Dinah Pelerin is again serving as maid of honor for her
best friend Claude Ann, whose second marriage will take
place in Hawaii. The groom is involved in a big real estate
deal on the Big Island that has angered some Native
Hawaiians who believe the locale to be sacred. But that's
not all Dinah and Claude Ann have to deal with.
Someone is stalking members of the wedding party, a
blackmailer is threatening to expose nefarious deeds and
the island is trembling under the wrath of fire goddess
Pele. Things take an even more sinister turn when a member
of the groom's family is found murdered. An overabundance
of suspects leads to rampant speculation on Dinah's part as
to who the murderer is, why it happened and if he (or she)
will strike again. Her sleuthing not only uncovers secrets
of the past, but endangers her life. Is the truth worth it,
in the end?
Matthews fills her narrative with many Hawaiian myths and
legends, Hawaiian language and its meanings, as well as
detailed descriptions of the island setting. This makes for
a true feel of the place and time in this challenging,
interesting mystery.
A wedding on the lip of a Hawaiian volcano sounds risky to
Dinah Pelerin, the bride’s best friend and maid of honor.
The bride, Claude Ann Kemper, has bet her heart that she’s
found the right man at last. The groom has gone all in on a
real estate deal he believes will set him and his new wife
up for life. A group of Native Hawaiians claims that the
sacred bones of an ancestral king are buried on the land
the groom plans to sell and one of them has vowed to do
whatever it takes to stop him. Claude Ann’s ex-husband is
stalking her and rigging booby-traps. A blackmailer is
conspiring to cash in on the groom’s suspicious past. And
Pele, the local fire goddess, is rocking the island with a
series of earthquakes. It seems as if the stakes can’t get
any higher. And then somebody shoves a member of the
wedding into a flow of molten lava and all bets are off.
True friendship is never easy and Dinah and Claude Ann have
had their misunderstandings. But when danger threatens,
Dinah is determined to protect her friend and repay the
loyalty Claude Ann has shown to her if she has to walk
through fire to do it. Hawaii is a hotbed of ancient myths
and modern conflicts over who should control the land so
cherished by its native people. If Dinah and Claude Ann are
to get out alive, they’ll have to face down an angry
goddess and a ruthless killer.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy