A Moai Walks into a Tiki Bar

by Kyle G. Roesler

He may be an awkward hero, but Victor and his new bride, Javiera, our husband and wife heroes, always get the job done. In this second story in the Polynesian Advanture Series, they travel to Los Angeles to celebrate Professor Helliwell’s recent deciphering of rongorongo , an ancient Rapa Nui written language that has been unreadable for more than a century. On the night of a ceremony to honor the Professor, his wife and two young girls are kidnapped. Victor and Javiera chase after the kidnappers on scooters, by plane, and on foot, following them from Los Angeles to Hawaii and then even further out into the vast Pacific Ocean. Along the way, they work with a Honolulu cop nicknamed “Hawaii Five-0,” explore most of Oahu and might just have figured out what happened to Amelia Earhart. The story has three Javiera, one of the kidnappers, and the hilarious six-year's-old child Harriet.

159 pages, Paperback

Published May 23, 2020

About the author

The author Kyle G. Roesler began using the pseudonym Mary Jane when he was a freshman at Harvey Mudd College and started writing a weekly column for the student paper, "The Muddraker." Being a shy, reserved youth, he felt he would be more forthright using a pseudonym. Since 80% of the students were male, a woman's name garnered more attention. And, the name Mary Jane seemed nicely disreputable. The rest is a brief footnote in history. Kyle has gone on to write screenplays, stage plays, and four novels ("Fate," "Saba," "Keep Austin Weird" and "The Navel of the World," all in print on Amazon). He is probably the greatest living American writer no one has ever heard of.

Reviews

[Tracy]

This second book in the Polynesian Adventure Series made me laugh and was an interesting take on one of America's biggest mysteries. Kyle's sense of humor is quirky, which makes his books fun. I appreciated his facts versus fiction at the end of the book. They kept me from walking away with the wrong ideas. Also, I enjoyed his different narrators' perspectives. Looking forward to his next in this series.

[Vanessa]

I am so glad I read this and participated in a book discussion group with the author. Learned more about Easter Island and airplane pilots. Learned more about figuring out a lost language.
Good mystery. Several twists and I learned some history.

[Craig Webb]

This is the second novel by Kyle Roesler in a series about a policeman and his wife who are from Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Even if you haven't read the first book, you can read this one and enjoy it, but it's better if read in order. I won't give spoilers, but the plot has twists and turns that keeps the story-line moving at an enjoyable pace. It's written in first person, which is different than most novels, but this gives different viewpoints of what is happening from the characters, including children, which adds a bit of fun. I really enjoyed the plot line of the first book and this one continued in the same way. If you want an enjoyable, fast paced read set in a tropical paradise that isn't too heavy, you will enjoy both books in this series. They are well worth purchasing and I look forward to the next book in the series.