Fire and Vengeance: A Koa Kane Hawaiian Mystery

The eruption of Hualalai Mountain, one of the five volcanoes that make up Hawaii Island, drives McCaw’s sluggish third Koa Kane Hawaiian mystery (after 2019’s Off the Grid). This natural disaster kills 14 children and four teachers at the KonaWili elementary school. Investigators discover that the school was constructed directly on top of a volcanic fault. “The builders deliberately put those kids at risk. That’s murder by reckless endangerment.... Somebody’s going to pay for this. And pay big time,” vows Chief Det. Koa Kane. He tracks down the project’s general contractor and architect, but in both cases only arrives in time to find that each has been murdered. Koa becomes entangled in a sticky web of deceit as he uncovers a conspiracy that dates back decades. The slow-moving plot picks up as it approaches the dramatic showdown between Koa and the chief villain. Readers who like unsubtle, straightforward conflicts between good and evil will be satisfied. Agent: Mel Parker, Mel Parker Books. (July)