Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Ghosts of Waikiki by Jennifer Morita Published by Crooked Lane Books on November 19, 2024
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 288
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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After the newspaper she works for folds and the freelance assignments no longer pay the bills, Maya Wong reluctantly returns to her native Hawaiʻi to ghostwrite controversial land developer Parker Hamilton's biography. But when the Hamilton patriarch is found dead under suspicious circumstances, Maya is unwittingly drawn into the investigation.
Maya’s family and friends aren't happy about her work for Hamilton. And now, with her ex, Detective Koa Yamada, on the case, she’s forced to contend with the very person she was determined to avoid.
All too soon, Maya is dodging assailants and digging for clues while juggling girls’ nights out with her old BFFs and weekly family dinners. Convinced the police are after the wrong man, Maya is determined to stop the killer before it’s too late.
A return to the tropical island wonder of her birth was never going to be paradise, but a dead body in the pool during her first day of work is the start of a deadly mystery that a journalist must solve before she’s the next victim. Jennifer K Morita is a debut author and I was eager to try her book when I spotted the title and then read the blurb.
Ghosts of Waikiki opens with Maya Wong returned to Hawaii after leaving to pursue her journalism career. Her San Francisco paper folded, her rent went up, and she is hired out of the blue to do a ghostwriter job for a wealthy Hawaiian businessman who wants to write the family history. She no sooner meets Parker Hamilton, his wife, son, and father, than Charles Hamilton is discovered floating face down in his pool. Maya’s investigative journalism instincts kick in and she notices little things that make the killer start to notice her. Meanwhile, she’s faced with resettling in her hometown and having to do the investigation partnered with her ex, the police detective on the case, she really hoped to never encounter when she came home.
Ghosts of Waikiki had all the cultural color and vivid Hawaiian island life I was hoping for as the backdrop to a mystery. I liked that the author gave it a blend of nostalgic, but clear-eyed reality view of the commercialized tour-laden life there and how the wealthy have changed things and not for the better of many of the non-wealthy locals. The investigation was interesting and I had my suspicions for which I was partly right. Maya is a good representation of someone who left and returned and is trying to figure out her life. I felt the crackling energy between her and Koa Yamada, who is the police detective that reluctantly gets her help on the case. They also get a chance to make peace with their past.
I didn’t completely settle into the author’s writing style or Maya, but I could still appreciate much about the plot, characters, and even the fun, local dialogue showing the author knows Hawaii as an insider. I’m not sure if this is a standalone story, but I wouldn’t mind if it became a series. Those who appreciate the surrounding setting and a personal story for the main character as much as a murder mystery should definitely consider this one for their stack.
As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing.Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators.Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance.Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
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I do like a good murder mystery.
Same here, Mary! Enjoyed the tropical setting and tracking the killer.
Sounds like a solid debut. The Hawaiian Islands are beautiful, but I think I’d get a little stir crazy if I lived on an island.
Yes, I wonder if I’d get that way too since I’m used to great distances. It was a great snapshot into what its like there.
I’ve read a couple romances set in Hawaii, but they were lacking a lot of the local and historical culture. I wonder if there are romances written by native Hawaiians.
I’ve read some historical fiction set there by Sara Ackerman and she’s from there. I think Jennifer Bernard’s family used to live there half the year and half in Alaska. But, yeah, I think having a local write the tales makes all the difference in the world. I hope Jennifer Morita writes more of them.
Hawaii!!
Aloha! 🙂
This looks good and I love the Hawaiian setting! I will have to try this one.
Hawaii was the big hook for me, too. Enjoy, Katherine!