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Aloha, Mr. Lucky
There's trouble brewing in sunny Hawaii.
It's been a bad month for free-spirited journalist Star Hollie. Not only does he owe money to Mako, a feared loan shark, but he also runs a personal ad with dangerous and unanticipated results. When one of the beautiful and lonely women who answers his ad turns up dead on the beach, Star is pulled into a conspiracy that could keep Hollywood in B movies for years. Bringing him face to face with an ex-military sadist, two dim-witted Appalachian twins, and a financier with dreams of turning an earthly paradise into the ultimate golf resort. Star finds himself not attracting beautiful women, but attracting a whole monsoon of trouble that keeps this unlikely slooth dodging bullets, lava, and legends.
It's been a bad month for free-spirited journalist Star Hollie. Not only does he owe money to Mako, a feared loan shark, but he also runs a personal ad with dangerous and unanticipated results. When one of the beautiful and lonely women who answers his ad turns up dead on the beach, Star is pulled into a conspiracy that could keep Hollywood in B movies for years. Bringing him face to face with an ex-military sadist, two dim-witted Appalachian twins, and a financier with dreams of turning an earthly paradise into the ultimate golf resort. Star finds himself not attracting beautiful women, but attracting a whole monsoon of trouble that keeps this unlikely slooth dodging bullets, lava, and legends.
- GenresMystery
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
34 people want to read
About the author
Corson Hirschfeld
5 books2 followersCorson Hirschfeld, author of the novels Aloha, Mr. Lucky (Forge, 2000), Too High (Forge, 2001), and Freeze Dry (Forge, 2003), has been a professional photographer for twenty-five years. He recently moved from Cincinnati to Oklahoma to join his wife Tassie, a medical anthropologist with the University of Oklahoma.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 1, 2019
A fun mystery thriller that makes Hawaii feel like the Florida of writers like Carl Hiaasen. Journalist Star Hollie has run out of time to pay off a debt to a loan shark who wants to hurt him as a warning to others. His personal ad causes him more trouble, ultimately making him a target for a gang of deadly (if inept) thugs. This appears to have been Hirschfeld's first novel; while it was entertaining I found it dragged in spots. Only for this reason can I not give it four stars. A good book that could have been made better with a more strict editor. Three and 1/2 stars.
April 3, 2020
Comparing Mr. Hirschfeld to Hiaasen, Barry or Leonard is a far stretch. He tries to be funny and occasionally succeeds. He tries to write snappy dialog and most often misses, and he tries to entice with mystery and thrills, and again misses the mark.
The book is overloaded with Hawaiian names, expressions and customs. But it feels as if a tourist, entranced by Hawaii, has loaded up on local lore without getting the true spirit or underlying culture.
The book is overloaded with Hawaiian names, expressions and customs. But it feels as if a tourist, entranced by Hawaii, has loaded up on local lore without getting the true spirit or underlying culture.
June 23, 2011
My mother in law gave me this book and it took a little while to get into it. Once the story got started, it was an enjoyable read.
September 24, 2009
A bit confusing at first, and hard to get into, but it gets much better. It has a satisfying ending, except for the last page.
April 3, 2020
Disclaimer: I only read 25 pages of this book before I Dnf'd it.
In the prologue if this book there is a painfully stereotypical Hawaiian man who is thrown into a volcano. In the first chapter the main character meets up with someone who is responding to his personal ad that seems to be advertising that he wants an affair and it's hinted that he will be trying to con the person who meets him. That was interesting until the person he meet turned out to be a 14 year old girl pretending to be older. There was some clear oogling and sexualizing language before he was shown to be a "good guy" by asking for an ID. The girl's dialogue was also written like she was a middle aged woman in a porno. The book might get better as it goes on and I can't speak for how this man builds a mystery. But after those two chapters it wasn't worth it for me to find out.
In the prologue if this book there is a painfully stereotypical Hawaiian man who is thrown into a volcano. In the first chapter the main character meets up with someone who is responding to his personal ad that seems to be advertising that he wants an affair and it's hinted that he will be trying to con the person who meets him. That was interesting until the person he meet turned out to be a 14 year old girl pretending to be older. There was some clear oogling and sexualizing language before he was shown to be a "good guy" by asking for an ID. The girl's dialogue was also written like she was a middle aged woman in a porno. The book might get better as it goes on and I can't speak for how this man builds a mystery. But after those two chapters it wasn't worth it for me to find out.
April 20, 2018
Very similar to a Carl Hiasen or Tim Dorsey, though Hawaii instead of Florida.
June 9, 2021
A fun and whimsical read that was not particularly challenging. Loved all the Hawaiian references! Enjoyable summer read for sure. Aloha!
June 23, 2025
easy read just the way i like em.
July 6, 2013
January 3013 Rodney and I visited Oahu, Hawai’i and I loved it! We are now planning a second trip to Hawai’i next spring. To prepare for this trip I am reading books that are related to Hawai’i in some way. In my Hawaiian reading I am hoping to find interesting places to visit, learn a bit about Hawai’i and, of course, have an enjoyable read. To that end I am going to rate each book on those three criteria: Interesting Places, Learning and Enjoyment.
I must say it is harder to find non-tourism related Hawaiian books than I expected. I have library cards at three different public library systems and I was only able to find a handful of books about or based in Hawai’i. In the end the first one that I could get ahold of to read was “Aloha, Mr. Lucky” by Corson Hirschfeld.
The first few pages of this book are hard going. There are characters popping up left and right, there is a bit too much subterfuge and not enough clarity, and a few scenes that are just plain ooky. Once you are past those pages though it all starts to make sense and you are rewarded with a fast paced mystery. How did it stack up against my Hawaiian Reading Criteria? Well, let’s find out.
Interesting Places
This book did explore some interesting places, while many are part of the author’s imagination, many can be visited. Some of the places Mr. Hirschfeld uses in the book are: The Nu‘uanu Pali Lookout, Mauna Loa and the volcanos of the Big Island of Hawai’i and a place he calls Pali Uli also on the Big Island of Hawai’i. (I believe that his Pali Uli is a fictional place and not related to the Pali Uli Gardens on Maui or The Pali Uli Plan on Second Life.)
We did not visit the Nu’uanu Pali Lookout when we were last in Hawai’i. I am quite excited to add that to our list for next spring. We do not plan to go to the Big Island, but I did enjoy learning a bit about volcanoes in this book. While the Pali Uli in this book appears to be fictional I did get a feeling of the diverse wildlife and plants to be found on Hawai’i from his description of it.
Learning
I did learn about Hawai’i. The author explored a bit of politics, culture and legend. While I am sure that much of what he wrote is farfetched, I can see a nugget of truth here and there. It certainly opened up some ideas of where to explore for more information. He wrote about the Sons of Pele, which seems to be a fictional group, but it makes me want to read some books from a Native Hawaiian perspective. He also went very deep into the legends and lore surrounding Pele. I now want to read more about those legends to see where he was fudging the truth and where he was not.
Enjoyment
Hmmm… enjoyment. Yes, in the end I did enjoy this book. I do not normally read this kind of mystery. I usually read cozy mysteries that do not have quite as much violence. Once it got going I was pulled along by the action and I felt it had a mostly satisfying conclusion. If it were not about Hawai’i though I am not sure I would have made it through the book.
In the end I gave this a Goodreads rating of three stars. Since Mr. Hirschfeld’s other books are not set in Hawai’i, and since that was my biggest draw to this book, I will not be reading them. Though, maybe in the future, if I come upon them at the right time I might read them. I am certainly not going to go out of my way to find them though.
Aloha!
This review can also be found on my blog at: http://bit.ly/HfBdxj
I must say it is harder to find non-tourism related Hawaiian books than I expected. I have library cards at three different public library systems and I was only able to find a handful of books about or based in Hawai’i. In the end the first one that I could get ahold of to read was “Aloha, Mr. Lucky” by Corson Hirschfeld.
The first few pages of this book are hard going. There are characters popping up left and right, there is a bit too much subterfuge and not enough clarity, and a few scenes that are just plain ooky. Once you are past those pages though it all starts to make sense and you are rewarded with a fast paced mystery. How did it stack up against my Hawaiian Reading Criteria? Well, let’s find out.
Interesting Places
This book did explore some interesting places, while many are part of the author’s imagination, many can be visited. Some of the places Mr. Hirschfeld uses in the book are: The Nu‘uanu Pali Lookout, Mauna Loa and the volcanos of the Big Island of Hawai’i and a place he calls Pali Uli also on the Big Island of Hawai’i. (I believe that his Pali Uli is a fictional place and not related to the Pali Uli Gardens on Maui or The Pali Uli Plan on Second Life.)
We did not visit the Nu’uanu Pali Lookout when we were last in Hawai’i. I am quite excited to add that to our list for next spring. We do not plan to go to the Big Island, but I did enjoy learning a bit about volcanoes in this book. While the Pali Uli in this book appears to be fictional I did get a feeling of the diverse wildlife and plants to be found on Hawai’i from his description of it.
Learning
I did learn about Hawai’i. The author explored a bit of politics, culture and legend. While I am sure that much of what he wrote is farfetched, I can see a nugget of truth here and there. It certainly opened up some ideas of where to explore for more information. He wrote about the Sons of Pele, which seems to be a fictional group, but it makes me want to read some books from a Native Hawaiian perspective. He also went very deep into the legends and lore surrounding Pele. I now want to read more about those legends to see where he was fudging the truth and where he was not.
Enjoyment
Hmmm… enjoyment. Yes, in the end I did enjoy this book. I do not normally read this kind of mystery. I usually read cozy mysteries that do not have quite as much violence. Once it got going I was pulled along by the action and I felt it had a mostly satisfying conclusion. If it were not about Hawai’i though I am not sure I would have made it through the book.
In the end I gave this a Goodreads rating of three stars. Since Mr. Hirschfeld’s other books are not set in Hawai’i, and since that was my biggest draw to this book, I will not be reading them. Though, maybe in the future, if I come upon them at the right time I might read them. I am certainly not going to go out of my way to find them though.
Aloha!
This review can also be found on my blog at: http://bit.ly/HfBdxj
October 11, 2014
Almost as good as a trip to Hawaii and a whole lot cheaper. Mr Lucky is the good guy, Star Hollie's, dog. Star is a writer for a trandy magazine. He runs a personal ad, Meet Mr Lucky, to see what kinds of answers he might get. This leads him into quite the adventure. He is pretty much unaware that some sinister bad guys are after him. They are so dumb, they're funny. Besides the entertaining caper, this book is full of interesting Hawaiian folklore, not too mention fauna & flora. Plenty of exotic birds to learn about, too. Oh and did I mention? Star is a swimmer, good thing he is.
December 11, 2012
I was intrigued with this book because it takes place in Hawaii, but it just fell flat for me - way too much side stuff going on and I had trouble tracking all the characters. I won't be reading more from Hirschfeld.
June 2, 2008
Aloha, Mr. Blucky...
August 17, 2015
Keeps moving.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews