I absolutely loved the beginning of this book, and I wanted more than anything to like the entire thing that much. But try as I might, I couldn't even finish it. I made it almost halfway through before I gave up. Life's too short to force your way through a book you just don't like. I don't like the writing style, and the story is so all over the place. There are too many different ideas competing with each other; none gets enough focus or attention. None of the characters are very likable or realistic. I find the premise a little too out there. His obsession with figuring out who killed a woman he never met borders on creepy (unless you consider a particular "souvenir" he takes from her apartment, because that makes him beyond creeptacular). I've seen some very positive reviews about this book, but it is definitely not the book for me. ( )

3.5 stars. Mike Bond’s Saving Paradise is a complex murder mystery about political and corporate greed and corruption. Please click HERE to read my review in its entirety. ( )

The best part of this book is the philosophical attitude of the main character and his relationships to other people. It gets a bit violent, including pretty graphic descriptions of situations in Afghanistan. I did think the plot became overly complicated, which deterred somewhat from the intensity and suspense.
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I understand that the writer was trying to set the tone of the narrative but His writing style was not for me. There were so many grammatical errors and misspellings that I couldn't enjoy the story. I didn't really care for any of the characters as the main character seems to distrust everyone. I couldn't understand Pono's obsession with solving the mystery of a woman's death just because she was beautiful. The writers left wing political commentary overrode any interest I had in the story line. I gave two stars because I love Hawaii but I didn't care for this one bit. ( )

In the latest thriller from Bond (The Last Savanna, 2013, etc.), an Afghanistan War veteran–turned-surfer risks his life and freedom to search for a journalist’s murderer.

When Pono Hawkins finds surfing-magazine correspondent Sylvia Gordon’s lifeless body floating off the shore of Oahu, police quickly determine that she was murdered, but then promptly change their minds and rule it an accidental drowning. Pono makes it his mission to find the woman’s killer, and his quest takes him into a world of political and corporate corruption. As he weeds through lies, suspects and threats, the police eventually agree that the journalist was indeed murdered—and they accuse the twice-jailed Pono, who soon finds himself on the run. More murders follow. Bond’s lusciously convoluted story provides myriad suspects and motives. At one point, near the beginning of the story, Pono lists Sylvia Gordon’s probable killers and has trouble eliminating any one of them. On multiple occasions, Pono believes someone is a murderer, changes his mind and then reverts back after uncovering new information. As a result, he distrusts nearly everyone, and readers likely will, too. Bond skillfully adds new elements to the mystery, including several energy corporations and no less than three femmes fatales: Angie, Sylvia’s Maui friend; Kim, a cop responsible for one of Pono’s trips to prison; and Charity, a receptionist for a company called WindPower. Other characters are more dependable, such as Pono’s fellow veterans—most notably, the technologically savvy Mitchell—as well as Pono’s cat, Puma, and surfing dachshund, Mojo. But his most persuasive relationship is with Sylvia, a woman he can’t stop thinking about, even though he never knew her when she was alive. In the end, readers may find it nearly impossible to guess the killer, but they’ll enjoy the trip.
(Kirkus review)

I read this on vacation in Isla Mujeres--excellent beach reading--also learned a lot about the problems with wind power. Author is super-interesting guy, seems to have some knowledge of what he's talking about ( )