Hawaii Heritage

The Holts #5

by Dana Fuller Ross

While royalist rebel Sam Brentwood faces the death penalty as a traitor on the Hawaiian islands, on the mainland, Janessa Holt Lawrence wages a war against prejudice and disease on Ellis Island

Genres: Westerns, Historical Fiction, Historical

Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 1991

About the author

Dana Fuller Ross is a pseudonym used by Noel B. Gerson and James M. Reasoner.

Noel Gearson specializes in historical military novels, westerns, and mysteries. He also writes under the pseudonyms, "Dana Fuller Ross.", Anne Marie Burgess; Michael Burgess; Nicholas Gorham; Paul Lewis; Leon Phillips; Donald Clayton Porter; Philip Vail; and Carter A. Vaughan. He has written more than 325 novels.

James Reasoner (pictured) is an American writer. He is the author of more than 150 books and many short stories in a career spanning more than thirty years. Reasoner has used at least nineteen pseudonyms, in addition to his own name: Jim Austin; Peter Danielson; Terrance Duncan; Tom Early; Wesley Ellis; Tabor Evans; Jake Foster; William Grant; Matthew Hart; Livia James; Mike Jameson; Justin Ladd; Jake Logan; Hank Mitchum; Lee Morgan; J.L. Reasoner (with his wife); Dana Fuller Ross; Adam Rutledge; and Jon Sharpe. Since most of Reasoner's books were written as part of various existing Western fiction series, many of his pseudonyms were publishing "house" names that may have been used by other authors who contributed to those series

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The bits about Mike and Eden were pretty bad. Eden isn't character. She is just a shadow puppet.

That said, I upped it a star because it is nice to see a fictional book in this series have characters support those that want independence from US control. And this book, despite the strange focus on white characters in such a story, is definitely on the side of Hawaii.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fifth novel in the 10-book “Holt’s” series (and 35th in the expansive “Wagon’s West/Frontier/Empire/Holts” multi-verse) continues the primary story threads begun in previous volumes.

I admit to being a little hesitant to start reading this one due to my partial dislike for the Sam Brentwood plot line. “Hawaii” being in the book’s title likely meant that Sam’s story would feature prominently in this one and, sure enough it did. However, the author managed to not only salvage that part of the story but actually make it work quite well. Just as in the previous book, I learned a great deal about the “Americanization” of Hawaii in 1894-95. Sam’s a tragic figure but whether or not he can turn his life around isn’t resolved until the very end.

Other character/plot lines include Dr. Janessa Holt and her doctor husband working with the Ellis Island immigrants (and their own growing family) as well as Mike Holt’s experiences in the fledgling movie-making business and his reunion with Eden. Other characters make cameo appearances including patriarch Toby Holt as a Senator and then a State Department advisor dealing with a coming war with Spain. And, on a sad note, we lose one of the original characters from the original wagon train to Oregon who’s been around since book number one.

Always fun to catch up on this series.

[Amanda-Has-A-Bookcase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this book will center around Sam (sigh) it gives a interesting look at the ending of the Hawaiian monarchy. Eden also runs away (gets a job as a Harvey house girl) and meets back up with Mike Holt. We also see a great look into the processing of immigrants at Ellis Island!

[Cws]

W Ros