Murder at Volcano House (Surfing Detective Mystery Series) Paperback – February 11, 2014

I have never read any books in this Surfing Detective series, but Murder at Volcano House was free and I was in the mood for a mystery.Overall, author Hughes does justice to the setting of the Hawaiian Islands with its pidgin inflection that is so welcoming to the ears of visitors, or at least it is to me.I enjoyed the humor as well as how flawlessly Hughes incorporated Hawaiian culture, folklore, and history into the lush, textured world he populated with relatable characters.This story has plenty of twists to keep one enticed, which made it easy to overlook minor typos.5Great read,Byloretta holmokon May 1, 2015Format: Kindle EditionVerified PurchaseI enjoyed it immensely.CommentWas this review helpful to you?YesNoReport abuse4Four StarsByJan M. Smithon April 19, 2015Format: Kindle EditionVerified PurchaseDiferent plot good readCommentWas this review helpful to you?YesNoReport abuse0 of 1 people found the following review helpful5Surfing Detective catches another big oneByJean Lindahlon June 17, 2014Format: PaperbackMy husband and I like reading aloud and these mysteries fit the bill. Chip's books are a fun, educational, relaxing read. It's fun in that the main character Kai Cooke is drawn with tongue-in-cheek humor. He runs a humble, always strapped one-man detective agency but he's sharp, perceptive and imperfect so you can laugh at his foibles. He's in with the locals so you get to learn what it's like to live in the Hawaiian islands, complete with local slang and pigeon English, bro! Hilarious to try to read aloud! Lastly, the characters and situations, although they can be unusual, are made up of people and things we can relate to. It's easy and enjoyable reading. I would definitely recommend to friends and lovers of mystery novels.CommentWas this review helpful to you?YesNoReport abuse

P.I. Kai is working a case on a car crash that killed 3 young people and an old friend asks him to help out his client, Donnie (female), who mostly wants to hire him to keep an eye on her elderly husband, a former drilling executive, when they attend a funeral on the Big Island because she's positive Pele is out to kill him. That would be because Pele is the prime suspect in other deaths of former company executives.I hesitate to say the book was easy to read. There were a lot of Hawaiian words thrown in, islands and cities spelled the old Hawaiian way instead of formatted the way tourists and most locals spell it out, and pidgin English was made more difficult to read while the author spelled the words the way it would sound if the person was talking. All this does is frustrate the reader and make it difficult to understand what should be an easy passage. And also comes off as kind of show off-y.The plot of both mysteries was easy to follow and would have been much more pleasant if the Hawaiian and pidgin wasn't so difficult for the reader.Enjoyed the Hawaiian settings and learning more about the volcano. I'd even consider reading more by this author if the books were easier to read. In other words write it out correctly with perhaps the occasional reminder of the pidgin dialect. Overall I enjoyed the setting and storyline but too many times it was a struggle to read.

Aia lā ‘o Pele i Hawai‘i ‘eāKe ha‘a mai lā i Maukele ‘eā‘Ūhī‘ūhā mai ana ‘eāKe nome a‘e lā iā Puna, ‘eā‘Owaka i ka lani, nokenokeĒ Pele ē Pele ē.Pele is in Hawai‘iShe is dancing at MaukeleShe rumbles and muttersAs she consumes Puna.Flashing in the heavens, on and onO Pele, PeleHughes crafts a cozy mystery with Pele the Volcano Goddess. Kama'aina (locals) warn tourists from taking lava rocks - the essence of Pele - home to the mainland. Kama'aina know that bad luck will follow the lava rock. The Park Service displays the rocks mailed back by tourists who have felt Pele's wrath.MURDER AT VOLCANO HOUSE brings Pele's wrath to a CEO who cut through a sacred forest. Kai Cooke, the Surfing Detective, is skeptical yet he encounters others who are believers, including the CEO's wife, an activist, and the desk clerk at Volcano House. The historic hotel is perched on the rim of Kilauea's caldera - Pele's home.Hughes delivers another action adventure for the Surfing Detective as Kai navigates through Hawaii's cultural history while trying to avoid Pele's wrath himself. I enjoyed Hughes sprinkling in the Hawaiian language, local slang, and a homage to the extraordinary landscape of the Big Island. Recommended read for those who appreciate Hawaii's culture heritage.I purchased a print copy of MURDER AT VOLCANO HOUSE for my reading pleasure.

A different slant on a detective story with Hawaii the backdrop which also provides the slang and idioms and attitude of the characters. Not overly complex and I enjoyed the journey from page one to the end.

I enjoyed the aspect of tradition and superstition involved and the lead character made a change from the usual hard done by detectives.

Very easy to read and not a very intricate plot. Sorry this was not my kind of book it was flat and not engaging.

I have read a couple of the Surfing Detective books and I always enjoy the plots. They are well written and easy to read.

I enjoyed this and have given it 4 stars although it is not perfect in as it interesting me as it is set in Hawaii which interested me