Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Fire and Vengeance, by Robert McCaw {ends 7/25}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

Mica Osbourne’s face filled half the TV screen. Her daughter’s picture -- a darling little girl in a pink dress with a pink ribbon in her hair and a teddy bear in her arms -- appeared opposite. The grieving mother’s red eyes and haggard appearance haunted viewers. Koa couldn’t imagine the depth of her despair. “The Education Department is supposed to protect our children. Instead, they took my beautiful daughter, my beautiful little angel. How could they…” her voice broke… “how could they build a school over a volcanic vent?” The picture changed to an aerial view of the wrecked school with the roof ripped off, the walls collapsed, and clouds of steam and noxious gas billowing upward in a mushroom cloud.

These books give me a solid feeling for good and bad things about living in Hawai’i. The author doesn’t limit it to beaches, beauty, and sunshine.

Official synopsis:

Having killed his father's nemesis and gotten away with it, Hilo, Hawai`i Chief Detective Koa Kane, is not your ordinary cop. Estranged from his younger brother who has been convicted of multiple crimes, he is not from a typical law enforcement family. Yet, Koa's secret demons fuel his unwavering drive to pursue justice. Never has Koa's motivation been greater than when he learns that an elementary school was placed atop a volcanic vent, which has now exploded. The subsequent murders of the school's contractor and architect only add urgency to his search for the truth. As Koa's investigation heats up, his brother collapses in jail from a previously undiagnosed brain tumor. Using his connections, Koa devises a risky plan to win his brother's freedom. As Koa gradually unravels the obscure connections between multiple suspects, he uncovers a 40 year-old conspiracy. When he is about to apprehend the perpetrators, his investigation suddenly becomes entwined with his brother's future, forcing Koa to choose between justice for the victims and his brother's freedom.

So much going on! An explosion at the elementary school opens the book, but the more Koa Kane tries to find out how such an atrocity in planning could have happened (the school was built on a volcanic vent, that was scientifically certain to explode eventually), the deeper the mess gets. Several people in positions of power in Hawai’i have been connected to each other for more than 40 years.

Koa Kane and his co-workers and girlfriend all return for this, the third book in the series. We also learn a lot more about Koa’s family. His brother, Ikaika, has always been a troublemaker, but what if there’s a medical explanation for his bad choices? It’s cutting edge medical technology, so they need to think outside the box for Ikaika to get a fresh start. Koa has an opportunity to help his brother more than ever before, and his brother is politely requesting his help. But what will this cost for Koa?

While the characters continued to be charming and engaging, the plot of this book intricately intersects at the most unlikely moments. Between the current building crime, the college history of several key players, and Koa’s own family, there’s a lot of conflict to resolve and truths to unravel. Overall, I’d give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. I’d recommend it for those who like suspense and police procedurals.

{click here to purchase - only $1.99 on Kindle at the time of this writing!}

{read our review of Off the Grid, the first book in the series, here}

Becki Bayley enjoys listening to Handel’s flute sonatas and drinking grape-flavored water while she reads. Find out more of what she’s been up to at SweetlyBSquared.com.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of Fire and Vengeance!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Saturday, July 25th, at 11:59pm EST, and winner will be notified via email the next day, and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

Fire and Vengeance, by Robert McCaw