Downloading Mahu Blood (Mahu Investigations Book 5)

Openly gay Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa’aka and his partner, Ray Donne, are on duty at a rally in downtown Honolulu organized by Kingdom of Hawai’i, one of many competing groups which seek reparations from the US for the loss of land and independence. An elderly woman is shot dead there, only a few feet from where Kimo’s mother and nephews are taking part in the demonstration, and Kimo and Ray take the case.

At the same time, Kimo’s dealing with domestic difficulties, having just moved in with his partner, fire investigator Mike Riccardi. Since both are alpha males, the transition to shared living space isn’t easy, especially because Mike’s parents live next door.

As Kimo and Mike struggle to adapt to living together, they begin to forge their own ohana—a Hawaiian term which means family, as well as community. The theme of ohana resonates through both Kimo’s personal life and his investigation of the murder as Kimo and Ray follow clues through a labyrinth of competing groups, uncovering a trail of gambling, money laundering, and mental illness.

The title refers both to the blood spilled in three murders, as well as the blood ties that link native Hawaiians to each other. People come together in many ways here—through native heritage and family ties as well as love and fellowship.

“Plakcy’s storytelling is tight, flawlessly executed, eminently interesting and inspiring.” George Seaton, Out in Print.

“Neil S. Plakcy’s Mahu series is one of my favorites.” Melanie M, reviewer at Joyfully Jay.

“To the mystery genre, Kimo Kanapa' aka is a refreshing tropical breeze.” Janie Franz, MyShelf

Books in the Mahu series have reached the finalist stage for the Lambda Literary Awards as well as winning mystery fan awards and acclaim from mainstream publications such as Kirkus Reviews and Library Journal.

Romancing the Book Review: As everyone who knows me is aware, I absolutely love this series about Kimo Kanapa'aka, the publicly outed gay cop in Honolulu. Kimo appeals to me on several levels - his masculinity (yes, he's gay but that doesn't mean he's a fairy), his surfing abilities, his love for family and friends, his ability to foster gay teens in an outreach program and give them honest answers to their darkest and most personal questions, and his ability to kick ass as a detective.

In the latest installment, Kimo and his partner, Ray, must find the killer of an elderly woman shot during a Kingdom of Hawai'i rally and of a slow yet talkative lolo (crazy) man living in a group home who was set on fire. At the same time he is dealing with a number of other issues - difficulties at home after moving in with fireman-boyfriend Mike, worries over a young and ignorant mother connected to the case, agonizing over the fact that his own mother could have been the victim at the rally, and concerned with his brother's addictions. Plus he has to constantly remind everyone that Stuey, the man from the group home, was not homeless, no matter what he looked like. All in all, Kimo does what Kimo does best - he cares for his ohana.

Plakcy has come up with another winner, not only in Kimo Kanapa'aka but in the overall detective genre as well. The characters are well written and, living in Hawai'i as I do, I can see the qualities of people I have met here on the island in the characters of Mahu Blood. The language used is choice (that's pidgin for excellent), the places are fo' real (except for the one's that aren't), and the events, unfortunately, could actually happen. I also love the new covers for all the Mahu books!
Now I'm just waiting for a book titled "Mahu Kapu" (translated - gay men forbidden).

Favorite Quote: After Mike and I had licked and sucked and rubbed each other to orgasm, he went right to sleep, but I lay there in bed next to him for a few minutes, relishing the feeling, once again, of bringing down the bad guys and making things right with the world, even if only for a little while.