The case of a missing Hawaiian girl reveals the dark side of paradise for a former cop in this tropical noir crime thriller from the author of Ruby Tuesday.
Retired LAPD detective Mike Travis has put thousands of miles between himself and his former life by sailing to Kona, Hawaii, where he runs a private yacht charter business and co-owns a coffee farm. But once a cop, always a cop—especially when someone he cares about needs his help.
When a local girl goes missing, her fundamentalist parents don’t even file a report. She is eighteen, after all, and seems to be rebelling against her strict upbringing. But Travis knows the dangers that lurk for young women. On an island trying to keep its traditions from being eroded by outside forces, a perfect storm of misguided morality, malice, and murder threatens the most innocent among them. And Travis will do everything in his power to turn the tide . . .
“The contrast between the dark and sometimes lurid environment in which Mike finds himself and the nearly idyllic image that many people have of the islands is almost surreal and stylishly accomplished . . . As a suspense thriller with a number of unexpected plot twists, it works well.” —Mysterious Reviews
Baron Birtcher spent a number of years as a professional musician, and founded an independent record label and management company. His first two novels, Roadhouse Blues and Ruby Tuesday, are Los Angeles Times and Independent Mystery Booksellers Association bestsellers. Birtcher has been nominated for a number of literary awards, including the Nero Award for his novel Hard Latitudes, the Claymore Award for his novel Rain Dogs, and the Left Coast Crime “Lefty” Award for his novel Angels Fall. He was the 2016 Silver Falchion Award winner for his novel Hard Latitudes and the 2018 Winner of the Killer Nashville Reader’s Choice Award for his novel South California Purples.
Birtcher currently divides his time between Portland, Oregon, and Kona, Hawaii.