Death Of A Messenger by Robert B. McCaw – Review.

About The Book

On Hawaii Island, an anonymous 911 caller reports a body at Pohakuloa, the Army’s live-fire training area. Hilo Chief Detective Koa Kane, a cop with his own secret criminal past, finds a mutilated corpse–bearing all the hallmarks of ancient ritual sacrifice. 

He encounters a host of obstacles as he pursues the murderer–an incompetent local medical examiner, hostility from both haoles (Westerners) and sovereignty advocates, and a myriad of lies. Koa races to discover whether the victim stumbled upon a gang of high-tech archaeological thieves, or learned a secret so shocking it cost him his life and put others in mortal danger. 

Will Hilo’s most respected detective stop this sadistic fiend–or will the Pohakuloa killer strike again, with even deadlier consequences?

My Review

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. My knowledge of Hawaii begins and ends with the remake of the TV series Hawaii 5-0. This book was a lot more detailed, more interesting and more entertaining than that series. As well as knowing little about Hawaii I have no knowledge of archaeology or astronomy, but it didn’t stop me enjoying this novel. 

Whilst I have no knowledge of archaeology I found this aspect of the novel fascinating, I’m not sure I would like to discover some of the finds, they were a little creepy and intimidating but the author did a wonderful job of showing how important they were to those who have an interest. I enjoyed reading about the history of Hawaii, the way of life and the often antagonistic attitude between Hawaii and the United States. It was something I had never considered, but it was believable

Koa, the lead detective in this novel was a character I warmed to straight away. Like many before him he had a skeleton in his closet, but he lived his life trying to make amends for what he did. I found him to be devoted and protective towards his partner, loyal to his friends and respectful of Hawaiian history and culture. 

There were plenty of red herrings, quite a few dubious characters who could have been the murderer and I liked trying to work out who it could be. I was incorrect but the ending worked perfectly.