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Red Dirt
Following on the heels of his critically acclaimed début noir novel, KONA WINDS, Scott Kikkawa resumes his depiction of 1950s Honolulu Police Department Detective Sergeant Francis "Sheik" Yoshikawa, a Japanese American Nisei veteran of World War II. Handsome, street smart, literate, and haunted by memories of his military service in the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Sheik must solve a murder case that begins with the discovery of a burned and dismembered body found in a sugarcane field. Investigating the victim's life to see who would have wanted him dead leads to a local communist study group that's being hunted down by the federal government. A compelling mystery with a breathtaking, unexpected ending. "Scott Kikkawa's riveting new murder mystery, RED DIRT, transports readers back to 1953 O'ahu, when bodies were buried in cane fields, and a Red Scare rippled all the way to these territorial shores. Packed with colorful characters, intrigue, and masterfully crafted twists and turns, RED DIRT is an illuminating reminder of how much Hawai'i has changed, and how much it hasn't really changed at all."--Chris McKinney Fiction. Asian & Asian American Studies.
257 pages, Paperback
Published November 19, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 30, 2024
3.5! really interesting historical context with the red scare and labor history of Hawai'i, and definitely a page-turner, like Kona Winds - but I think the pace felt a little rushed towards the end, and I didn't like how Sheik kept calling Ellen a "little girl reporter" lol
November 30, 2022
4.5
Wow. This is why Own Voices in lit is so important. I’m sure there are many more authors writing books like this but I (to my detriment) don’t know of them.
This is book 2 in the Scott Kikkawa’s Detective Frankie “Sheik” Yoshikawa series. Set in post WW2 Hawaii, it is historical fiction, noir thriller mystery and Own Voices lit (not only is Kikkawa Japanese Islander, he’s also law enforcement) - and it does all of it very well. Usually when a book tries to be too many things it fails and the reader’s experience comes up short. Not so here.
I don’t really like to write a lot about the plot in my reviews. You can read it elsewhere. I will just say I enjoyed this mystery. When I can’t guess the ending or the full reveal then that to me means the author did it well. I guessed about half of it halfway through.
I will say I don’t know if the noir genre is generally for me. By the time we got to the end, I felt this book had a lot of the same themes as Kikkawa’s first one Kona Winds. But I think the sex and (some) flat female characters are part of the genre. Kikkawa modernizes that by padding his stories with plenty of strong and fully fleshed out female characters. Also modernized is Sheik himself. He’s forward thinking, and while he has the usual noir detective hang ups, he is also a man that us 21st century readers can root for. He’s troubled but he’s trying to turn it around. I like that. Hope is maybe not something you would find in a period noir thriller and maybe that means this book could only be written now in 2022. But I kinda like that. Gives me hope, for the future.
So so impressed with Bamboo Ridge Press who is the independent local Hawaiian publisher behind this series and more. Learning about them has made me want to investigate more smaller presses and to maybe even start my own. If this is the caliber of work that they turn out, we definitely need more. I’m so tired of these big publishing houses turning out books which feel like they have no true endings or could have been edited better but were rushed to print for the money.
Wow. This is why Own Voices in lit is so important. I’m sure there are many more authors writing books like this but I (to my detriment) don’t know of them.
This is book 2 in the Scott Kikkawa’s Detective Frankie “Sheik” Yoshikawa series. Set in post WW2 Hawaii, it is historical fiction, noir thriller mystery and Own Voices lit (not only is Kikkawa Japanese Islander, he’s also law enforcement) - and it does all of it very well. Usually when a book tries to be too many things it fails and the reader’s experience comes up short. Not so here.
I don’t really like to write a lot about the plot in my reviews. You can read it elsewhere. I will just say I enjoyed this mystery. When I can’t guess the ending or the full reveal then that to me means the author did it well. I guessed about half of it halfway through.
I will say I don’t know if the noir genre is generally for me. By the time we got to the end, I felt this book had a lot of the same themes as Kikkawa’s first one Kona Winds. But I think the sex and (some) flat female characters are part of the genre. Kikkawa modernizes that by padding his stories with plenty of strong and fully fleshed out female characters. Also modernized is Sheik himself. He’s forward thinking, and while he has the usual noir detective hang ups, he is also a man that us 21st century readers can root for. He’s troubled but he’s trying to turn it around. I like that. Hope is maybe not something you would find in a period noir thriller and maybe that means this book could only be written now in 2022. But I kinda like that. Gives me hope, for the future.
So so impressed with Bamboo Ridge Press who is the independent local Hawaiian publisher behind this series and more. Learning about them has made me want to investigate more smaller presses and to maybe even start my own. If this is the caliber of work that they turn out, we definitely need more. I’m so tired of these big publishing houses turning out books which feel like they have no true endings or could have been edited better but were rushed to print for the money.
August 10, 2025
Similar to the first book, Frank Yoshikawa goes on another case, or a new case finds him, a few months after the events of the first book. This novel is thematically centered around Le Morte d'Arthur, the quest for the Holy Grail and knights--all the analogies start there--and Kikkawa relates this idea of knighthood to the Japanese giri, or a sense of duty and obligation. You do it because you have to. This aligns with Frank's character growth, as he begins to understand why he makes the decisions he does, and that true justice doesn't always mean telling the truth, especially in the era of the Red Scare.
The other part to this story is the theme of "red dirt"--the red dirt of the plantation and Waialua area, and the red of communism, which comes to the forefront much more in this novel as Frank's close friends and family end up being involved in some communist activities, his case dives into it, and the HUAC and federal agents come sniffing for communists to round up.
This novel has a brighter edge to it, as Frank isn't constantly diving into the depths of hell as in Dante's Inferno, but he's still highly addicted to his alcohol. A solid sequel!
The other part to this story is the theme of "red dirt"--the red dirt of the plantation and Waialua area, and the red of communism, which comes to the forefront much more in this novel as Frank's close friends and family end up being involved in some communist activities, his case dives into it, and the HUAC and federal agents come sniffing for communists to round up.
This novel has a brighter edge to it, as Frank isn't constantly diving into the depths of hell as in Dante's Inferno, but he's still highly addicted to his alcohol. A solid sequel!
February 26, 2024
Well written Noir Novel with a Hawaiian- Japanese spin. I appreciated the plot; and, for lack of better terms, the ending just left me feeling good. Additionally, as I read this while living in Japan, I could appreciate the interjection of both Japanese language and culture. Well done sequel!
February 21, 2023
Simple mystery but fun old Hawaii setting
July 10, 2025
great mystery full of satisfying twists and a very likeable detective. great honolulu 50s nour local color
January 16, 2026
1950s Hawaiʻi - noir grit with island atmosphere.
HPD detective Francis “Sheik” Yoshikawa has a murder investigation that unravels the uneasy tensions of a territory on the cusp of statehood. Kikkawa’s strength is his knowledge of the place: the red dust of Wahiawā, plantation towns, military shadows, and cultural fault lines that make the islands feel both familiar and distinctly unsettled. It’s classic noir structure with a Hawaiʻian heartbeat.
Kikkawa writes with an understated punch. “Out here, the dirt never washes off—not from the land, and not from the people who work it.” Another, on the contradictions of the era: “Everyone wanted the future to arrive, but no one agreed on what it should look like.” The book moves quickly, with clipped dialogue, quiet humor, and a detective who understands more than he ever says aloud.
I enjoyed the grounded the procedural elements as well Hawaii not being used as merely backdrop. It's truly integrated. The writing is lean, atmospheric, and easy to fall into.
HPD detective Francis “Sheik” Yoshikawa has a murder investigation that unravels the uneasy tensions of a territory on the cusp of statehood. Kikkawa’s strength is his knowledge of the place: the red dust of Wahiawā, plantation towns, military shadows, and cultural fault lines that make the islands feel both familiar and distinctly unsettled. It’s classic noir structure with a Hawaiʻian heartbeat.
Kikkawa writes with an understated punch. “Out here, the dirt never washes off—not from the land, and not from the people who work it.” Another, on the contradictions of the era: “Everyone wanted the future to arrive, but no one agreed on what it should look like.” The book moves quickly, with clipped dialogue, quiet humor, and a detective who understands more than he ever says aloud.
I enjoyed the grounded the procedural elements as well Hawaii not being used as merely backdrop. It's truly integrated. The writing is lean, atmospheric, and easy to fall into.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews