(Reviewed by Don Jung)
When I first started reading Fire and Vengeance, I didn’t know what I was in for. What I soon realized was that I was experiencing a thrilling murder mystery amidst the gorgeous Big Island in Hawaii.
A volcanic explosion that destroyed a school building with multiple casualties just looked like an act of nature. When police detective Koa Kane further examines the case, he realizes it’s an accident caused by bureaucratic blunders.
The author uses the scenery to provide a backdrop of money and greed as a real estate project goes wrong. His use of various locations makes for a fast ride as the police try to uncover various details as to why one would build a school site near a volcano vent.
The plot is beautifully written with a sub-plot of Koa Kane’s family history in the background. He has ongoing problems with a younger criminal brother which causes further conflict during this crime investigation. There are many suspects and the intrigue leads to more murders and questionable characters coming on the scene.
Koa Kane must dig deep into the history of the suspects and uncover unusual events of the past to come up with who could be the killer. The story has so many layers and you get caught up in a whirlwind that makes it difficult to put the book down. Just when you think the story will end, more clues are revealed to give you a surprise conclusion.
This is the third in a series on detective Koa Kane and it is so fast-paced so you better get ready for a thrilling novel.
