Customer Reviews

Mahu: A Hawai'ian Mystery (A Kimo Kanapa Mystery)

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

 

 

I was glad to see this book reissued. I've enjoyed all the books, but its helpful to know the beginning of the story.

I am a huge fan of Neil Plakcy and I loved this book. I have been to Hawaii and I loved his detail in the book as Kimo did his work as a police detective. I was able to see those places in my mind and follow Kimo down the streets. I loved following the day to day happenings in Kimo's life and I couldn't put the book down for wanting to see what happened next. Neil is great in giving specific but not too revealing detail in Kimo's sex life as he explores his new found person. I can't wait to see what happens next with Kimo as he explores his life as a gay man and a gay cop and has to face his family and his coworkers. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

I have just finished reading Mahu, the first in the series of Hawai'ian Mysteries. I picked it up because I love Hawaii and am married to a surfer (from Hawaii). I thought it would be a fun read. It was, and so much more.

This book is a well-written coming-out-of-the-closet tale surrounded by a mystery. The characters are all believable and intriguing. I found myself wrapped up in the life of Kimo, the main character, yet empathizing with all characters and their points of view. That is a hard thing to do; making the guys doing bad things like-able and understandable. Neil Plakcy does that well. He has written a book with many well-thought layers.

The descriptions of Hawaii give this novel a grounded sense of place and add to the beauty of the writing. One could easily read this book as a travelogue as well as a mystery. The police procedurals are so well-described and explained that I felt this was the first book I had read that really explained the whys and how of police work. We all know police take photos of crime scenes and take a lot of notes but Plakcy explains why and how they are used. I enjoyed learning the next level of explanation.

I thoroughly enjoyed Mahu and have ordered the next in the series. I look forward to reading it and spending more time in Hawaii with Kimo.

Victoria Allman

author of: SEAsoned: A Chef's Journey with Her Captain

I was terribly wrong when I gave a bad review to this author's Mahu Fire and demeaned his talent. Since that time I have read this novel along with Mahu Surfer and Mahu Vice. Mr. Plakey is a fine writer and I regret I ever thought otherwise. Perhaps it was coming into the middle of the series. Perhaps things were not going well with me. Whatever it was, I regret what I wrote. This book, Mahu, is the first of the series and introduces us to the character of Kimo, a closeted detective in Hawaii who not only has to solve a murder, but deal with being outed to his fellow officers, friends, and family. As with all good mystery writers Plakey gives us clues that often enable us to be flattered by being a jump ahead of Kimo but keeps a few surprises. You will enjoy them more if you read them in sequence and become reacquainted with the recurring characters. Incidentally, I am rereading Mahu Fire and this time enjoying it. Mea culpa.

A nice book - the character and plot flows by smoothly, and for anyone who has lived in O'ahu for a substantial amount of time (as I have) will remember fondly the frequent mentions of streets and neighborhoods where s/he has lived. Small details convince me that Placky must have lived there for a spell, and although there are minor inaccuracies, this does not spoil the fun.

And of course, it is also a fun novel for the gayness, though the coming out story is slightly hockey and predictable - usually (but not always) the writing is interesting enough to keep reading.

As a lover of Raymond Chandler or Seiicho Matsumoto, I thought the "mystery" was quite simple, and I was surprised it took Kimo as long as it did to connect the dots. I am of only average intelligence, but I had it all figured out way before the characters did - perhaps Placky was having fun writing such an obvious mystery and letting the reader catch on early. There are also a number of minor plot "bloopers" (not typos) that I am surprised the editors of Placky himself did not catch before print. Hence three stars, though I would give 3.5 if I could.

Overall, readable, enjoyable, fun, especially if you like Hawai'i. Not quite literature, but not as shallow as most other novels out there.

Book is slow as it is building the character background and the area. This is very handy for other books in the series. I would read just so you understand the characters before moving to the other books in the series that are much better.

Reading this first book of the series is helpful for those who have read or will read the subsequent books. It provides context and explains how the surfing Honolulu police detective Kimo Kanapa'aka acknowledged his sexuality to himself and was outed to his colleagues and community. Though the consequence of the outing seems contrived, it sets the tone for the series.

The book and series describes O'ahu and the City of Honolulu in a way that familiarize the island for those who haven't been there. Likewise, one gains insights on the Hawaiian cultural and racial mix that helps readers appreciate the background of those who live there or even a president who was born and raised there. One can learn about surfing, as well.

Kimo and his family and friends are well realized characters, and all the characters seem like real people.

The book is written with brief chapters that make the action move, and the plot is clearer than many other mysteries.

I am disappointed in amazon.com. It sent me an e-mail promoting "Mahu" by Neil Plakcy as a "new release" available April, 2009. That's also how it is currently listed on the site. In reality, it is a re-tread of Plakcy's 2005 story, the original in the Kimo detective series. It's still a good story, just not what I expected. And now I own two copies of the same book.