My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Many Thanks to Net Galley, Ocean View Publishing and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.
Robert McCaw writes a very layered police procedural with his latest Fire and Vengeance, book #3 in the Koa Kane Hawaiian mystery series. It can surely be read as stand-alone as I didn’t have any issues following the story of a detective who is assiduous and unrelenting in the pursuit of truth.
The opening chapter of the book was heart breaking as disaster strikes Kona Wili school on Hualalai mountain, a volcanic vent has erupted and the school in the direct line of the high-pressure steam vent is the first to be hit. 14 children and 2 teachers lay dead in the fury of the volcano which has been lying dormant for over 200 years. As Koa begins investigation into the catastrophe, ugly truths materialize into the light. Natural calamities can of course be reasoned with but what about deliberate acts of treachery wherein a group of people can play GOD with the lives of children.
Amidst the exploding investigation that becomes more murkier by the minute Koa is also faced with personal crisis of his wayward brother, Ikaika who is in jail. Koa with his sergeant Basa, Detective Piki and county prosecutor Zeke unravels the hidden agenda of the big shots and politics and greed and even a 40 yr old conspiracy emerges out of the dark.
This was quite a fast-paced thriller with a brilliant cultural background of the Big Island region in the Hawaii. The machination of big wigs heading the various departments, the ploy and subterfuge to thwart the investigation, Koa’s own demons fighting the guilt of having killed another individual, his brother’s plight, each and every part of the story was incredible and keeps the reader hooked line and sinker.
The author has used the Hawaiian dialect and ways of life liberally in the story and am 100% sure I was mispronouncing all the words and although the meaning of some expressions are given along with it, I did feel a break in my pace, reading it all over again for a better grasp of the sentence.
Koa and his team were well etched out and the thrilling action was brisk and culminated in a whirlwind climax. Highly recommended!
This review is published in my blog https://rainnbooks.com/ and also in Goodreads, Twitter and Amazon India.
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Having killed his father’s nemesis and gotten away with it, Hilo, Hawai`i Chief Detective Koa Kane, is not your ordinary cop. Estranged from his younger brother who has been convicted of multiple crimes, he is not from a typical law enforcement family. Yet, Koa’s secret demons fuel his unwavering drive to pursue justice. Never has Koa’s motivation been greater than when he learns that an elementary school was placed atop a volcanic vent, which has now exploded. The subsequent murders of the school’s contractor and architect only add urgency to his search for the truth. As Koa’s investigation heats up, his brother collapses in jail from a previously undiagnosed brain tumor. Using his connections, Koa devises a risky plan to win his brother’s freedom. As Koa gradually unravels the obscure connections between multiple suspects, he uncovers a 40 year-old conspiracy. When he is about to apprehend the perpetrators, his investigation suddenly becomes entwined with his brother’s future, forcing Koa to choose between justice for the victims and his brother’s freedom.