Toby Neal (1)

BETRAYAL, REDEMPTION, SELF DISCOVERY, & LOVE

Author Toby Neal has gifted readers with another installment of her latest series, the Paradise Crime Cozy Mysteries. What I like most about Hawaii Time is that while it is cozy, it is still a terrific mystery and contains part of an intricate plot that runs throughout the entire series. Also, Neal includes characters from her other two best-selling series, Paradise Crime Mysteries and Paradise Crime Thriller Mysteries. Her story involves the tiny show more town of Ohia in Maui, Hawaii. Once again, the Chang family has been running one of their illegal cons by offering luxury condos in a gated community. Only the land was not theirs. The government owned it! A small group of townspeople led by a tiny but ferocious older female attorney decides to take on the development and save Old Ohia from New Ohia. Little did she know the trouble she would bring to her front door! Neal fuels this excellent mystery with multiple family betrayals, an unlikely redemption, and the self-discovery that there is more to life than the job for a former SSA who has been working as the Postmaster of Ohia, and she may even have found love! show less

MISCHIEVOUS MAUI MYSTERY

Toby Neal is back with her latest release in the Paradise Crime Cozy Mystery Book 4, Maui Holidaze, full of mischievous mystery! The latest crime spree on Maui is strange and unusual. People’s beloved cats are disappearing without a trace and feral cats are disappearing as well. And to complicate matters, Tiki, Kat’s own ferocious, somewhat sometimes domesticated cat, is among the missing! K & K Investigations has been hired to find one cat in particular, Lady show more Sapphire, a pregnant pedigreed cat soon to deliver her kittens.

Neal delivers another great mystery filled with all manner of twists and turns, a story of friends and townspeople coming together for the common cause of finding the cats, helping a family in need, the real meaning of family, and an insight into all things Hawaiian during the Christmas Holidays.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by the author/publisher. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own and without influence.AÀ show less

This quick little mystery read was a real surprise packet. First of all, I was able to satisfy one of my lists – reading a book set in each of the 50 United States. In this case, the story is set on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was great to have Hawaii represented and not by the typical settings of Oahu or Maui.

Secondly, this was just an all around good mystery. There are enough twists and turns to keep the average mystery reader interested and engaged. Additionally, the writing is very show more good and I was interested enough that I read this whole book in 24 hours.

Lei is a police officer who has some secrets in her past that inform both her personal life and her work. The story opens right off with the discovery of two bodies – both teenage girls, one of whom is known to Lei. She and her partner, both native Hawaiian's, are co-opted onto the case by a new detective from the mainland who has to come to Hawaii to escape his own personal past.

One of the wonderful things about the writing is that when the Hawaiian officers and indigenous Hawaiian's speak to one another, they do so in pidgin. This gives the story the authenticity that is often lacking in stories where a regional accent is important. The pidgin is not represented as baby talk or “haole – white man” interpretation. The food and the lifestyle as well as the landscape are so well drawn that the reader is transported into the story not as a tourist but as an islander. This is very refreshing and I applaud authors who can do this well.

The short and long of it is that there is a serial killer on the loose and there are enough possible suspects to keep the reader guessing and the story moving along. In addition to the killings, Lei, the main character is being stalked. Her own natural paranoia due to her own past as well as the security measures that she surrounds herself with, create that feeling of claustrophobia one feels when one is cornered.

Just when you think the story is over there is one more loose end to be tied up. This was a little treat at the end of the book. There was a cop romance for those that need a little spice in their stories as well as family drama among the characters that showed how the line between being a criminal and being a cop are often informed by one's past. In this case for a few of the cops involved in the story.

The book also showed the seamy side of Hawaiian life. The drugs, the crime and the residential areas where the tourists rarely tread. This is not Dog the Bounty Hunter either. This was a story told with an eye and ear attuned to native and indigenous island life. This appears to be the first story in a series about this detective.

For mystery lovers or those wanting a quick read, this is an easy four star recommendation. show less

Author Toby Neal paints such a lush and gorgeous picture of Hilo, Hawaii, that I wanted to board the first plane that would take me there. From its beaches to its christmas berry bushes to its fern forests to its "vog" (volcanic emissions from Kilauea), I just couldn't get enough. Hilo and its surroundings are perfect for a mystery series.

I also enjoyed the character of Dr. Wilson, the police therapist. In many ways the scenes between Wilson and Lei were the best in the book and showed Lei's show more true path to healing from her traumatic past.

There's a lot to like in Blood Orchids. In fact, that's the main problem: there's too much. There are murders, kidnaps, rapes, a stalker, people popping up from Lei's past, shootings, meltdowns, therapy sessions, a romance-- enough action for two books-- and I felt the story would've flowed much better if a few of these elements had been left out.

I also had doubts about Lei's effectiveness as a police officer. This character has emotional meltdowns that cause her to black out. Not a good thing when someone is supposed to be protecting and serving. At least by book's end Lei seemed to be on the brink of putting her past behind her.

I may have had my doubts about parts of Blood Orchids, but the book does have good bones. I'm certainly curious about Lei's next investigation, and who could turn down another trip to Hilo? show less