Title: Children of Noah (Mahu: Book Nine)
Author: Neil Plakcy
Publisher: MLR Press
Pages/Word Count: 250 Pages
At a Glance: A must read!
Reviewed By: Lana
Blurb: A few months after the birth of his twins, openly gay Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa’aka and begins a temporary assignment to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. Kimo and his HPD partner Ray Donne are quickly thrown into an investigation into threatening letters sent to a U.S. Senator. Are these screeds about racial purity related to an escalating series of attacks against mixed-race couples and families on Oahu?
When arson at a day care center on the Windward Coast brings Kimo’s partner, fire investigator Mike Riccardi, into the case, Kimo worries about the future of his and Mike’s newborn twins on an island falling prey to hate and a cult leader bent on death and destruction.
Review: Kimo Kanapa’aka is back in Children of Noah, and I’m just beside myself! I can’t stress enough how much I loved this book. Fans of Neil Plakcy will not be disappointed. If you are new to the Mahu Investigation series, I highly recommend that you please read all the books before this one to get the breadth of Kimo’s world—because it’s big and colorful. You’ll probably guess from the above that I’m a huge fan. Reading Children of Noah just reinforced the fact that Mr. Plakcy can write a story that will totally draw you in and not let go.
I’m not going to go into the plot of the book, but I will say that all the strings get tied up nicely in the end. It’s a satisfying story that’s juicy and is in line with Kimo’s development as a character. We grow with him from the first book, where he’s kicked out of the closet, to this one, where he is in a committed relationship with Mike. And, by the way, I love Mike. Kimo is taking on a new assignment with the FBI, and most importantly, he is a father. It’s great to experience his expanding ohana, family. Reading this book felt like visiting with my favorite friends, seeing their success and feeling their insecurities. I just can’t say enough how much I loved this book.
I also have to mention that besides Kimo and Mike, another character is featured here, and that’s Hawai’i. The island just comes to life through the people, the landscape, the ocean and the spirit of the islands. In reading the Mahu books, I’m always surprised how diverse and multi-cultural Hawai’i’s population is. This diversity is always a major part of the plot, but there is always this dangerous undercurrent to the island. The contrast between the beautiful, pristine image and the ugly is striking.
Children of Noah is a great addition to the Mahu series. I hope it’s not the last because I want more Kimo adventures. A must read!
You can buy Children of Noah here:
I’ve read them all up to here and have this one in my tbr – looking forward to it even more now!