Rafe Easton is on a personal vendetta. However, it isn't just about his father's death, there are other things that have occurred that now urge him to seek the truth. He believes that Townsend Derrington is his father's killer, and that Townsend also burned down the hut of one of Rafe's plantation workers and tried to poison Nora, his own aunt. Rafe has postponed his marriage to Eden Derrington to go to San Francisco and find Townsend and bring him to justice.

Rafe is also a part of the annexation group of Legislators who are seeking to have Hawaii become a territory of the United States. They all fear that if it is not annexed by the US, Hawaii will become the property of Russia, Japan or Great Britain. This group is much keener on living under the Constitution of the United States, than under the rule of one of the other three choices.

Annexation is only one cause during this nineteenth century turmoil in Hawaii; the opium and gambling cartels are another. They are gaining a stronghold in Hawaii with the reigning queen and some of the Legislature. Rafe sets out to discover the people behind the cartel and put a stop to the destruction that is sweeping over the islands.

HAWAIIAN CROSSWINDS has many plots and subplots that all weave themselves together to make a thrilling tale. It crosses multiple genres: historical, inspirational, mystery and romance. It's a real page turner as one crisis is solved just as another rears its ugly head. There's a dash of romance for good measure, even arranged marriages that go awry.

Linda Lee Chaikin has written another novel in her Dawn of Hawaii Series that reveals a tangled web of subversive action, lack of integrity, and extortion perfectly blended with love and spiritual insight regarding who should really be in control of our lives. You will certainly enjoy this series.