Pilikia is My Business [Paperback]

Mark Troy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 25, 2001

Ex-cop, ex-con, ex-pro basketball player turned private investigator, Val Lyon walks the mean streets of Honolulu. She has been hired by a local attorney to find a missing boy who is the centerpiece of a bitter custody battle...The assignment takes Val from the canyons of downtown Honolulu to the leper colony of Molokai and back again. All the way, a killer is dogging her footsteps.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...a very good combination of interesting characters and a compelling setting...I'm already eager to read the next one. -- Mary Haywood, Cozies, Capers and Crimes

A must read for fans of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum. Fast-moving plot and snappy dialogue unite in an entertaining story. -- Tracy Farnsworth, Romance Reviews Today

The plot is classic stuff...Val Lyon is an interesting female character...a good, strong debut by a talented author. -- David G. LaGraff, BookPage.com

About the Author

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, M.E. Troy has lived in Pitsanuloke, Thailand, Honolulu, Hawaii, and College Station, Texas.

Troy began writing in earnest as a Peace Corps Volunteer teaching English in Thailand. Thankfully, those early attempts are lost forever. He put fiction writing on hold while completing a doctorate at the University of Hawaii in Manoa. It was while working as part of a curriculum development unit researching ways to teach writing, that Troy returned to writing fiction. Having been an avid mystery reader all his life, he gravitated easily to whodunits.

A move to Texas proved to be a turning point. There he met Joe R. Lansdale in a writing workshop. With Lansdale's encouragement he began concentrating on hardboiled, private eye fiction with a female protagonist.

Troy share's Ken Kesey's view that writers should not write what they know, because what they know is boring. They should write what they don't know. They should trust their imagination and take risks.

M.E. Troy lives in Texas with his wife and son where he conducts educational research at Texas A&M University. Another son and daughter-in-law live nearby. When the terrors of the blank page become overwhelming, he jumps out of airplanes.

Product Details

• Paperback: 245 pages
• Publisher: Ltdbooks (June 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1553165330
• ISBN-13: 978-1553165330
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,234,886 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mark Troy was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He holds degrees from Quincy College in Quincy, Illinois, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Hawaii, Manoa in Honolulu, Hawaii. he lived in Thailand for five years as a Peace Corps volunteer, teaching English and supervising student teachers. It was there that he acquired a taste for Thai food. He has traveled extensively in South East Asia, India and Nepal. After obtaining his doctorate from the University of Hawaii, he worked for several years in educational research before moving to Texas and joining the staff of Texas A&M University. He currently lives in Texas with his wife. The Troys have two sons, a daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren. Mark has skydived, acquiring over twenty-eight minutes in free fall. He has finished eighteen marathons.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent P.I. Novel, September 6, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Pilikia is My Business (Paperback)

Fans of the detective or private eye genre should read this book. Mark Troy has created an original and interesting character in Val Lyon, the woman who works as a private investigator in this novel. Many different and fascinating characters live in this story, which deals with serious issues of child abuse, and Church and corporate corruption. Val Lyon herself is an entertaining and very believable character, who spices up the book with salty dialogue that reminds me of the popular Stephanie Plum mysteries. This book was a fast, entertaining read. I highly recommend it to any mystery fan.

5.0 out of 5 stars Palapala (Writing) Is His Business, May 23, 2011

By 

Brad Bradbury - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pilikia is My Business (Paperback)

Review of "PILIKIA IS MY BUSINESS" by Mark Troy

"Palapala (Writing)Is His Business!"

Usually, my penchant is not for detective novels. However, "Pilikia" has definitely altered my taste. I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Troy's riveting Hawaiian mystery!

Most impressive was the author's ability to manipulate his interesting cast of characters, allowing the narrative to glide to a suspense filled crescendo. Also, he was able to create his scenes with a minimum of detail. His familiarity with Hawaii enabled him to blend the Island's character and uniqueness into his novel, thereby enhancing the overall setting.

If you're in the market for an interesting and unique mystery read, I definitely recommend Mr. Mark Troy's "PILIKIA IS MY BUSINESS."

Posted by Brad Bradbury

5.0 out of 5 stars Reviewing: "Pilikia is My Business" by Mark Troy, July 31, 2009

By 

Kevin Tipple (Plano, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Pilikia is My Business (Paperback)

Written by 2002 Shamus Award Nominee Mark Troy, this fast paced and suspenseful novel revolves around Hawaii based private investigator Val Lyon. An ex cop, ex-con, and former pro basketball player, Val Lyon doesn't tolerate idiots and has little patience for those who don't do the right thing. Her latest case brings her to the office of Brian Magruder who used to work in the Honolulu Public Defender's Office before going out on his own.

Part of the wealthy and politically connected Magruder family, Brian is a bit of a black sheep of the family as he has gone his own way. Among his many clients is Jean Pfeifer whose case has turned into a media firestorm. Jean claims that her ex-husband, Jason "Jock" Pfeifer abused their son, Nathan. Jean has stopped the visitations and has hidden their son in an effort to protect him from further abuse from his father. She faces contempt charges and jail time unless she brings Nathan back out of hiding and lets him see his dad. Something she isn't going to do.

This strikes a chord with the media and the viewing public causing a media firestorm with Jean and her attorney at the center of things. Numerous groups get involved making Jean and by extension Nathan part of their agendas. That also ratchets up further the media scrutiny. Brian Magruder initially just wants Val to be part of the security team, and to protect Jean at a public rally the next day. With emotions running high on all sides, something is sure to go bade and it does. Soon, a simple body guard job morphs into a case involving death threat, blackmail, extortion and a missing child as well as the beginnings of a romance between Val and Brian Magruder.

While occasionally reminiscent of the Stephenie Plum type character because Val is also a woman with a sarcastic wit, Val is a much better character. Not only does she have a deeper and more complex background, she also learns from what happens and takes precautions as opposed to Stephanie who makes the same fundamental mistakes in book after book after book. Val is an evolving character over the course of the novel and one that builds quickly on experience.

That fact, coupled with a steady pace, plenty of twists and turns, and characters that come alive for the reader, it is no wonder this book was a Shamus Nominee. It is a very good one.

Kevin R. Tipple (copyright)2009