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Murder on Maui #15
Poe's Rules
He works hard to separate the guilty from the innocent. When he can’t read his client’s poker face, will this PI put the right person behind bars?
Edgar Allan “Poe” Rutherford is nervously facing his newest challenge: fatherhood. With his expectant wife insisting he take on work and quit pacing the room, the expert private investigator is relieved to pick up a call from an attorney in need of his expertise. But with the lawyer’s client up for murder after his missing-for-years spouse shows up dead in a freezer, Poe dives into a cold case now running hot.
Discovering a long line of suspects eager to testify to the accused’s evil ways, Poe fears he may be representing a man capable of homicide. But when well-hidden secrets dangerously make their way to the surface, the seasoned detective races against time to expose the bloody truth.
Can Hawaii’s favorite sleuth stop the body count rising when revenge turns deadly?
Edgar Allan “Poe” Rutherford is nervously facing his newest challenge: fatherhood. With his expectant wife insisting he take on work and quit pacing the room, the expert private investigator is relieved to pick up a call from an attorney in need of his expertise. But with the lawyer’s client up for murder after his missing-for-years spouse shows up dead in a freezer, Poe dives into a cold case now running hot.
Discovering a long line of suspects eager to testify to the accused’s evil ways, Poe fears he may be representing a man capable of homicide. But when well-hidden secrets dangerously make their way to the surface, the seasoned detective races against time to expose the bloody truth.
Can Hawaii’s favorite sleuth stop the body count rising when revenge turns deadly?
304 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 20, 2022
17 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Robert W. Stephens
39 books33 followersRobert W Stephens is the author of the Murder on Maui series, the Alex Penfield novels, and the standalone thrillers The Drayton Diaries and Nature of Evil. When he’s not writing, you can find him behind a camera, directing commercials, videos, and indie films, or you may spot him traveling the world with his wife, where he’ll still be behind a camera, shooting photographs of ancient ruins, Gothic churches, or what they’re about to eat.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 20, 2026
4.5 stars. The read/listen option is a plus, I love hearing Poe's voice when he gets on a sarcastic roll. 😄 Fun read. With Poe's frustrating in-laws, there's never a dull moment. Still there's happy news on the home front (its in the book blurb, but GR's will claim spoiler if I put it here so you'll have to read it yourself 🙄). While Alana is taking it easy, Poe's got a new case to keep him busy. It's a twisty complex one with many possible suspects. The conclusion of the case was not something I ever saw happening. Has Poe made a deadly enemy? On to book 16.
September 8, 2022
Maui private investigator Edgar Allan “Poe” Rutherford works as a consultant to help the Maui police solve a series of murders in this fifteenth installment of the A Murder on Maui series.
Independently wealthy Poe Rutherford first began doing private investigations as an amateur sort of as a hobby. But now, as a professional investigator, he often works as a consultant to help the Maui police with some of their toughest cases. While he started out working with his wife, Alana Hu, a Maui police detective, more and more often, Poe works with Detective Glen Adcock, an arrogant though mostly incompetent detective who uses Poe to solve his cases and then takes all the credit. Poe’s Rules starts out with Poe working as an investigator for a new local attorney, Lea Pane. The Maui police arrested her client, Chance Hawkins after the owner of a local self-storage company discovered the remains of his wife inside a deep freeze inside one of the units and reported it to the police. Pane, convinced her client is innocent, hires Rutherford to help her prove it. Although skeptical at first, Poe eventually helps get Hawkins exonerated. And then, Detective Adcock persuades him to help find the woman’s actual killer. A few more bodies drop along the way before Poe solves the main case, and he has another run in with Mele Akamu, the woman in charge of Maui organized crime. There are several interesting subplots running throughout this story which add to the reader’s interest. Rutherford gets pulled into more drama with his feuding in-laws, and his wife Alana is in the last weeks of her pregnancy with their first child. It all adds up to a very enjoyable read that will please any mystery and detective fan. I recommend getting this one. It’s a first-rate detective mystery imbued with dry wit and charming characters who draw you in and leave you wanting more.
Independently wealthy Poe Rutherford first began doing private investigations as an amateur sort of as a hobby. But now, as a professional investigator, he often works as a consultant to help the Maui police with some of their toughest cases. While he started out working with his wife, Alana Hu, a Maui police detective, more and more often, Poe works with Detective Glen Adcock, an arrogant though mostly incompetent detective who uses Poe to solve his cases and then takes all the credit. Poe’s Rules starts out with Poe working as an investigator for a new local attorney, Lea Pane. The Maui police arrested her client, Chance Hawkins after the owner of a local self-storage company discovered the remains of his wife inside a deep freeze inside one of the units and reported it to the police. Pane, convinced her client is innocent, hires Rutherford to help her prove it. Although skeptical at first, Poe eventually helps get Hawkins exonerated. And then, Detective Adcock persuades him to help find the woman’s actual killer. A few more bodies drop along the way before Poe solves the main case, and he has another run in with Mele Akamu, the woman in charge of Maui organized crime. There are several interesting subplots running throughout this story which add to the reader’s interest. Rutherford gets pulled into more drama with his feuding in-laws, and his wife Alana is in the last weeks of her pregnancy with their first child. It all adds up to a very enjoyable read that will please any mystery and detective fan. I recommend getting this one. It’s a first-rate detective mystery imbued with dry wit and charming characters who draw you in and leave you wanting more.
January 7, 2023
Book Review:
I loved all the books in this series...Loved Poe, Foxx, Alana, Hani, & Mrs.Hu..they were all great....The mysteries kept me guessing as to who committed the crimes...I am sad now that the stories have ended...I felt like I personally knew the characters even Maui their dog...
Thanks for the hours of reading this great series....🙃
I loved all the books in this series...Loved Poe, Foxx, Alana, Hani, & Mrs.Hu..they were all great....The mysteries kept me guessing as to who committed the crimes...I am sad now that the stories have ended...I felt like I personally knew the characters even Maui their dog...
Thanks for the hours of reading this great series....🙃
March 2, 2022
Another great Maui Mystery!
Love the Poe books. Read every one! I was reading them before I moved to Maui and I learned so much. but now I have retired here it is so much fun now living here and knowing exactly where all the scenes take place.
Love the Poe books. Read every one! I was reading them before I moved to Maui and I learned so much. but now I have retired here it is so much fun now living here and knowing exactly where all the scenes take place.
March 5, 2022
Another great adventure.
Love this series. Each book draws the reader further into the lives of all the interesting characters. They also take you from one end to the other of the beautiful island of Maui.
Love this series. Each book draws the reader further into the lives of all the interesting characters. They also take you from one end to the other of the beautiful island of Maui.
March 16, 2022
Poe does it again
I thoroughly enjoy reading the Poe series. Each one comes with a fresh, new twist! Robert writes in such a way that I feel like his characters are friends. Love this read!
I thoroughly enjoy reading the Poe series. Each one comes with a fresh, new twist! Robert writes in such a way that I feel like his characters are friends. Love this read!
June 5, 2022
can’t help but live Poe
I have read all of 15 of his Poe novels. I just hope he continues the series even though Poe and Alana had their baby. I know he can’t keep out of trouble helping others.
I have read all of 15 of his Poe novels. I just hope he continues the series even though Poe and Alana had their baby. I know he can’t keep out of trouble helping others.
March 1, 2022
Who killed her and why??? And then Sam Myers!!! Lots of twists and turns. Welcome Baby Nalani!!! I enjoyed the story and recommend the book.
June 5, 2022
Beyond perfection!!
I didn't want to finish this book because I knew it was the last one. Now I am very sad since I don't know when the next book will be out.
I didn't want to finish this book because I knew it was the last one. Now I am very sad since I don't know when the next book will be out.
August 6, 2023
Great story
Poe has all kinds of problems in this tale. He solves a murder, of course, and takes on the Godmother of Maui. This is a very engaging story.
Poe has all kinds of problems in this tale. He solves a murder, of course, and takes on the Godmother of Maui. This is a very engaging story.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews