Mahu Fire: A Hawaiian Mystery [Paperback]

Neil S. Plakcy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2008

Evil moves to paradise, as openly gay police detective Kimo Kanapa’aka battles an extreme religious group that opposes the idea of same-sex marriage. It begins with a simple shooting, but the danger intensifi es as Kimo strives to unmask a killer.

Neil S. Plakcy is the author of Mahu Surfer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hawaii's in a hot wave during a dry El Niño spring made hotter by protests against same-sex marriage advocated by the gay and lesbian members of Hawaii's Marriage Project in Plakcy's engrossing third Mahu mystery (after 2007's Mahu Surfer). Kimo Kanapa'aka, an openly gay Honolulu detective who's investigating a homeless man's murder, gets distracted after a bomb goes off at a Hawaii Marriage Project fund-raiser. Vice-mayor Wilson Shira, an antigay politician, dies in the explosion, while others are injured, including Kimo. As leads on the homeless man's murder dwindle, Kimo focuses on finding the bomber and even goes undercover with the aspiring cop daughter of his boss, Lieutenant Sampson, to attend a meeting of the antigay Church of Adam and Eve. Kimo's lusty affair with his new fireman boyfriend, Mike Riccardi, softens the edges of this sharp whodunit. Readers should be prepared for explicit gay sex. (May)
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About the Author

Neil S. Plakcy is the author of the gay detective murder mystery series "Mahu" and has been a contributor to several Alyson anthologies. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared widely in the gay and lesbian press. He has taught various English and writin

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Alyson Books (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593500793
• ISBN-13: 978-1593500795
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #933,435 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've wanted to be an author since I was about sixteen, when a high school assignment on A Separate Peace showed me how powerful writing can be. At the University of Pennsylvania I studied creative writing with Philip Roth and Carlos Fuentes; I went on to receive my MFA from Florida International University.

Kimo Kanapa'aka, the detective hero of Mahu, Mahu Surfer, Mahu Fire, Mahu Vice, Mahu Men, and Mahu Blood (due out in Fall 2010) has had a powerful hold on my imagination for many years. I love writing about him and hope to keep doing so for a long time.

In addition to writing about Hawaii, I've edited a collection of essays about gay men and their dogs, called Paws and Reflect, as well as three erotic anthologies: Hard Hats, Surfer Boys, and Skater Boys. My romance novels are GayLife.com, Three Wrong Turns in the Desert, and Dancing with the Tide.

I live in Hollywood, Florida now, with my partner and our golden retriever. Sam is the inspiration for Rochester in my Kindle mystery, In Dog We Trust.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent addition to the Mahu Series, April 12, 2008

By 

Lloyd G. Kay (Asheville, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mahu Fire: A Hawaiian Mystery (Paperback)

Plakey is getting better and better and making you feel like you are right there with the characters, he makes you feel for them and want to know more about their lives. I hope he continues writing this series and I look forward to his next one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-written character-driven mystery as welcome as a Hawaiian breeze, May 17, 2008

By 

Bob Lind "camelwest" (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mahu Fire: A Hawaiian Mystery (Paperback)

Since Hawaii police detective Kimo Kanapa'aka was outed during a previous investigation, resulting in lots of unwelcome publicity, he has had mixed feelings about being known primarily as "that gay police detective" rather than for his professionalism and dedication to his job, as well as loyalty to his friends and closeknit family. But when the apparent murder of a homeless man leads him into an investigation of a series of arson fires, bombings and a shooting targeting gay-friendly businesses, services and individuals, Kimo finds that his notoriety comes in handy, making him not just a target of those responsible for these crimes, but also a visible presence in the community to whom others can confide their suspicions. At the same time, Kimo deals personal issues, including the declining health of his father, the safety of some homeless gay teens he coaches at the local community center, and - in the middle of one investigation - the start of a promising relationship.

In the third of these Mahu/Kimo mysteries, Neil Plakcy shows the reader considerable growth in the characters involved, including new developments concerning friends introduced in the earlier books. Kimo is a nonstereotypical, strong character, whose gay pride is no more or less than the pride he also demonstrates in his work and in dealing with his family and friends. Though well written, the mystery's solution was fairly obvious from the beginning, which is the only negative I can see in the series, not just this book. Otherwise, well recommended, four stars out of five.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Kimo thrills, the mystery doesn't, April 4, 2008

By 

Hawaiian Eye "Hawaiian Eye" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mahu Fire: A Hawaiian Mystery (Paperback)

I am a dedicated fan of the Mahu books and despite another tepid, unbelievable mystery, Kimo Kanapa'aka still shines as a literary hero. Why unbelievable? I find it incredibly difficult to believe that the Honolulu PD would have one lone detective solving a case that involves multiple homicides and multiple arsons. Just too out there, even for fiction.
The bonus in this book is a compelling new boyfriend for Kimo and that makes up for a host of errors...
Mr. Plakcy has repeated his tendency to tell us the same things over and over and yet, mistakes are made constantly throughout the book.
For example, a cop in the first Mahu book was named Evan Gonsalves. His name is now inexplicably Eric in this one.
Evan/Eric's young son Danny's age slides from six to five and back again in different scenes.
Characters appear and disappear, for example Terri Gonsalves, Evan/Eric's widow is involved in the initial pivotal explosion scene. Kimo describes her as his best friend yet doesn't bother to make sure she's okay??? Weird!
His boss Sampson is present during a search at a house, yet has to ask Kimo what happened just a few hours later! Also weird!
I'm not sure why the author constantly reintroduces characters with full physical descriptions every time they make an appearance...trust me, we're paying attention.
I will read the next installment for sure, but just like Kimo prays for surf, I will pray for a stronger mystery tying these otherwise very engaging characters in a fully involving story.