Murder Leaves Its Mark: A Hawai‘i Mystery

Set in 1935 Hawaii, Kneubuhl’s wonderfully atmospheric follow-up to Murder Casts a Shadow (2008) finds reporter Mina Beckwith and playwright Ned Manusia, her boyfriend, trying to defuse a volatile conflict between labor and management. Union firebrand Jack Carstairs is stirring up Hawaii’s workers, and wealthy businessman Henry Burnham has received ominous threatening letters. When a shooting attack apparently aimed at Burnham wounds Mina, Carstairs is immediately suspect. Plenty of people have reason to target Burnham, including brother Gilbert, wife Amanda, personal secretary Gwendolyn Reed, stepson Sheldon Lennox, and protégé Emil Devon. With the action roaming all over the islands, Kneubuhl paints a stark picture of the chasm between the haves and have-nots against the natural beauty of the islands, particularly the native flora. A superior setting and intriguing characters make up for an ending that many readers will consider a cheat. (Oct.)