Aloha, Lady Blue: The Mystery of Kahala Road

by Charley Memminger

Stryker McBride is a former crime reporter living in self-imposed exile on a houseboat in Kaneohe Bay, after being shot by a rogue cop during an investigation. At the request of a gorgeous high-school acquaintance, McBride finds himself swept up in the mysterious death of the beauty queen's wealthy grandfather, who was found face down in a taro patch. McBride narrates Aloha, Lady Blue , introducing readers to a vibrant cast of characters, among them "the gods"—Lono and Kane, McBride's German Shepherds—and an assortment of gruff cops, local gangsters and salty sailors.

In honor of Lono and Kane—who, we discover, handle most of McBride's "job" as night watchman for the local yacht club—author Charley Memminger has pledged to donate all of his paperback royalties from Aloha, Lady Blue to the Hawaiian Humane Society.

280 pages, Paperback

Published November 16, 2015

Reviews

[Michele King · Rating 5 out of 5]

This writer pays homage to John D MacDonald and hisTravis McGee mysteries in multiple ways. First, the book title contains a color as did all of John D Macdonald's Travis McGee books. Second, the main character Stryker McBride also lives on a houseboat as did McGee, and his boat is actually named "The Travis McGee". McBride has a way with the ladies like McGee and neither character is a detective or PI.

Unlike MacDonald's setting in Florida, this book was set in Hawaii. The author made me feel like I was there and I felt like I learned a bit about the culture there.

This was such a fun read. My only disappointment is that there has been no follow up novel.

[Bev Morey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Didn’t want it to end. Perfect vacation read, especially while vacationing on Oahu. Looked for more by this author, but it seems this is his only book. Bummer.

[Dawn Kim]

Don’t judge a book by its cover...in this case, I did. I wasn’t sorry for it. My 2018 reading challenge includes five books that take place in Hawaii. I’m interested to see how different writes capture the beauty of my Island home and the colorful and unforgettable characters of the islands. And, the cover had a dog on it. How could I resist?!

This impulse buy ended up being quite a pleasurable read. The author did an excellent job of describing Oahu—I know, I live here! And, he didn’t stereotype the characters but did capture the essence of islanders, a mix of immigrants, natives, and transplants—I know, these are my peeps!

Some nice references to Island history combined with a sharp and humorous writing style made me go “hhhhmmmm” and made me laugh out loud. The author has a background in TV, so about mid-way through I felt like I was reading an episode of Magnum PI, but I loved that show so didn’t mind at all.

I recommend it for a quick and easy read and to experience a bit of the islands I call home...Happy reading!