Sally J. SmithΒ returns to Aloha Lagoon in Kauai, Hawaii, for the next instalment in her fascinating series, which follows travel agent Gabby LeClair. Happily settled on the island, Gabby receives a business boost when a megastar stages a concert. She doesnβt know that aΒ HAUNTED HULA-WEENΒ is in the offing.
This pop superstar is Echo Celeste and she behaves like a total lady throughout. I wish more stars were like this person. As a result, none of the chaos that follows is her fault. Eager fans snatch up a block of last-minute, overpriced tickets, but they turn out to be fraudulent. The cheated people are scaring the young lady who sold the tickets. Julie Dawson, Rick Dawson's younger sister, bears responsibility, though she herself was deceived by a con artist. Rick, a series regular who flies visitors on helicopter tours, is Gabbyβs gentleman friend.
Echo Celeste graciously stages a party with live performances for the disgruntled fans, going above and beyond her obligations. The con artist Debra Louis is nowhere to be found, of course, but Gabby, Rick, and Julie work tirelessly to host a party at the atmospheric Hale Nue Plantation and Mill on Halloween. Echo's security manager, Braden, does his best as well. The old sugar mill and plantation are said to be haunted. Whether that's true or not, death strikes that night.
HAUNTED HULA-WEENΒ is completely a story of the internet age, when everyone takes selfies, clips and photos while on tour or at a concert, and bad news travels faster than light, but records can be unearthed by someone with skill and patience. Gabby and Rick are a solid couple, but Julie is still finding her footing in life and relationships. Readers will watch her develop through future instalments, as she has much to discover.Β Sally J. SmithΒ is onto her usual winner with this island tale, which is less haunted and more murderous than we might expect.
From USA Today bestselling author Sally J. Smith comes a haunted Halloween homicide!
One bogus ticket fiasco. One scammer taking a deep dive in the bobbing for apples tub. One very exasperated travel agent who knew she was getting too old for rock concerts.
It's the spookiest time of year at Aloha Lagoon, and travel agent turned reluctant sleuth Gabby LeClair is up to her pixie cut in trouble!
Global pop superstar Echo Celeste has descended on Kauai to debut her My Haunted Heart album. But the concert of the decade goes south when it's discovered that hundreds of furious fans bought bogus tickets, and it was Julie, Gabby's guy Rick's "little sister," who sold those tickets.
Megastar Echo is devastated for her fans and wants to make things right. To do it, Gabby pulls off a Halloween miracle: a private Apology Shindig for the defrauded fans to take place at a crumbling, legend‑haunted sugar mill and plantation. But before Echo can even perform, a scream cuts through the night—and the woman found floating in the apple‑bobbing tub is none other than the con artist behind the ticket scam.
Now Detective Ray is circling Julie like a shark, and Gabby finds herself in the middle of yet another murder to solve. With her team at her side, she digs into a tale of fraud, grief, and revenge that stretches far beyond the islands.
It's Halloween in the islands, and the fire goddess Pele may be wandering the cane fields where one very determined sleuth is all that stands between a killer and his next victim. But if Gabby isn't careful, she might just be the next one bobbing for trouble!
EXCERPT
Standing and looking out at the swaying stalks of the nearby cane field was a tall, broad‑shouldered figure in a traditional feather cloak. At his side, a six‑or seven‑foot spear was propped on the ground, tip up. His back was to me, but the posture was unmistakable. That military bearing, the way his weight settled on his heels, the loose, yet ready carriage of his hips, which were girded in a dark brown kapa loincloth.
Hubba. Hubba.
He was shirtless under the cloak, and even in the dim light, I saw the dark ink of the tattoo on his left bicep. The medevac unit insignia. DUSTOFF.
Rick. Oh, baby. He looked good. Heck, he looked hot!
After the lust subsided, a wave of affection hit me. He’d gone all out. He must have felt bad about the stress that Julie and I were under and decided to surprise us by actually participating in the theme himself.
I crept up behind him, the noise of the crowd covering my approach.
Reaching out, I gave his very firm booty a solid, appreciative pat.
“Nice spear you’ve got there. Koa wood, I hope,” I purred near his ear. “I hope you’re saving some energy for the after‑party.”
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