Customer Reviews

The Waikiki Widow (Rue Morgue Vintage Mysteries)

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Sometimes mystery writers come by their craft in weird ways. Juanita Sheridan was born Juanita Lorraine Light in Oklahoma in 1906, and had two members of her family murdered. Her grandmother was killed by Pancho Villa during a robbery. Her father's death was never definitively explained, but the rumor is that he was poisoned by a political rival. Sheridan and her mother toured the West, then as an adult she landed in New York. Her son was adopted by Sheridan's mother, while Sheridan tried to make a living writing. Sheridan lived in Hawaii, where her life took many twists and turns, including as many as eight marriages. She lived in New York, Hollywood, and Guadalajara, Mexico, where she died in 1974. Publishers thought her early stories were melodramatic, but Sheridan swore she wrote from real life experiences.

Lady Blanche Carleton is officially dubbed Honolulu's "Waikiki Widow." She is beautiful and sought after by any man who comes within range. But the death of her husband, an elderly British diplomat, who left her penniless, raises questions about who is her financier. Enter Lily Wu and Janice Cameron. Lily comes from a wealthy family, and Janice is her foster sister. Janice is also a successful novelist, and her current story is being filmed for a Hollywood story. Lily leaves for China and returns with Madame Li, who is very ill, and her servant Yao. When Yao is found mortally injured, the plot thickens. Who would want to murder him? He uses Lily's arm to trace Chinese characters which are their only clue:

"Yao's finger moved and she watched intently, and then said, 'Tea? Yes, I know it is in tea, you told me that much. Who hurt you?' She touched his hand again and once more he made a Chinese character on her flesh. Lily frowned, concentrating.

'Tiger? I don't understand.' As his fingers again went through the motions of writing a character, she said, 'Tea? Yes, you told about the tea. But what kind?' He made another complicated series of motions and his hand dropped limp on the sheet.

Lily bent over Yao, saying, 'Dragon, Dragon what? Can you tell me more?'"

Sheridan was a Renaissance woman, and she creates her characters to be part of a loving family, but intelligent and independent. Surrounded by money and glamour, Lily and Janice entertain.

Shelley Glodowski

Senior Reviewer

This is the last of the Lily Wu/Janice Cameron mysteries which were first published after World War II. The four Wu/Cameron books are noteworthy for being among the first featuring capable female protagonists. Set largely in Hawaii they also depict the various cultures in matter of fact fashion.

The plot itself is fast moving and relatively complex revolving around missing pearls and strange goings on centering on a tea importing business. The widow of the title is a newcomer to the islands with no visible means of support who seems to be at the center of attraction of most of the characters.

I would recommend starting with the first Wu/Cameron book, "The Chinese Chop", to get the full story behind the Wu/Cameron partnership, but this is not strictly necessary.

In short, these neglected mysteries are highly recommended.

I wish that Juanita Sheridan had not stopped writing the Lily Wu and Janice Cameron series. This book is the last of the four. Compared to the first book, this one is less choppy (no pun intended) in the writing style. It's obvious that Sheridan has her characters and setting under control and can move smoothly from one part of the plot or setting to another. At the same time, at least in this book, the author settled on one of those everybody-betrays-everybody plots, with a host of characters who are introduced at the beginning but dropped toward the middle or end, and in this way I found the fourth book a bit less satisfying than I found the first three.

This particular plot involves 99 precious pearls stolen from Madame Li in China, then smuggled into Hawaii. Lily Wu, with the help of Janice Cameron, determines to find the pearls. Lily poses as a wealthy tea buyer and Janice as a secretary. Under this guise they investigate in both Hawaii and New York, as well as on board an ocean liner from San Francisco to Hawaii. The title character, the Waikiki Widow, is one Lady Blanche Carleton, who is either a fortune-hunter or a thief. Or possibly both.

The main characters, two independent young women, are appealing and refreshing, and the plot, while it moves back and forth and sideways a bit too much, does hold a reader's interest. I recommend the whole series, starting with the first book.