Mahu Book

The best detective in paradise discovers more than he ever imagined about himself?while investigating his most dangerous case! Honolulu police detective Kimo Kanapa'aka is the best on the force, but he lives with a secret he barely acknowledges even to himself. His days are spent serving and protecting Hawaii, surfing the waves, and bedding female tourists. One night, he inadvertently sees someone dump a body in an alley outside a gay bar, and, because of his own inability to come to grips with his sexuality, makes a decision that threatens all that is important in his life?his career, his friendships, and his family. As Kimo and his partner search the tropical paradise for the killer through a maze of unusual characters, he struggles to find his way as an openly gay man in a macho world. Unable to deny the truth any longer, Kimo begins the process of coming out, of understanding and accepting his homosexuality, all while trying to find answers to a mystery that even involves his own family. Mahu?a generally negative Hawaiian term for homosexuals?introduces a unique character to detective fiction. Kimo Kanapa'aka is a handsome, mixed-race surfer living in Honolulu, a police detective confronting his homosexuality in the atmosphere of macho bravado within the police force. A man of intelligence, strength, honesty, resourcefulness, and intense dedication to the people of Hawaii, Kimo is a hard-boiled hero you will never forget. Fast-paced, intricately plotted, and thoroughly enjoyable, this is a sexy, surprisingly moving mystery that is as much about discovering oneself as it is about catching a killer. An excerpt from the novel: "I think you should give this up," my father said. "There are other things you can do where they won't care about you. Be a decorator. A hairdresser. Something like that, that mahus do." "I don't want to be a decorator. I want to be a cop." "Well, you can't be," my father said, yelling. "They don't want you. They can't be any clearer than they have been." And: I was expecting clouds, rain, wild thunder. Instead there were flashbulbs and the clamor of news people. "Detective Kanapa'aka," a Chinese reporter said. "Is it true you're being suspended from the police force because of your homosexuality?" I was stunned. How could they have found out so quickly? I just stared at the guy, my mouth agape. "Detective, have you hired an attorney yet?" a Hawai'ian guy, who I recognized from my brother's station, asked. "Will you be suing the police force for reinstatement?" "Do you think this is a discrimination case?" asked another. I just stood there. They called out more questions, but I couldn't answer them and I couldn't seem to move.Read More