A Hawaiian Library Hot Pick
Leilani Santiago is back in her birthplace, the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i, to help keep afloat the family business, a shave ice shack. When she goes to work one morning, she stumbles across a dead body, a young pro surfer who was being coached by her estranged father. As her father soon becomes the No. 1 murder suspect, Leilani must find the real killer and somehow safeguard her ill mother, little sisters, and grandmother while also preserving a long-distance relationship with her boyfriend in Seattle.
After Leilani Santiago discovers a young pro surfer dead in her family's shave ice shack on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i, she must work to exonerate the No. 1 murder suspect, her estranged father, the star surfer's coach.
"While I enjoyed the unusual characters and the surprising conclusion, what set this apart from most mysteries was the unique politics of the island? What adds realism to the story is the author's occasional use of Hawaiian dialect by the islanders."
- Mystery Scene
"A delicious multicultural mystery with an instantly lovable heroine, lively family dynamics, and a vivid sense of place. I inhaled it like my favorite shave (not shaved!) ice!"
- Sarah Kuhn, author of Heroine Complex
"Iced in Paradise proves why Edgar-winning author Naomi Hirahara is among today's best traditional mystery writers. She magically intersperses Hawaiian culture with an intriguing murder mystery. It's a good thing this is a planned series because you'll want to spend lots of time with Leila Santiago and in her family's shave ice store. The next best thing to actually going to Hawai'i."
- Kellye Garrett, Agatha, Anthony, and Lefty award-winning author of Hollywood Homicide
"After returning home to Kaua'i to help her family, Leilani Santiago finds herself in the midst of a murder investigation and torn between her loyalties. Naomi Hirahara perfectly captures Leilani's Caucasian-Filipino-Japanese multicultural family, with its unique blend of traditions, dialogue, and food. Hirahara depicts local flavors and a gorgeous setting few Mainlanders ever see, along with the challenges of life on a tourist-driven island. This is a delightful new series that promises more compelling adventures of this sharp-witted, relatable heroine."
- Cynthia Chow, branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library, O'ahu
"In Iced in Paradise, we are introduced to Leilani Santiago, a refreshing millennial heroine full of wit, sass, and (as much as she may try to hide it) heart. I tore through this book, delighting in the authenticity of the setting as much as the nuanced cast of characters. Naomi Hirahara has once again crafted a complex mystery steeped in culture that readers will adore."
- Jill Orr, author of The Good Byline and The Ugly Truth
