MacDonald is no longer with us, this IS the next best thing.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars At last! A new hero., July 17, 2001

By 

T. Judd "booknut" (ALEXANDRIA, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Diamond Head (John Caine Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

It seems that many thriller readers are looking for a new hero to replace Travis McGee. I never read the McGee novels, but I have been looking for a new series hero and I think I've found the right one. It isn't Lee Child's Jack Reacher, although Reacher is pretty good. It certainly isn't Michael Stone's Streeter, a failed effort at noir/pulp fiction. It is Charles Knief's John Caine. Now, this book does have a couple of flaws but, hey! This ain't higher criticism here. Based on the reviews I've seen, we are all looking for a series character we wouldn't mind having a beer (Chardonnay for Caine, thank you very much) with, someone whose deeds are noble if messy, someone to entertain and maybe feed our fantasies.

John Caine is such a man and Diamond Head is such a book. The writing is good, the characters are fun and believeable and the plot is reasonable. Caine is a loner, not particularly by choice. He has suffered one great loss and will suffer another one before this one is over. The way he deals with other people who come into his life is of greater interest that his feats of derring-do and adds a human dimension that is so lacking in other hero types. I thought the ending was quite good. Not all happy, but no loose ends - except maybe Caine himself. An action hero has to have conflict, generally with the authorities. The laundry list of charges that were almost brought against him seemed a silly way of making the conflict, but at least someone had read the law of piracy and no charges were brought. Piracy! There was real action on the seas, lots of fun, some suspense, bits of nonsense, some sadness. In short, enough to make you wish you were running with Caine than riding the Metro. Enjoy!