Off the Grid: A Koa Kane Hawaiian Mystery

In McCaw’s digressive sequel to 2015’s Death of a Messenger, Chief Det. Koa Kane, a dedicated Hilo, Hawaii, police officer with a shadowy past, arrives at the scene of what at first looks like an accident involving a car and a truck. A scream rends the air. As Koa races toward the burning car, it explodes, killing the woman inside. He’s then called to the northern edge of Volcanoes National Park, where he finds a “shriveled, naked, partially burned corpse” lying in a gap between two lobes of lava rock. He thinks, “The gods must be angry.” Two murders in one day is unheard of in these parts, and Koa believes that the deaths must be related. Soon he’s up to his ears in blackmail schemes, international espionage, and political shenanigans, and has his own police chief and the CIA breathing down his neck. Slices of island history and culture, bursts of volcanology, and descriptions of the island’s lush and singular flora and fauna pad the narrative. Those fascinated by Hawaii will best appreciate this one. (July)