An Eternal Lei

A Leilani Santiago Hawai'i Mystery #2

by Naomi Hirahara

It's the middle of the pandemic and Hawaii has been virtually closed to tourists. So when Leilani Santiago and her young sisters save a mysterious woman wearing an unusual lei from drowning in Waimea Bay in Kaua‘i, questions abound. Who is she and where did she come from? Leilani suddenly finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation when the lei is traced back to her best friend, the very pregnant Courtney Kahuakai, and her family’s flower business.

While the woman is in a medically-induced coma at a local hospital, Leilani sets out to discover her identity and her connections to the island. She is drawn deeper into the mystery, only to stumble into secrets that prove deadly. When Leilani’s investigation puts her family in danger, her survival and the safety of those dearest to her will depend on her sense of ingenuity and the strength of her island community.

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Japanese Literature, Asian American, Travel

208 pages, Paperback

First published March 22, 2022

About the author

Naomi Hirahara is the USA Today-bestselling and award-winning author of multiple mystery series, noir short stories, nonfiction history books and one middle-grade novel. Her Edgar Award-winning Mas Arai series features a Los Angeles gardener and Hiroshima survivor. Her first historical mystery, CLARK AND DIVISION, which follows a Japanese American family from Manzanar to Chicago in 1944, won a Mary Higgins Clark Award in 2022. Her two other series star a young mixed race female LAPD bicycle cop, Ellie Rush, and a Filipina-Japanese American woman in Kaua'i, Lellani Santiago. She also has written a middle-grade book, 1001 CRANES. In 2025, the history book she co-wrote with Geraldine Knatz, TERMINAL ISLAND: LOST COMMUNITIES ON AMERICA'S EDGE, won a California Book Award gold medal. She, her husband and their rat terrier live happily in her birthplace of Pasadena, California.

Reviews

[Michael Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unknown woman's body is found floating off the coast of Kauaʻi. Leilani Santiago rescues her, even daring to apply mouth to mouth resuscitation despite the Covid threat. Later, as Leilani investigates the woman's identity, a murder is comitted which is somehow connected to all this.

"An Eternal Lei" is a refreshing mystery set in Hawaii. The tracking down of the killer is laid out well, but the setting really makes this novel something else. We get the island community lifestyle and customs-- as well as the reality of what the Covid crisis did to Hawaii. There is even a bonus glossary of Pidgin, Hawaiian, and Japanese words used at the end of the book.

Happy to give this book four of five stars. Thank you to the Turner Publishing Company and Edelweiss for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Heather Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun book. I was looking for something a little different, particularly a unique to me setting. When I heard about this story being set in Hawaii, I knew that I had found the one.

Set during the current pandemic, Leilani is finding herself adrift. University on the mainland didn't quite work out and she returned home. Re-vamping the family business was going well until the pandemic and it's resulting lose of business hit. This all changes the day she and her sisters find a body, actually a woman on the beach who is mercifully still breathing.

I'm not going to get into the plot as it is a mystery. I will say that this book goes beyond a cozy mystery. There is wonderful character development as well as learning about the island society. I do feel that as well as being entertained, I learned something about Hawaii and how people there are coping with the current situation. I definitely would read a future book about Leilani and her extended/chosen family.


I received an advanced reader e copy of this book from Ingram Publisher Services in exchange for an honest review.

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s October 2020, and like most of the island of Kaua’i, Leilani Santiago has been forced to close down her family’s shave ice business. When she and her sisters save a woman from drowning one afternoon, Leilani is very curious since this woman is a stranger. Why was she on the island? With nothing else to do, Leilani starts to investigate. As she does, she begins to wonder if the woman was almost killed or just had an accident. What will she uncover?

I wasn’t sure I was ready to pick up a book set during the pandemic we’ve been dealing with the last couple of years, but I found I enjoyed this one. The pandemic is part of the backdrop, and it avoids many of the controversies we’ve had to deal with. We get several sub-plots, but I found they kept me engaged and didn’t distract from the main mystery. I was engrossed the entire time and couldn’t wait to see how everything was going to be resolved. The characters are strong, and seeing them react to the pandemic as well as the mystery really helped develop them. The characters speak in a form of Pidgin, but after the first few pages, I was used to it, and I had no trouble reading the story. This was a good virtual visit to Hawai’i.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Sarah-Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Eternal Lei offers yet another example of why Naomi Hirahara is such a go-to writer of mysteries. Her plots are both solid and surprising. Her casts are much more diverse than is typical in the genre. She never disappoints.

[Linda 😊 Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book much better than the first one in the series. Probably because the first one in the series introduces like 20 characters in the first 35 pages, and clobbers you with some unpleasant internal family dynamics between Leilani and her father. This one adds very few new characters to the lineup, and Leilani‘s dad is gone for most of it, so it had all the pluses of the first book, from my perspective, with none of the minuses. I absolutely loved reading a book that is set during the COVID-19 pandemic. The only other one I’ve managed to find is Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache book set in December 2020, which unfortunately was written before December 2020 and imagined that the pandemic was over and everything was back getting back to normal. This book is set in October 2020 and includes things like PPP loans, food insecurity, and elementary school children searching for WiFi hotspots to attend their Zoom classes.

[brightredglow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have not read the first book in the Leilani Santiago series, but years ago, I read a couple of the author's Mas Arai books ("The Summer of the Big Bachi" being the title that I remember) and that is what drew me to this book.

Set on Kauai during the pandemic, the setting and characters are neatly drawn in "An Eternal Lei." For me, it is a solid 3 star in that it does what it sets out to do and I liked it overall.

I appreciated the whole schpiel of 'masks-on' and 'no masks but social distancing' because that took me right back to 2020 when the story is set. It immediately brought me back to that tension that was inherent in those days and it adds to the story in a way that is natural and authentic.

The opening is that one of Leilani's younger sisters find a woman barely alive in the water and pull her to shore. Leilani sprints down to where they are and she performs the daring (we are still in pandemic time) CPR on the woman. She is barely alive and put into a coma.

From this, Leilani finds herself drawn to investigate more which then pulls her into real danger.

What I like about this book is that it captures the ebb-and-flow of an island community. I live on Oahu and I am from one of the smaller islands but not Kauai. Each island does have its own vibe and although Hirahara is not from Hawaii (the state) or Kauai (specifically), but she does captures the vibe of Kauai and its mix of people so there is a little local pidgin but not spoken by everyone which matches how it is today. She also captures the back-and-forth of wanting to go and having reasons to stay. Also added is the uneasy tension between outsiders who have and longtime locals whose are seeing what they had slowly being eroded. The inter-relationships between characters are also nicely done. Finally, she works in the very real problem of COVID during this time in a way that seems natural and familiar.

That's a lot in what is technically a young adult book and I commend her for it even if it was almost too much when the mystery is added on.

The mystery itself is well constructed and meaningful (another plus), but I think for me it fell off in that I found some of the characters, even if neatly drawn, slightly flat in tone. Not all of them. There are some who are vibrant and jump off the page, but the main character of Leilani is not one of them. Maybe it was due to her role of being narrator and main character that she falls into a predictable role that went up and down for me.

But again, I did like it overall and there is a lot that was done well. If I were on my looser rating style of earlier in year, I'd have given it 4-stars because I was giving everything 4-stars. But now that I am trying to be a bit more mindful and the '3-star' is "liked it" and that's where it fell for me at the end of the read, I am going with the 3-star rating.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Eternal Lei is a captivating mystery set against the picturesque backdrop of Hawaii. The novel follows Leilani Santiago, a young woman who finds herself entangled in a dangerous investigation after saving a mysterious woman from drowning.

Hirahara's novel offers a vivid portrayal of Hawaiian culture, incorporating elements such as the importance of family, the significance of place, and the deep connection to the land. The lei, a symbol of love and respect, plays a central role in the story, tying the characters together and driving the plot. The novel is filled with intrigue and suspense, as Leilani delves deeper into the mystery surrounding the woman she rescued and the unusual lei she was wearing. The plot twists and turns, keeping readers guessing until the end.

The novel explores the importance of family and community bonds. Leilani's relationships with her sisters, her friends, and the wider community of Kauai shape her character and influence her decisions. Hirahara also touches on environmental themes, highlighting the beauty and fragility of the Hawaiian landscape. The novel raises awareness about the importance of preserving the island's natural resources.

The protagonist is a strong and resourceful young woman who is deeply connected to her island home. Her determination and intelligence drive the investigation and help her overcome obstacles. The woman Leilani rescues is a central figure in the story, shrouded in mystery and intrigue. Her identity and the secrets she holds are key to the plot. The novel features a supporting cast of well-developed characters, including Leilani's family, friends, and the local community. Their interactions with Leilani add depth and complexity to the story.

Hirahara's storytelling is engaging and suspenseful, keeping readers captivated from beginning to end. The novel's portrayal of Hawaii is vivid and immersive, creating a sense of place that enhances the story. The characters are well-developed and relatable, making the story more personal and engaging. The novel addresses important social and environmental issues, making it a thought-provoking read.

In conclusion, An Eternal Lei is a compelling mystery that offers a glimpse into the beauty and complexity of Hawaiian culture. With its engaging plot, strong characters, and important themes, the novel is a must-read for fans of mystery and contemporary fiction.

[Kris Sellgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lovely cozy mystery is set in Kauai, Hawaii, during the 2020 COVID pandemic. The tourism economy of Kauai has collapsed, since Hawaii is keeping tourists out to keep COVID cases low. Our heroine Leilani, who has been running her family’s shave ice (snow cone) shack, has been forced to close the shop and now works part time for the florists next door. She also distributes food from a food bank, including to her own family as they have very little income supporting two parents, four sisters, a grandmother, and an aunt. One day her younger sisters pull a half drowned tourist from the ocean, and Leilani gives her CPR. The tourist is a mystery, which is soon compounded by a lawyer from Honolulu shooting a local nurse to death. Leilani, who is an amateur sleuth, searches for connections between the lawyer, the nurse, and the rescued tourist. Her investigation takes her to surprising and dark places.

The story is full of local color, including the multi-racial heritage of most characters, the use of Hawaiian pidgin, and the mix of Filipino, Hawaiian, and Japanese food served at home. The details of the pandemic ring true: the shave ice shop has the only decent WIFI in town, so local school kids are bringing their laptops there for a good connection to remote learning. Leilani’s sister, who attends law school in California, is back home, taking classes remotely. Leilani finds herself skipping showers and brushing her teeth because masks and social distancing make these unnecessary. Everyone feels ambivalent about the loss of tourism, because over-tourism has strained the islands’ ecology and while the loss of tourism is a financial hardship, it also gives the land and ocean a needed rest. I spent a week in Hawaii this month, and the echoes of these feelings still hold after the return of tourists in 2022; popular snorkeling spots now are closed a few days per week to let coral and fish populations recover, and sunscreens with chemicals that harm the reefs are banned.

The writing is excellent as well as conveying a clear sense of daily life in Hawaii. I found myself reading lines to my partner, which is always a good sign with a book. I really enjoyed this book, which is the second in a series. I look forward to the next.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Leilani and I hope there are more in this series. I appreciate that this is set in October 2020, the Covid pandemic is at large and it affects the whole story. The woman Leilani's sister finds in the water is being cited for breaking quarantine, for example, and there is talk about Covid testing and mask-wearing.

The conclusion of the story isn't perfect (for example, I'm still wondering why Yumi, Court's biological mother, goes in to Lee's Leis to buy a lei specifically with mokihana berries, which cause her to get a rash.) but it's less about the mystery and more about all the characters we met in book 1. Emily is back from the Mainland and studying remotely, and the only other character who we meet new (other than Yumi) is the sleazy lawyer, Garvin Washburne, and photographer Adam Harjo, who happens to operate a drone that is helpful to Leilani at the end. Garvin had been taking advantage of pregnant women in the Marshall Islands and adopting out their babies to families who paid him, thinking it was a legitimate process. I appreciate that Court is also pregnant and that she has her baby girl (she names her Mokihana) at the end while her bio mom and her adopted mom wait for news (Covid means no visitors).

I feel like Hirahara left the book with hope - Leilani has been feeling at loose ends during covid but now she has plans to reopen the shave ice and maybe do more with the business. I love her character- she's smart and cares about her family but she also gets annoyed and snappy with people.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leilani Santiago in the two novels so far in this series has returned home from Seattle and the University of Washington (and a broken relationship) to her family on Kaua'i and has taken charge to some degree of their family businesses at Waimea Junction, including a shave ice restaurant. In this book she and her sisters find and save a drowning women in the bay and then Leilani gets involved in finding out who the women is and why she was found the way she was. That in the end hits close to home but I won't say more.
I will say I didn't want to like either of these novels at first as I started them. The particular cultural slant and slang seemed a bit too dear (or hokey maybe) and the writing seems light but sometimes I need that. However, once the story builds you cannot help but like Leilani and her extended 'ohana.
I run into things in these books that though I was a Hawaii child simply were not in my more haole vernacular but the way these characters are presented it feels easy to feel connected with them.
Nice too the way the author makes it modern with the cell phone way of life, drones! and varied musical tastes. Not just locals but people anyone can relate to that just happen to be local.
Nicely done and when is the next Leilani Satiago mystery?

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you loved, the food, family, and culture in Arsenic and Adobo, you should be reading this series!

Leilani Santiago is Filipina-Japanese (it leans Japanese), living in Seattle before she dropped out of college and moved home to Kaua'i in Iced in Paradise.

An Eternal Lei is a solid second installment in the series, and we're catching up with Leilani in the early days of the pandemic. (I didn't know that going in, but it wasn't traumatizing for me and didn't impact my enjoyment of the read). This time around, she saves a drowning woman and is trying to uncover who she is.

There's a little more family & community drama this time around as everyone navigates living in the early days of the pandemic. I continue to love that this feels much more local than most books I've read set in Hawaii.

ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss




CW: shady international adoption, panic attacks, gun violence, lax adherence to mask mandates

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me want to hop on a plane and head to Kaua'i to have a shave ice with Leilani and Court. The descriptions in this book made me feel right at home on this small island and I also want to read more and more about it. This book takes place during the pandemic and really shows a hard look at how it is affecting so many people in different ways. It's jarring to think about people being forced from their homes and losing businesses, but as we know it is one of the terrible realities of these past years. However, the ending does leave us with hope for many of the characters.
I loved following Leilani as a sleuth. She may not be positive what she wants to do long term now, but she is clearly passionate about helping people and that leads her to investigating many of the strange things happening around her. She is smart and savvy and I was rooting her on the whole way. I love her family and friends and how she will do anything to help them, even if it's scary or uncomfortable. I was completely stumped by the mystery and loved all the twists and reveals. I hope we will get more stories in this series!

Thanks to the publishers for a review copy.

[T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Need a dose of Hawaii in this cold winter weather?

Leilani Santiago is back, with Hawaii preparing to open up tourism after shutting down from COVID infections.

Her haoli (Caucasian) mother is sequestered in her bedroom cranking out masks with her trusty sewing machine, due to her MS condition and weakened immune system.

Baachan is constantly being told to pull up/put on a mask. The four girls (Leilani, Emily, Sophie and Dani) are trying to manage - Leilani as chief herder. Emily home from CA law school and studying remotely, Sophie and Dani attending virtual classes.

Leilani's shaved ice business is dormant thanks to COVID, so she is helping out her best friend Courtney's family lei-making/floral business. Oh and Court is VERY pregnant.

But to shake things up, Leilani and Dani find a semi-drowned petite Japanese woman to save...to add to the mystery, the woman shows signs of an allergic reaction to a lei she got from Court's fam business.

But who is she? Why is she here? What does she have to do with the big name Caucasian attorney who has relocated himself to Hawaii?

[Jen Ryland (jenrylandreviews & yaallday)]

I enjoyed this one. This cozy mystery with an amateur detective is set in Kaua'i during the pandemic. Eternal Lei features Leilani Santiago, whose family owns a shaved ice business on the island, investigating the mysterious case of a tourist found at the beach, unconscious with a mysterious rash that looks like it was caused by her lei.

The family/friend dynamic in this was fun. Leilani has three sisters, plus a multitude of friends, relatives and quasi-relatives. Kaua'i is also a small island where everyone knows everyone. The commentary on the pandemic and its positive and negative impacts on locals was interesting too.

Was new to this author and will definitely check out some of her other books!

Read more of my reviews on JenRyland.com! Let's be friends on Bookstagram!

Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Eternal Lei: A Leilani Santiago Hawai'i Mystery by Naomi Hirahara is a mystery set on Kaua'i. Leilani, a multiracial amateur sleuth, helps her family run a shave ice shop. Business halts during the pandemic and islanders are hurting. Leilani rescues a drowning woman wearing a mokihana lei. Everyone on that island is in everyone's business. They're related or have known each other for generations. Naturally, Leilani must find out more about the woman she rescued. While she investigates, a dead body seems to find Leilani. She discovers there's a connection with her best friend. I highly recommend this if you love cozy mysteries. The characters are charming and I love the grandma. This is the second book of the Leilani Santiago series. I liked the first one too. Thank you to Turner Publishing for giving me this book. The author will give a lecture at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles this Saturday! The museum's store has great books.

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - please seek out reviews by those who identify similarly with the characters and author.
This is the first book I’ve read set IN the pandemic, about life in Hawaii during lockdown. Since we’re still living in the pandemic, it’s a bit of a weird experience reading a story set during the first year.
The mystery itself is around trafficked children, sold through shady adoptions and the lawyer who is trying to cover up his involvement. It’s got a bit darker of a theme than many cozies but is told in a lighthearted way, centered around family and the shave ice stand.

Side note: The author is not Hawaiian, doesn’t live in Hawaii and does not speak pidgin but writes a Hawaiian main character and used pidgin freely throughout, both in dialogue and as the MC pov. She has a page about it at the end of the book. This feels problematic to me.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun and easy read set in Kauai, complete with all the "okina" punctuation marks that capture Hawaiian pronunciations. They can be a bit distracting, although not as distracting as the sprinkling of pidgin English. However, the dialogue (including some Nihongo) puts us right into multicultural Hawaii which I didn't know much about but enjoyed experiencing. This is also set during Covid so we learn how that affected this island nation.

I liked the main character, Leilani, very much - she's a regular person, down to earth, says it like it is. I had some questions about the ending, but overall the writing is good, the plot is interesting, we learn some things. Author Naomi is certainly good at doing her research of history and culture. I pulled this off the library shelf and did not realize it was second in a series, but it stands alone quite well.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to see another Leilani Santiago Mystery! When it was my hold came in to the library, I read the book in one day! I love the way that the author uses the Hawaiian dialect. I also loved the way that she included the pandemic in the story. Lots of the stresses and triumphs that Leilani faces felt very accurate to what I faced during the pandemic.
The family issues help us get to know the Santiago family better. The mystery and its investigation help us get to know the island better and it helps Leilani find more confidence in herself and her future. The mystery and its solution are not straightforward. I really liked the way it was all wrapped up. This was a fabulous folllow up to Iced In Paradise, wonderful setting, compelling characters, and twisty mystery.

[Margaret Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, as I have all Naomi Hirahara’s books in the past.
She gets the local colors well … I think she got the gardeners lawnmower shop in Seattle I knew, Ane the. Strawberry growers near Disneyland, if I remember correctly. Here it’s Waimea, Kauai… sleepier than the Waimea’s on Oahu or Big Island. But she kind of got it…da kine place. And Hanalei…
Maybe she can reach back in the archives and do another take on Bainbridge Island Japanese before the WW II. More than Snow Falling on Cedars.

Anyhow, big congratulations!! Now reading the Book of Form and Emptiness, by Ruth Ozeki. I have loved all her books up to now as well!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The magnificent Hirahara takes us back to Kaua'i, where the Santiago family is struggling with the pandemic both financially and emotionally. When three of the girls help save a drowning woman, Leilani, who feels especially stranded by the pandemic, becomes interested in what a Japanese tourist was doing on their beach when tourists are still banned from the island. Her explorations lead her into danger--and also possible romance--as she finds out secrets about her best friend's family and tries to find a solution to her sister's best friend's problems. Glossary provided for Hawaiian and Japanese words and phrases.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. In this second book of the series, the Santiago’s are struggling in the early months of the Covid pandemic. Kauai is closed to tourists, so the shave ice business along with the entire local economy has come to to halt. Saving a strange woman from drowning kicks off the mystery for Leilani who is currently at loose ends. I started to become annoyed with Leilani’s constant running around as her family’s and friends’ only problem solver. And her initial nosing around the stranger’s identity didn’t make sense. Fortunately, the plot finds its footing in the second half, and the story comes to a satisfying conclusion.

[Marisa Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Hawaii during COVID pandemic, this book is more than a mystery. It is about family, culture, language and food.

With no tourists and the family shaved ice shop closed, a young woman is trying to help keep her family afloat. She does not hesitate to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a woman found floating in the bay. She decides she needs to figure out who the woman is and finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation.

Love the main character. You will also learn some Japanese and Hawaiian words along the way.

[Glen U · Rating 3 out of 5]

Usually, I can count on Naomi Hirahara for a consistent and even story, maybe not earth shaking, but enjoyable across the board. This is her second Santiago mystery and, although I liked her initial offering, this one, for me, floundered, a bit. The essence of the people of Hawaii are there but the character development of the protagonist and the supporting cast were humdrum. Still, a good read for those proponents of Island mysteries, but only a good read. I will read her next endeavor and I'm sure I will enjoy it.

[Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the setting of this book as I was in Kauai when I started it. The mystery without the gore was perfect for me, but I found myself confused with the many characters. It's a short book so perhaps part of the issue is that the characters just appear without much development (and maybe I was tired).
The partial use of pidgin was a bit distracting for me, especially when I found out the author is from Pasadena, not Hawaii.... All in all though, enjoyable & glad I supported a local bookstore.

[Grace Youngblood 📖 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sooooo I am really went into this book thinking it was gonna be a five star read for me but unfortunately, it just wasn’t. I read the first book in the series and absolutely loved it and gave it a five out of five stars! This book did not really focus a lot on the murder, which is really what I picked the book up for. The overall story was intriguing, but it did not leave me floored like I was hoping. I did really enjoy the family and of course the location! For someone who has been Kawaii a few times, they were spot on on all of their references!

[Leanne Ellis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel was okay as far as knowing who Leilani was, and some of the feel of Hawaii during Covid, but it really wasn't a mystery and had bad plot holes like a CBS show. I felt like everything wrapped up too nicely, and you couldn't really get a feel of Hawaii as a place. My family is from there but I didn't feel any connection to the setting at all (maybe because she's not from Hawaii?). I was disappointed because there were too many characters, subplots, and driving around, giving the book a meandering feel.

[Mayumi Shimose Poe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Naomi Hirahara’s AN ETERNAL LEI: a cute, cozy mystery set in Kaua’i during 2020–mid-pandemic. Plucky heroine with a sharp mind, steely strength, hidden vulnerabilities, and the proverbial heart of gold … check. Soap opera like twists of plot line … check. It was fun that it was set on Kaua’i, and the author did a decent job of evoking real locals, despite not being from Hawai’i, though some of the pidgin felt a little stiff. Fast, breezy read.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really 4.5 this the second in a series and much better than the first. It is set in Kauai (and the local elements are quite strong) during the early stages of the pandemic. (Pre-vaccine.) It is not about the pandemic per se, but the marks of the pandemic are all over things--masking (or not), closing the island to tourism (with an array of consequences). Solid enough story, good characters. I hope a third will be coming along.

[Sammy Jayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I expected a little too much from this one after being obsessed with the first book. Another good story, and I like her writing, but this one felt a little more forced and less natural than the previous. The Covid aspect of the story was well written and intended as it shed a light on the plight of the islands during the pandemic, but I personally did not enjoy going back to that time in my mind. It's still a solid 4 stars.

[Teresa Osgood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Next on my Hawaii reading list: a more realistic mystery. Leilani feels stuck during the pandemic; didn't we all? Surprisingly, a stranger comes to town and nearly drowns. Leilani helps revive her, but can't let her questions go.

This one does have a glossary, including the various origins of words that have made it into the local pidgin. I didn't go to this island, but it was easy to envision the setting.