Iced in Paradise: A Leilani Santiago Hawai'i Mystery

by Naomi Hirahara

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781945551598
Publisher:	Turner Publishing Company
Publication date:	09/03/2019
Series:	A Leilani Santiago Hawai'i Mystery , #1
Pages:	216
Sales rank:	479,025
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Naomi Hirahara is the Edgar-winning author of the Mas Arai mystery series, including Blood Hina, Strawberry Yellow, Sayonara Slam, and the seventh and final in the series, Hiroshima Boy. She is also the author of the L.A.-based Ellie Rush mystery series, published by Penguin. Her Mas Arai books have earned such honors as the Chicago Tribune's Ten Best Mysteries and Thrillers and Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. The Stanford Universityalumna lives in Pasadena, California.

Editorial Reviews

09/01/2019

After five years in Seattle, Leilani Santiago returns home to the island of Kaua'i in Hawai'i. Her mother has multiple sclerosis, and Leilani wants to help her family with their business, Santiago Shave Ice. When her estranged father, Tommy, returns with his surfing protégé, Luke Hightower, she's a little resentful—with four daughters, Tommy always wanted a son. Then Luke's body is found in the shave ice shack, and Tommy becomes the prime suspect in his murder. Leilani can't believe her father killed Luke, so she juggles a long-distance relationship, the family business, and a budding friendship with a local shop owner to search for the killer. In her first book set in Hawai'i, the Edgar Award-winning Hirahara emphasizes Hawaiian culture while shedding light on native Hawaiian issues with land. It takes time to adjust to the pidgin, Hawaiian, and Japanese words, but, fortunately, the author of the "Mas Arai" mysteries provides a glossary. VERDICT Featuring family loyalties, surfing, and a distinct lifestyle, this character-driven, atmospheric mystery may appeal to new adults and those readers interested in Hawaiian culture.—Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

Library Journal

07/01/2019

All is not perfect on the island of Kauai in this uneven series launch from Edgar winner Hirahara (the Mas Arai series), as college dropout Leilani Santiago discovers when she returns home from Seattle to spend her days creating shave ice, the Hawaiian treat, at her family’s failing store. Financial problems snowball after her father Tommy Santiago’s protégé, champion surfer Luke Hightower, signs a sponsorship deal with a rival to Tommy’s latest business venture. When Leilani finds Luke’s body in their shave ice shop, her father is the only suspect in the eyes of Sgt. Dennis Toma, the investigating officer, who has a long-standing grudge against Tommy. Leilani must put aside her issues with her charming but unreliable father to find the real killer. Aided by attractive newcomer Sean Cohen, Leilani discovers that even those she loves are capable of murder. The cantankerous Leilani and island setting intrigue, but the murder investigation is overshadowed by subplots including the troubled history of Hawaiian land ownership, the devastating effects of alcoholism, and Leilani’s romantic problems. Those who value personal relationships more than the mystery will look forward to the sequel. Agent: Susan Cohen, PearlCo Literary. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

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

From the Publisher