The Mamo Murders (Rue Morgue Vintage Mysteries)

Older Hawaiians believe that the sweltering heat of the Kona season is a harbinger of disaster. With the cooling trade winds stilled, the islands cease to be a paradise. In the past, the season has brought tidal waves, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. This time it brings death. Young, recently married Leslie Farnham returns to her Maui ranch from the mainland only to discover that her older husband, a wealthy Maui castle rancher, has disappeared at sea. Her in-laws have seized the ranch and Leslie finds herself an unwelcome guest in her own home. A stableboy tries to warn her about impending peril but is killed in a sudden, questionable accident. Leslies only ally is novelist Janice Cameron, who has made the trip from Honolulu to Maui on behalf of a friend of the missing rancher. While Janice snoops about the island, her friend Lily Wu does a little sleuthing of her own back on Oahu. This 1952 mystery is a vivid portrait of a changing society whose native people are battling to hold on toand preservetheir traditions and history. A Hawaiian stableboy dies shortly after he announces, "The coffin is ready." Older Hawaiians believe that the sweltering heat of the Kona season is a harbinger of disaster. With the cooling trade winds stilled, the islands cease to be a paradise. In the past, the season has brought tidal waves, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. This time it brings death. Young, recently married Leslie Famham returns to her Maui ranch from the mainland only to discover that her older husband, a wealthy Maui cattle rancher, has disappeared at sea. Her in-laws have seized the ranch and Leslie finds herself an unwelcome guest in her own home. A stableboy tries to warn her about impending peril but is killed in a sudden, questionable accident. Leslie's only ally is novelist Janice Cameron, who has made the trip from Honolulu to Maui on behalf of a friend of the missing rancher. While Janice snoops about the island, her friend Lily Wu does a little sleuthing on her own, back on Oahu. The missing rancher was very popular among the native Hawaiians, who fear that the missing man’s relatives intend to sell off the ranch to developers with no love for native traditions. After two more deaths, Janice begins to wonder if the man’s disappearance really was an accident. Could the three deaths and the rancher’s disappearance have anything to do with the violation of ancient taboos? This 1952 mystery is a vivid portrait of a changing society whose native people are battling to hold on to—and preserve—their traditions and history. --- No retail ebook available Created from paperback (scanned to PDF) published by The Rue Morgue Press 2002 154 pages ISBN: 0-915230-51-8 Converted to EPUB2 with ABBYY, properly designed in Sigil, validated with FlightCrew, proofread in Sigil. Older Hawaiians believe that the sweltering heat of the Kona season a harbinger of disaster. With the cooling trade winds stilled, the islands cease to be a paradise. In the past, the season has brought tidal waves, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. This time it brings death. Young, recently married Leslie Farnham returns to her Maui ranch from the mainland only to discover that her older husband, a wealthy Maui cattle rancher, has disappeared at sea. Her in-laws have seized the ranch and Leslie finds herself an unwelcome guest in her own home. A stableboy tries to warn her about impending peril but is killed in a sudden, questionable accident. Leslie's only ally is novelist Janice Cameron, who has made the trip from Honolulu to Maui on behalf of a friend of the missing rancher. While Janice snoops about the island, her friend Lily Wu does a little sleuthing on her own, back on Oahu. The missing rancher was very popular among the native Hawaiians, who fear that the missing man's relatives intend to sell of the ranch to developers with no love for native traditions. After two more deaths, Janice begins to wonder if the man's disappearance really was an accident. Could the three deaths and the rancher's disappearance have anything to do with the violation of ancient taboos? By Juanita Sheridan. Originally Published In 1952. A Vintage Hawaiian Mystery--cover.