Toxin: A Chazz Koenig-Cobb Takamura Thriller

Hawaiian police lieutenant Cobb Takamura and molecular biologist Chazz Koenig (last seen in Bluejay ) return in this atmospheric but slow-moving tale in which the murder of an unpopular real estate developer leads to the inner realm of international defense strategies. On the same day that Victor Linz is shot during an early morning jog, reports filter in that an out-of-orbit satellite may land on Kauai. A reporter tailing an intelligence officer from the mainland is found near the remote site of the satellite crash; he is comatose and suffering from severe skin and internal ailments. Panic follows when a rumor spreads that the satellite carried a deadly toxin. In his usual phlegmatic style, Cobb conducts the murder investigation and helps maintain calm on the island. While he negotiates with one of the murder suspects who is hijacking a commercial airliner, Chazz tries to determine the origin and nature of the toxin. Peace returns to Kauai after the murder and the mystery of the poison are neatly connected, but by then a surfeit of extraneous dialogue and diversionary action has dulled the reader's interest. (Feb.)