Yellowfin

by Mark Brown

Ben McMillen investigates the mysterious murder of an old man who had been a Japanese spy during World War II.

Genres: Mystery

250 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1992

Reviews

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The story isn't fantastic, but it kept me interested. Just having gotten back from Hawaii (Oahu and the Big Island, where the story takes place), I found it especially fun to read. I am always interested in other cultures, other ethnicities and peoples' ancestry, so this book suited me well, as there is mention of Hawaiian and Japanese cultures, ethnicities and ancestries.

[Magda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun, and culturally informative as to Hawaiian traditions and current lifestyle, well, at least in the 1990s. Insightful into Hawaii’s Japanese coffee farmers as well. And, of course, the mystery ! I only wish that my library had more of Mark Brown‘s novels.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kona police investigator Ben McMillen is assigned the case of the partially shark eaten corpse of an elderly Japanese man found at Kealakekua Bay. Attention to geography, authentic Hawaiian cultural and ethnic mix make place an important player in these mysteries. Though they are a couple of decades old, and thus would have been weeded from most public libraries, they have stood up well - the only niggling thing for me with this one is the difference in phone technology. Legacy of WW II and drugs are all in the mix with this one. Very readable mystery genre, more so for people familiar with Hawaii and Big Island in particular.

[Jessica Kuzmier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was better than I thought it would be. It's not quite the stock-and-barrel murder mystery that I thought it would be. I liked the historical overview that Brown used as backstory, and the true mystery became not so much a who-dunnit than a deep investigation into the complexity of the murder victim Ahi and his place within history. Brown's walk-on characters have shape and personality, and brings a relatively accurate picture of what life is like on the Kona side of Hawaii Island. In all, good threading of both backstory and detail, a surprisingly good read, and very entertaining.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

A let-down from Game Face. Despite a strong start, Yellowfin slogged through mawkishness as Kona detective Ben McMillen's break-up with his girlfriend dominated much of the early chapters and thus slowed the narrative. That almost led me to put the book down. Still, there were sections where the action flowed nicely; still, some of the characters came across as wooden, and perhaps even stereotypical (most notably, Tobi, Ben's Zen-inspired Hawaiian-Japanese mentor. All that was missing was "Take the pebble from my hand, Grasshopper.") Not a bad book, but not quite a good one, either.