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Storm Kayama #4
Pleasing the Dead
Some nasty predators dwell in paradise, and they arenat all hiding in the azure waters. The day attorney Storm Kayama arrives in Kahului to help Lara Farrell set up her new dive shop, someone bombs a restaurant. When one of Laraas employees, a recent Japanese immigrant, kills himself and one of his young daughters, Storm begins to ask questions.
The tentacles of the Yakuza, the dangerous, Japanese organized crime group, grip local businesses, real estate, and politics. Cunning and deadly, the clan leaders exploit underage women and eliminate anyone who dares face up to them.
Storm finds herself up against a lethal and faceless enemy, in a place where disposing of a victim is easy as dumping her in shark-infested waters.
But who is hunting whom? In a struggle to the death, Storm begins to realize that surviving doesnat always mean living. For some, the ghosts of the past may be more painful than the anguish of the present.
Hawaii lawyer Storm Kayama must battle against the yakuza's presence and an ancient adherence to tradition to save more young girls from a terrible fate.
The tentacles of the Yakuza, the dangerous, Japanese organized crime group, grip local businesses, real estate, and politics. Cunning and deadly, the clan leaders exploit underage women and eliminate anyone who dares face up to them.
Storm finds herself up against a lethal and faceless enemy, in a place where disposing of a victim is easy as dumping her in shark-infested waters.
But who is hunting whom? In a struggle to the death, Storm begins to realize that surviving doesnat always mean living. For some, the ghosts of the past may be more painful than the anguish of the present.
Hawaii lawyer Storm Kayama must battle against the yakuza's presence and an ancient adherence to tradition to save more young girls from a terrible fate.
284 pages, Hardcover
First published February 10, 2008
20 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Turrell Atkinson
7 books8 followersInspired by Tony Hillermans stories of the Navajo, Deborah Atkinsons suspense novels expose not only the dark side of human nature, but the legends and folklore of Hawaii.
Debby lives in Honolulu with her husband and their two sons. A recipient of the University of Hawaii's Meryl Clark Award for Fiction, she is a graduate of the University of Michigan, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and the author of Primitive Secrets (2002), The Green Room (2005), Fire Prayer, (2007), and Pleasing the Dead, (2009).
"
Debby lives in Honolulu with her husband and their two sons. A recipient of the University of Hawaii's Meryl Clark Award for Fiction, she is a graduate of the University of Michigan, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and the author of Primitive Secrets (2002), The Green Room (2005), Fire Prayer, (2007), and Pleasing the Dead, (2009).
"
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
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May 27, 2009Pleasing the Dead, by Deborah Turrell Atkinson, B-plus, narrated by Bernadette Dunn, produced by Blackstone Audio, downloaded from audible.com.
This book takes place in Hawaii. It is a good and fast read, described as follows by the publisher:
Some nasty predators dwell in paradise. The day attorney Storm Kayama arrives in Kahului to help Lara Farrell set up her new dive shop, someone bombs a
restaurant. When one of Lara's employees, a recent Japanese immigrant, kills himself and one of his young daughters, Storm begins to ask questions. A dangerous,
Japanese organized-crime group is ensnaring local businesses, real estate, and politics. Cunning and deadly, the clan leaders exploit underage women and
eliminate anyone who dares face up to them. Storm finds herself up against a lethal and faceless enemy in a place where disposing of a victim is as easy
as dumping her in shark-infested waters. But who is hunting whom? Caught in a struggle to the death, Storm begins to realize that surviving doesn't always
mean living. For some, the ghosts of the past may be more painful than the anguish of the present.
This book takes place in Hawaii. It is a good and fast read, described as follows by the publisher:
Some nasty predators dwell in paradise. The day attorney Storm Kayama arrives in Kahului to help Lara Farrell set up her new dive shop, someone bombs a
restaurant. When one of Lara's employees, a recent Japanese immigrant, kills himself and one of his young daughters, Storm begins to ask questions. A dangerous,
Japanese organized-crime group is ensnaring local businesses, real estate, and politics. Cunning and deadly, the clan leaders exploit underage women and
eliminate anyone who dares face up to them. Storm finds herself up against a lethal and faceless enemy in a place where disposing of a victim is as easy
as dumping her in shark-infested waters. But who is hunting whom? Caught in a struggle to the death, Storm begins to realize that surviving doesn't always
mean living. For some, the ghosts of the past may be more painful than the anguish of the present.
January 31, 2021
Overall, I found this mystery an engaging read. The characters were fleshed out. The mystery involved sex trafficking. The novel did not glorify or whitewash the long tradition of profiting on enslaving girls. There was no gratuitous sex or violence.
50% read
I'm at the half way point in this book and am thoroughly engrossed in the characters and the story.
This is the fourth book in a series. Prior investigations and character developments are referred to and I am at a slight loss. I want to know about those events and repercussions but, this story is too compelling for me to set aside to wait for my library to procure the earlier books. I fully expect to read the first three books in the series.
Plus, though this is the first book by Deborah Turrell Atkinson that I have read this book is so well written that I am confident she has included all the details relevant to this mystery.
I will go on to read the earlier books in the series.
***
***
***
***
The protagonist is a private lawyer, Storm Kayama. Lawyers investigating crimes can strain credibility but this time it was reasonable.
Storm and her client skin dive early in the book. I had to look that up. This article suggests it is what I thought of as snorkeling but I'm not too sure because the women were taking deep dives without SCUBA equipment. https://reefnomads.com/2017/12/31/fre...
Various fish were named and the coral was described but it was lightly done. Not written like a tourist pamphlet or travel blog post.
While diving the women see Hawaii’s state fish with the 21 letters long name, the humuhumunukunukuapuaa.
(It is at times like this that I am grateful I am listening to an audio version of a book.)
humuhumunukunukuapuaa is pronounced
“who moo who moo new coo new coo ah poo ah ah”
The name means “trigger fish with a snout like a pig.”
https://www.govisithawaii.com/2009/08...
I listened to the audio version narrated by Bernadette Dunne. She does a very good job. I was grateful for her pronunciation of the unfamiliar names. I was a bit confused at times about who was who though but that's on me. If I read a book with unfamiliar character names I often give them a nickname. That doesn't really work with audio.
A lovely aspect of this book is the gentle inclusion of Hawaiian nature and culture. That's what I am looking for in my 50 States & 50 Mysteries goal.
I welcome recommendations for non-fiction, not gruesome, murder mystery books from these states; Connecticut, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia. There are a few other states but I haven't found even a cozy in these states.
FYI I will add the USA territories once I finish the states.
The United States currently administers 16 insular areas as territories:
American Samoa.
Guam.
Northern Mariana Islands.
Puerto Rico.
United States Virgin Islands.
Minor Outlying Islands. Bajo Nuevo Bank. Baker Island. Howland Island. Jarvis Island. Johnston Atoll. Kingman Reef. Midway Islands. Navassa Island. Palmyra Atoll.
50% read
I'm at the half way point in this book and am thoroughly engrossed in the characters and the story.
This is the fourth book in a series. Prior investigations and character developments are referred to and I am at a slight loss. I want to know about those events and repercussions but, this story is too compelling for me to set aside to wait for my library to procure the earlier books. I fully expect to read the first three books in the series.
Plus, though this is the first book by Deborah Turrell Atkinson that I have read this book is so well written that I am confident she has included all the details relevant to this mystery.
I will go on to read the earlier books in the series.
***
***
***
***The protagonist is a private lawyer, Storm Kayama. Lawyers investigating crimes can strain credibility but this time it was reasonable.
Storm and her client skin dive early in the book. I had to look that up. This article suggests it is what I thought of as snorkeling but I'm not too sure because the women were taking deep dives without SCUBA equipment. https://reefnomads.com/2017/12/31/fre...
Various fish were named and the coral was described but it was lightly done. Not written like a tourist pamphlet or travel blog post.
While diving the women see Hawaii’s state fish with the 21 letters long name, the humuhumunukunukuapuaa.
(It is at times like this that I am grateful I am listening to an audio version of a book.)
humuhumunukunukuapuaa is pronounced
“who moo who moo new coo new coo ah poo ah ah”
The name means “trigger fish with a snout like a pig.”
https://www.govisithawaii.com/2009/08...
I listened to the audio version narrated by Bernadette Dunne. She does a very good job. I was grateful for her pronunciation of the unfamiliar names. I was a bit confused at times about who was who though but that's on me. If I read a book with unfamiliar character names I often give them a nickname. That doesn't really work with audio.
A lovely aspect of this book is the gentle inclusion of Hawaiian nature and culture. That's what I am looking for in my 50 States & 50 Mysteries goal.
I welcome recommendations for non-fiction, not gruesome, murder mystery books from these states; Connecticut, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia. There are a few other states but I haven't found even a cozy in these states.
FYI I will add the USA territories once I finish the states.
The United States currently administers 16 insular areas as territories:
American Samoa.
Guam.
Northern Mariana Islands.
Puerto Rico.
United States Virgin Islands.
Minor Outlying Islands. Bajo Nuevo Bank. Baker Island. Howland Island. Jarvis Island. Johnston Atoll. Kingman Reef. Midway Islands. Navassa Island. Palmyra Atoll.
February 26, 2011
If you’ve never been to Hawaii you’ll feel like you have after reading Pleasing the Dead. A mystery set in the islands intrigued me from the beginning. As Deborah Turrell Atkinson writes: some nasty predators dwell in paradise, and they aren’t all hiding in the azure waters. In such an idyllic setting, who would expect anything could go wrong? The combination of innocence and violence, weakness and power is appealing in Pleasing the Dead, the fourth novel in Atkinson’s Storm Kayama series.
The action begins immediately when attorney, Storm Kayama arrives in Kahului to help client, Lara Farrell, set up her new dive shop and someone bombs a restaurant. Things get darker when one of Lara’s staff suddenly takes his own life and that of his young daughter. Storm puts herself in danger when she begins to ask questions.
The story takes us into the underworld of organized crime, where the leaders exploit and contaminate everything they touch, including underage women, local businesses, real estate, and politics. They wipe out anyone brave enough to take them on. Enter Storm Kayama.
Smart and savvy, Storm is willing to go where others won’t and interfere, risking her already strained relationship and putting her own life in danger in the process.
Atkinson brings the reader to Maui with her. We smell the smoke from the bombed out building, breath the scorched, suffocating air, and feel the eyes of the crime bosses hone in on their victims.
Atkinson excels in her detail and gives us an intimate look at the darker side of the islands. The strong relationships between the main characters and the way they pull together to stand up to their tormentors is refreshing and endearing. The relationships are complex yet completely believable.
At times, it took a little effort to keep a few of the Japanese names straight; some being very similar they almost morphed, requiring the re-read, or several re-reads of some of the pages.
Pleasing The Dead has an intricate plot based in both the past and the present. It is a very good read.
The action begins immediately when attorney, Storm Kayama arrives in Kahului to help client, Lara Farrell, set up her new dive shop and someone bombs a restaurant. Things get darker when one of Lara’s staff suddenly takes his own life and that of his young daughter. Storm puts herself in danger when she begins to ask questions.
The story takes us into the underworld of organized crime, where the leaders exploit and contaminate everything they touch, including underage women, local businesses, real estate, and politics. They wipe out anyone brave enough to take them on. Enter Storm Kayama.
Smart and savvy, Storm is willing to go where others won’t and interfere, risking her already strained relationship and putting her own life in danger in the process.
Atkinson brings the reader to Maui with her. We smell the smoke from the bombed out building, breath the scorched, suffocating air, and feel the eyes of the crime bosses hone in on their victims.
Atkinson excels in her detail and gives us an intimate look at the darker side of the islands. The strong relationships between the main characters and the way they pull together to stand up to their tormentors is refreshing and endearing. The relationships are complex yet completely believable.
At times, it took a little effort to keep a few of the Japanese names straight; some being very similar they almost morphed, requiring the re-read, or several re-reads of some of the pages.
Pleasing The Dead has an intricate plot based in both the past and the present. It is a very good read.
March 13, 2010
I may have enjoyed this more had I read all the previous novels in the series, but I never really warmed up to Storm. Storm is on Kahalui to help Lara Farrell set up the LLC for her new dive shop. It doesn't take her long before she's involved in something more. The problem is that it never really made sense that Storm was involved. She inserted herself into the situation. In fact, she was targeted almost immediately and that made no sense either. She wasn't a threat. The reading was excellent. Bernadette Dunne is a marvelous narrator. Unfortunately, the story wasn't up to her skill.
October 29, 2010
Overall this book was good, but I had a very hard time getting into it. I also found it very confusing with the inclusion of all the Hawaiian words. I really like the main character Storm. She is very intelligent and caring, but has a tendance to get herself into scrapes. This book also kept you guessing as to how everything went together to the very end. I think it is definitely a book that mystery lovers would like.
February 3, 2013
I like to start a series at the beginning and this wasn't. Maybe I would have liked it better if I knew Storm before this adventure.
It did not make me want to visit Hawaii. Also, I don't understand the
title. Although she did dream about a dead person and ended up doing
what she had said. But really.
It did not make me want to visit Hawaii. Also, I don't understand the
title. Although she did dream about a dead person and ended up doing
what she had said. But really.
June 4, 2016
From time to time, it's nice to break away from established reading material, and look into something different. This book has a decent glimps into Hawiian culture. It also has a decently gripping story. And for someone like me who can manage to figure the ending out by the middle of the book, this one thru my for a surprising loop.
August 23, 2011
Although this book had my 3 favorite "things" in it, Hawaii, books and Scuba Diving, I thought the story fell short and was simply "blah". Unless I need them for challenges, probably won't continue on in the series.
April 8, 2014
This was a good book. Due to the subject, it was a more difficult read than the others but it also had a compelling depth to it that makes you want to keep reading until you get to the resolution.
Does anyone know? Will there be anymore books in this series? I hope so.
Does anyone know? Will there be anymore books in this series? I hope so.
May 30, 2015
I wish I had started earlier in this series, but the book was decent as a stand alone--well plotted, good characters, believable detection, and a fine sense of place (Maui). I would give it a 3+ as it doesn't stand out from lots of other competent mysteries, but rounded it up to 4
March 13, 2014
Great reading!
I got hooked on the first book and kept getting the one after Great to read and keep you guessing
I got hooked on the first book and kept getting the one after Great to read and keep you guessing
February 9, 2015
Interesting plot twists but parts were very predictable. Don't know if I want to swim near Maui after reading this book.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews