Escape from Hanalei

by Everett Peacock, Angela Treat Lyon (Illustrator)

[excerpt] The little poi dog stepped easily into the four inch deep concrete basin of water, wagged its butt a few times, and stepped promptly out. Most of the sand from the beach had rinsed off his feet. Onolani did the same but got all the sand off of hers. She decided to skip the outdoor shower until the papaya picking was done. Her big straw shade hat would hold all she could eat for breakfast as well as the solitary lime that would liven up the pink succulent flesh. The little mixed-breed, or “poi”, dog followed her, staying just outside her shadow in the comfortable warmth of a building morning brightness. Except for a few distracting geckos scurrying about ahead of the both of them, the little dog watched her closely. A quirk of nature had given him full color vision, and Onolani's brightly painted pareo mesmerized him. He watched her walk around to the back of her modest two-story wooden home, stepping through the long shadows of her papaya tree patch. Shaking his head a few times did nothing to clear his mind of the vibrant colors not just hanging off of his master's hips, but all around him. Greens shouted out in every possible shade, blues in the sky framed themselves in brilliant white clouds and below them all, every primary color combination was breathing life into all manner of flowers. His own browns and blacks seemed to shimmer in the light as he leapt from one patch of sunlight to another, following Onolani. Even the chickens that patrolled between the papaya trees for bugs were rainbow colored. Several baby chicks took notice of him, as if they might play with him. He knew better. Although the chicks were great fun to chase, the hens were far better at chasing him. The roosters, worse yet in their loud reds, greens and yellows, simply hypnotized him into a quivering mass of fur that they then easily pecked and punished. “Come on, Poi,” his master said, walking farther to pick another ripe papaya. He ignored her speech impediment, knowing she was trying to call him “boy.” It was fine, he could overlook such things. She fed him, took him for long walks along the beach and let him sleep in the house. Life was good. Amen. Running around to the open yard facing the majestic jungle peaks above Hanalei he found Onolani waiting for him in her chair. An open papaya was accepting the juice of another willing lime, which meant his treat was certainly next. He sat patiently at her feet, ignoring the chickens close by. Sure enough, she reached down and gave him a piece of pork, rubbed behind his ears and said, “Good boy!” Poi wagged his butt in celebration, knowing she would always keep trying until she said his name right; and for that he loved her beyond his capacity to ever understand.

196 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 9, 2012

About the author

* change your GOODREADS password folks.
They were hacked*

Mr. Peacock was born on an island and continues the tradition living in Maui, Hawaii. Decades were spent living on a secluded O'ahu, Hawai'i beach, surfing, mountain biking, glider flying and throwing beach parties people still talk about - all in the name of research.
When he had to work it was stints at the Honolulu airport, as a cargo handler, Air Traffic Control radio, Airline Flight Operations Dispatcher and tower operator at Kapalua airport. Part time gigs included computer programmer and an amateur lobster fisherman.
Having traveled extensively to all of the Hawaiian islands, Tahiti, Bali, Australia and a few places he has sworn to keep secret, Mr. Peacock has lived, and continues to do through his writing, a life as colorful as his name.
He lives in a bungalow, under a mango tree, in Lahaina. He can sometimes be found hanging out at Tiwaka's Tiki Bar & Grill.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

FICTION
Series: Agent Boudreaux
book 1: Leaving Lana'i
book 2: The Slovakian
book 3: A Perfect Analogy
book 4: Wicked Game

Series: The Life and Times of a Hawaiian Tiki Bar
book 1: The Parrot Talks in Chocolate
book 2: In the Middle of the Third Planet's Most Wonderful of Oceans
book 3: Tiwaka Goes To Waikiki
book 4: Green Bananas

A Paradise of One
The Galactics
Escape from Hanalei
One More Sunset
Escaping the Magnificent (also in Audio)
Death by Facebook (also in Audio)

NON-FICTION
The Nearly Impossible to Follow Diet - for Everyone! (Christmas 2019)

Reviews

[Valentina · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with all the books by Mr. Peacock that I’ve read, this one has all the ambiance, the resonating beauty that places the reader right in the middle of Hawaii. That’s something that I always enjoy in his novels, the complete submersion into the island landscape. The ocean, the sand, the flowers, they all join together to become another character in the novel.
The protagonist, Trish, as well as the rest of the colorful characters in this book, are wonderfully entertaining to follow on their lives. Trish, in particular, as she adjusts to the change from her life in a freezing home to being surrounded by the island’s colorful life, keeps the reader interested, wondering if she’ll return to her previous life or stay on the island.
There are many laugh-out-loud moments, as with all of this author’s books and you’ll definitely wish you could teleport right to the scenes he describes. I can easily recommend this one for all of you who are looking for a relaxing and inspiring read.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book but I finally decided that I couldn't force myself to go beyond the halfway point. I love the references to actual places in Hanalei but beyond that I just couldn't get into the characters. I found myself not caring about the plot. I think I've only not finished 2 books in my life and this is one of them. :-(

[John Brissette · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a frequent visitor to Hawaii & someone who sees the islands as a second home I'm always looking for books set there. I usually find fun little detective adventures that I can read when I'm missing my adopted island home while I live my "life" on the mainland or to read while decompressing here on the islands. I assumed that's what I had with this book. Was I surprised & pleased to be wrong. What I had was a fun, insightful, & spiritual journey about my Hawai'i Ne'i, what attracts us here, and more importantly what makes us keep returning & stay. What a tremendous book that captures perhaps, that which I have often tried to explain about myself.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tons of fun, this tale from Kauai will make you want to pack up your stuff and move to the islands. Following Ono her sister Trish and her dog Poi, the fun lies in the people they meet and the places they go! It’s a well written, light hearted book for laying on the beach or trying to escape to that one particular harbor in your mind.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a light hearted, fun read, especially if you have been to Hanalei and know the area. I give the author high marks for proper use of the English language and having good editing - these make the reading so much more enjoyable. This is a good beach read. Enjoy!

[Everett Peacock · Rating 5 out of 5]

another one of classics that I love! Really, love this one the most right now