Death in Hilo

Kawika Wong Mystery #2

by Eric Redman

ITW Finalist Eric Redman is back in this thrilling second installment of his Hawaiian murder mystery series, perfect for fans of Anne Hillerman.

When bodies start piling up and the list of suspects growing long, Detective Kawika Wong must dig into his own past to solve a Big Island murder.

It’s been twelve long years since Detective Kawika Wong was tasked with solving the brutal murder of the infamous real-estate developer Ralph Fortunato—a case that led to more bodies than answers and a slew of complicated and ancient secrets, a case that made his career. Now, the once rookie detective is next in line to be Honolulu’s next Chief of Police. But all is not well on Oʻahu or the Big Island.

For weeks, Kawika and his team have failed to catch an elusive serial killer known as the “Slasher.” He strikes quickly and efficiently, and he doesn’t make mistakes. But when a freshly decapitated body is found at a previous dump site, Kawika’s gut tells him something isn’t quite right. Who is this victim, and why does Kawika feel that this one doesn’t belong to the Slasher?

To make matters worse, a hungry young journalist, Zoë Akona, is investigating the questionable outcome Kawika and his then-superior Terry Tanaka produced in the Fortunato case, and her snooping leads to an official review that jeopardizes everything Kawika’s worked so hard for.

But Detective Wong knows that, no matter what, he must find a second murderer even while the “Slasher” continues to strike. The investigation takes him back to the Big Island – and to the long-dormant case the reporter Zoë Akona won’t leave alone.  Kawika is about to discover what happens when the secrets of the past catch up with the promises of his future.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Mystery

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 20, 2024

About the author

Eric Redman is a Seattle-based writer, lawyer, and climate activist who for decades has loved the Big Island of Hawaii, its history, and its people.

He is a former contributing editor of Rolling Stone and has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, and many other publications. He wrote the nonfiction best-seller, The Dance of Legislation.

Reviews

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is definitely a thinking person's mystery!
A past case comes to haunt Major Wong and the Homicide detectives at the same time that a possible copycat serial killer arrives on the scene. And that's not all that's messing with life on the islands.
Detective Kawika Wong has a Hawaii cop for a father who has been devastated by a stroke, and a mother from Washington state now married to a judge, which meant that he spent his school years on the mainland and summers in Hawaii. Also he loves the old school mystery detectives and Poe.
I was riveted! I geek history and this one is just full of well researched cultural and social history with a side order of the linguistics of the islands' language. I came for the mystery (and Hawaii) but stayed for the mystery, characters, history, and some intangibles.
I requested and received a free temporary copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun fact:the title made me thin of a sci-fi series and not of a mystery. It's a good police procedural with a strong sense of place and a solid mystery.
I enjoyed the story that kept me guessing and liked the characters
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Major Kawicka Wong is on the hunt for a serial killer in Honolulu when a body drops that doesn't fit the killer's pattern. At the same time, a young reporter dredges up a decade-old case from Kawicka's past that wasn't done exactly by the book. The cases old and new intertwine and find Kawika ping-ponging back and forth between Oahu and the Big Island. A tragic death midway brings some excitement to the story. Kawicka is high up the food chain at the police department so the serial killer investigation is mainly tackled by a task force he heads from a distance which dilutes the action. A long epilogue wraps up the book, but I wish more of that resolution had been incorporated in the main story. One culprit is never revealed and it makes me wonder if it was revealed in a previous book or if the author is holding that for the next book in the series.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Redman’s second offering in his Detective Kawika Wong crime series has the detective dealing with a messy cold case and a current serial killer. Newby journalist Zoë Akona interviews a man in prison who suggests someone else murdered one of the victims for which he was imprisoned. Her tenaciousness causes her to discover that Kawika and homicide detective Terry Tanaka, may have let a killer go to prison for one person he did not kill. This causes the police administrator to open an investigation to review the case.

Then there is an active serial killer on the loose with the body count continuing to rise. Clues are sparse as to who might be the perpetrator. Mixed in between these two cases is the disappearance of a media spokesperson for the Thirty Meter Telescope Project, planned to be the world’s largest. The project has caused protests from native Hawai’ian groups who see it as a violation of sacred lands.

Redman has created a complex, twisty plot highlighting the culture of Hawai’i. Enjoy!

[Timothy Grubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A decent follow up to the first book…

Death in Hilo by Eric Redman is the sequel to Bones of Hilo, another mystery set in Hawaii.

Advancing the story by 12 years to 2014, the sequel brings back many of the characters from the first book…many of which have changed remarkably in the dozen years since…which adding a few new ones.

The story focuses on the aftermath of the murder in the first book…after a reporter digs into the revelation that the man incarcerated for the killing may not have been responsible (though he was responsible for other murders).

Meanwhile there’s a subplot involving a serial killer, but that largely proves irrelevant to the overall story.

I feel a better name for this book would be “Ghosts Of Hilo” as it deals with the ramifications of the original murder case and how it’s continued to impact others in the years since.

As with the first book, several relevent social issues in Hawaii are the time are at the heart of some of the investigation (many of these issues still poignant even today).

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second in a series and I'm glad I read it right after the first one. The plot in the first book was complex and it's revisited in this one. It's about a cop in Hawaii ten years after the first crime story when he was a rookie. Now he's mature both personally and rising in the ranks in the police force. I still really like how grounded and family oriented he is. I love the relationship he's in. I love that his niece has followed him to the force. I love his new trainee (I wish there was more of her!) Lots of great characters. I feel like this storyline is more manageable and still educates on Hawaii history and relevant issues to the people there. There is definitely more peril and action in this one! Kind of a gut punch in the end, but I still like the series and writing!

[Michelle Harden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know where the author would take this book; Bones in Hilo was such a great and captivating read, but with compelling characters and unanswered questions about relationships, a maturing main character who is more seasoned in police work, his personal life more settled, but the bodies keep showing up and the ties to some of Hawaii's complex and political paradigms are interwoven to such a believable degree that you are left wondering whether this tale is fact or fiction. Never hurts to have a setting in the gorgeous Hawaiian Islands - which is a juxtaposition to the evil that exists, no matter how beautiful the setting. I suggest you take this book and head to the islands. Great, great read!

[Lisa Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the most well written books I’ve read in a long time. It’s the follow up to Bones of Hilo. I loved the police drama, which was clever and multi layered. Major Kawika Wong, the main character, is investigating a serial killer in Hawaii when a sixth body shows up, but is this the work of the same killer? Or does it tie back to a case that Kawika would prefer not to revisit? All of the characters have depth, and are really well developed. I loved the twists and the surprises. I also really appreciated the maps and helpful pronunciation lesson at the beginning of the book. My only regret is that I didn’t read the books in order. This book, however, does not spoil the first. I just think it would have been helpful to understand some of the relationships.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for a police procedural that is more a thriller than a mystery, since the killer is revealed about halfway through. This is book two in the series. I have read book one and recommend that you read it first, because plot elements from book one carry over into this book.
Kawika Wong is the chief of the Honolulu detective division. He is called to the scene of a headless body. There had previously been several bodies dumped in the same place by a serial killer. Kawika and his team do solve the murder. There are some developments in his personal life.
Thanks to Crooked Lane Books for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
DeathinHilo #NetGalley

[Richard Mcgowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this series.. In fact, I think this is a much better book than Bones of Hilo, although (surprisingly) the character development in the first book may outshine the development of the characters introduced in book #2. In addition, there is one story reveal that just falls flat, it seems far too simple and even the writing falls short. This is not generally the case with a story that flows past, the ending coming much faster than you want it to. I highly recommend these books to mystery lovers, Hawaii lovers, or fans of great books.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one; the first one held my interest but left so many loose ends that I was hesitant to go into this one. I am so glad I did; all those loose ends have been tied up and it was very well done. I enjoyed getting to know an older, more mature and settled Kawika Wong, on the verge of promotion in his new home, and following along with him as his old case comes back to haunt him and his family. I highly recommend the series but start with the first one and know that it will all make sense in the end.

[Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the twists and turns…and all the familiar Hawaii references

Redman nicely captured the vibe and flow of Hawaii and wove it into a great story. My entertainment level (love Hawaii - 20+ times to Oahu and 7-8 to big island) was 5+ stars and the only reason I didn’t give it the full 5-stars was that the pacing at the end lagged and I don’t love the literary ‘deus ex Machina’ device in the epilogue that tied up all the loose ends. Life’s messy. Great books leave some room for wondering or wishing.

[Artnoose McMoose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a okay read if you like detective fiction, which I don’t really, but it does take place in Hawaii, surrounding the controversy of the TMT telescope on Mauna Kea.

It’s a follow-up from the first book, several years later when Detective Kawika Wong has moved to O’ahu to join the Honolulu Police force abd has gotten married. While trying to solve a serial killer mystery, he has to come to terms with a journalist figuring out the cover-up from the previous book.

The author kills off a sympathetic main character, which is always tough.

[KerryO · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt as if I were right beside Kawika Wong attempting to solve the “Slayer” murder while attempting to deal with a seemingly closed case opened by a very young aggressive reporter. If you enjoy a mystery which makes you think, this book is for you. I received an ARC from NetGalley, and the opinions expressed are my own.

[ashsmashstars · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deep and factual true crime based.

As someone who used to live in Hilo, I know a lot about this case. Well, between true crime podcasts and honestly, small island rumors, this case is the one that goes bump in the night.

It was written well and in a respective manner. I learned new things about the case that still sends shivers down my spine.

Thank you #netgallery

[Christopher Flory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Redman's follow up to Bones of Hilo, Death in Hilo is a masterful tale of mystery and intrigue. Wong is a detective in Hawaii trying to solve a series of murders when the past comes back to haunt him. He must fight tooth and nail to find a serial killer before the body count rises and keep the case that made him a detective from falling apart. Great read and highly recommend!

[Scott Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great detective novel

The character development and attention to detail especially as it relates to Hawaii geography and culture are unique. But the ever twisting plot makes this novel nearly impossible to put down. I look forward to the next Kawika Wong novel. Mahalo,Mr. Redman

[Janet Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love all of the Big Island references.
Helps to have read the previous book.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as much exposition as Kawika Wong #1, so a more satisfying read. These straddle two worlds, two sides of an island, morality and consequence and many cultures. A nice setup for #3, I'm sure

[Suzanne Bidinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d give 3.5 stars. I think the hardest aspect of the book was all the Hawaiian character names and place that were hard to pronounce and hold in memory.
But the story was interesting.

[Jason Blythe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have been a 3.5 star, but it took about half the book to get going. The last 50 pages were excellent. A cast of characters would have been helpful and reading the first book would too.

[Evi Routoula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Κανένα ενδιαφέρον για την αστυνομική υπόθεση, η οποία κατά ένα μεγάλο μέρος αναφέρεται σε παλαιότερο βιβλίο της σειράς.

[Deuce Naftel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a very hard time keeping up with the plot. I loved the history of Ancient Hawai'i though!

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. Some advice: Read the first book in the series before this one.