The Green Room [Paperback]

Deborah Turrell Atkinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2007

Storm Kayama needs to build her clientele, so when surf promoter Marty Barstow's wife Stephanie walks into her new law office, Storm agrees to represent her, despite her distaste for a bitter divorce situation.
When Stephanie's son Ben, a promising surfer, invites her to O'ahu's North Shore for a contest, Storm jumps at the chance. Not only will it be a thrill to observe the meet, but Storm will also have the opportunity to watch a distant cousin compete. Nahoa Pi'ilani has grown from a mischievous kid to a surfer of international renown, and he seems to have put the trouble that once brewed between their families behind him.
Then a child delivers a package to Nahoa containing an ancient Hawaiian weapona wooden club encircled with shark's teeth. Storm recognizes the lei o mano. It's a threat, a call to battle.
Events soon suck her into a vortex of escalating peril. As if she were in the green roomthe underwater space where tons of churning water can imprison a surferStorm is buffeted and disoriented by local legend, greed, and cutthroat competition and must confront not only a vicious killer but a haunting incident from her past.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The title of Atkinson's second book to feature Hawaiian attorney Storm Kayama (after 2002's Primitive Secrets) refers to the tumultuous place beneath the waves where a surfer either gets thrown or dives to escape a potentially dangerous swell. Kayama has spent time in the green room; her nightmarish past keeps her shy of the bigger waves these days, and she's instead focused on building her new law firm with her partner and boyfriend, Ian Hamlin. When a client's son extends an enticing invitation to attend a surf contest in Oahu, Kayama reunites with her long-estranged cousin, Nahoa Pi 'ilani, now a celebrated surfer top-seeded in the contest. After his highest ranked opponent dies under suspicious circumstances, Pi 'ilani receives a mysterious and threatening gift, a Hawaiian war totem known as a lei o man. When her cousin subsequently disappears, Kayama finds herself pulled into a risky search for answers. Peppered throughout with surfing terms, Hawaiian dialect and gorgeous descriptions of Oahu's North Shore, this exotic beach read is quick and fun.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Oahu provides the tropical setting for this second adventure of Storm Kamaya, whom readers first met in Primitive Secrets (2002). Having recently passed the bar, Storm is setting up shop in Honolulu with her boyfriend, lawyer Ian Hamlin. When a new client turns out to be the mother of a surfer, Storm is drawn into the surfing world and reacquainted with her cousin, famous surfer Nahoa Pi'ilani, who has received a mysterious package containing an ancient Hawaiian weapon--signifying a threat to his life. Atkinson provides an in-depth look into the surprisingly lucrative competitive surfing world. Interesting subplots include Storm's struggle to overcome her fear of the "green room"--how surfers refer to the roiling green water that sometimes traps those who capsize--and her attempts to reconcile with Nahoa's family, some of whom blame Storm for the drowning death of her uncle. Atkinson adds depth by weaving tidbits of ancient Hawaiian lore into the plot and ramps up the action with her descriptions of Storm and others trying to ride the fickle waves. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 274 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (August 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159058404X
• ISBN-13: 978-1590584040
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,745,973 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Inspired by Tony Hillerman's work, Deborah Atkinson weaves the legends of Hawaii into fast-paced, high-tension suspense novels. Pleasing the Dead is the fourth in the series, which includes Primitive Secrets (2002), The Green Room, (Book Sense pick for October, 2005), Fire Prayer (2007, winner of a New Covey Cover Award).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a ride!, November 5, 2005

By 

Michelle "Michelle" (Oahu, HI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Green Room: Mai Huli 'Oe I Kokua O Ke Kai, Respect the Ocean (Storm Kayama Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Reading Ms. Turrell Atkinson's second book was like visiting with friends who have a much more exciting life than me. Storm is a wonderful character and her adventure at a surf contest on the North Shore of Oahu is a wild ride and an excellent read.

The romantic tension between Storm and Hamlin escalates in this book as they start their own law practice. A new client's son brings out Storm's love of surfing. Entrants in a surfing contest are dying with ominous Hawaiian lore left in their wake. It becomes personal when Storm's relative is one of the victims.

I live in Hawaii and love the local flavors, dialect and customs the author weaves in her stories. This book gave me the feeling of being right on the beach watching the surfers compete.

The tension was tightly written, and when Storm was caught in the "green room" I was afraid I wouldn't be able to catch my own breath.

I enjoyed this book very much and am already looking forward to reading what happens next to Storm and company.

Michelle from Oahu

3.0 out of 5 stars Hawaiian-based mystery, March 1, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Green Room: Mai Huli 'Oe I Kokua O Ke Kai, Respect the Ocean (Storm Kayama Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Attorney Storm Kayama opens a new law practice and one of her first clients is a referral from her cousin Nahoa Pi'ilani, the famous surfer. Storm agrees to represent Stephanie in a divorce and attend a surfing meet where her cousin will compete. Stephanie's son Ben is working toward his goal of championship surfing and joins them.

At the meet, a suspicious package is delivered to Nahoa. Storm recognizes it as a talisman, a Hawaiian threat. A death of another surfer makes Storm worry. Will Nahoa take the threat toward him seriously?

Stephanie's husband Marty Barstow and pal Steve O'Reilly set up a surfing competition and nothing is going to stop them from holding the meet. No dead body, no threats. Local Buster DeSilva wants the mainlanders off of his beach. Would he resort to murder to clear the sand?

Storm finds herself in a mental "green room"--that underwater space where churning water disorients you as it turns you upside down. Not sure of who to believe, her investigation takes her to the shore and near death.

Full of Hawaiian folklore, language and surfing terms, this book will make a splash on a beach reading day. It does enhance the read if you check out the vocabulary in the back of the book.

Armchair Interviews says: Easy read set in Hawaii.

4.0 out of 5 stars The Green Room, November 6, 2006

By 

Aunt Lydia - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Green Room: Mai Huli 'Oe I Kokua O Ke Kai, Respect the Ocean (Storm Kayama Mysteries) (Hardcover)

The author keeps the reader's attention by introducing new characters at key times in the story. she writes well and has obviously researched the action part. I learned a lot about a sport in which I had no interest before. This book is hard to put down.

I will certainly look forward to the next book written about the heroine, Storm.