Customer Reviews

The Green Room

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

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.

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.

In The Green Room, Storm Kayama's second appearance since Primitive Secrets (2002), the part-Hawaiian attorney accepts what looks to be an ugly divorce case and ends up in the midst of a North Shore surfing competition where the most promising contestant is being threatened by an ancient war club. Since Nahoa Pi'ilani is her cousin Storm finds herself both emotionally and professionally involved and surfing rivalries, ancient Hawaiian lore, and a hefty surfing prize all result in the perfect combination for murder. Honolulu resident Deborah Turrell Atkinson once again crafts a suspenseful novel with descriptions of the Hawaiian surf scene that will have the reader gasping for air.

Fantastic author

Deborah Atkinson uses powerful imagery and well executed action scenes to create an enjoyable and engaging novel. A scary mystery, the competitive surfing culture and ancient Hawaiian folklore combine to give a unique experience. Storm Kayama, the main character, is so nice so effectively portrayed that I wish I could have her for my own best friend. Take this book, a glass of wine, a comfy chair, per-fect!

The Green Room

By Deborah Turrell Atkinson

In this the second mystery featuring attorney Storm Kayama , author Deborah Atkinson continues to give the reader a serious look into the "real" Hawaii. Rather than just setting her books in the islands, she has used the mystery format to place the most ordinary of everyday life into a historical and cultural context.

In The Green Room, Ms. Atkinson uses surfing competitions as the backdrop.

The son of Storm Kayama's new client is entered into the same high stakes surfing competition as Storm's cousin. While running the investigation for her client, Storm is able to reconnect with a part of her family that she has not seen in recent years. While the plot contains all of the twists and turns of a good mystery puzzle leaving the reader scrambling to figure out "who did it" before all is revealed, the true strength of the book is in the "extras."

When finished with The Green Room, readers will know a great deal about surfing, surfing competition, Hawaiian history, Hawaiian family traditions and much more Hawaiian folk lore-not all of it pleasant. One of the more interesting ancient folklore details involve gifts representing secret messages being sent to the various characters.

The Green Room is a solid follow up to the first Storm Kayama book Primitive Secrets. Hopefully there are many more in the series yet to come.

Oh, and what is the green room? There readers will know!

On the island of Oahu in Hawaii, native Storm Kayama and her lover Ian Hamlin opened up a law office in a small converted house about a mile from Honolulu. Her very first client is Stephanie Barstow who wants Storm to represent her in a divorce from her husband Marty who will definitely contest it. Stephanie and her son believe that Barstow will be coming to the island shortly and they are proven right.

Barstow and his partner Steve O'Reilly are putting together a high stakes surfing competition The Intrepid where the surf is so high the only way the contestants can get to waves is by jet skis. The person thought most likely to win is Nahoa but he is killed when he is caught in a cave and then washed out to sea. His molars are missing as were those of another surfer who also drowned a short time ago. The police believe it is a coincidence but Storm, who knows the island legends, believes something about the contest is off kilter. When someone breaks into her home to see what information she has on her computer and discs, she starts her own investigation which puts her in danger and later almost gets Storm and Hamlin killed.

Readers get to see the real Hawaii through the eyes of the heroine, a headstrong, independent and feisty woman who is a good role model because she doesn't let anyone make her feel less than she is. Vivid descriptions of the island, a glimpse into the Hawaiian mythos and an exciting plot makes THE GREEN ROOM the perfect reading experience.

Harriet Klausner

Atkinson brings the Hawaiian surfing culture to life in her latest Storm Kayama mystery. Kayama, a lawyer, attends a surfing contest at the request of a client's son, but runs into her cousin who is competing. However, she's also present when he receives a threat, an ancient Hawaiian weapon that indicates a call to battle. Storm soon finds herself investigating more than just a threat. The surfing competition soon leads to violence and murder.

The "green room" is the underwater space where a wave shoves a surfer or where they dive to escape the crushing water. In Atkinson's novel, it's not only an actual threat to Storm's life, but also indicative of the pressure from all sides, the Hawaiian surfers who want to keep the sport pure, the promoters who want to capitalize on commercialism, the clash between cultures.

Atkinson uses the Hawaiian culture and language, as well as the surfing story to show the forces that can tear a family, a sport, or an island apart.