(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

A disquieting string of murders terrorizes the remote, lush island of Samoa. Det. Sgt. Apelu Soifua has seen a lot in his time with the police force, but even he is unsettled by the bodies that have started piling up. At first, the murders don’t seem connected: a local transvestite found castrated and brutalized, a visiting politician who drops dead on the dance floor, a prison guard and an inmate who kill each other, but as Apelu works with the hospital’s new medical examiner to find out who is behind the rash of killings, a disturbing pattern emerges. Can they put the pieces together before Apelu becomes the next victim?

This is the fourth novel in the Jungle Beat series. Unfortunately, I hadn't read any of the previous three and I think that was to my detriment. I really felt that I had missed something about the backstory of Apelu - so I suggest reading the previous novels first to get a fuller story of the MC.

There are two distinct "good" and "bad" points about this book for me:

The good: the characters. What a unique cast of characters the author has put together here. Bringing together a group of likeable characters isn't always easy but you just have to feel something for Detective Apelu and all those characters he comes into contact with while trying to solve the seemingly unconnected spate of murders.

The bad: the story. This was a case, for me, of "nothing happens." The story ebbs and flows but with no real drive behind it. I didn't feel compelled to discover the connection between the murders, nor did I feel any real sense of urgency as Apelu comes closer to becoming the next victim. Even the ending seemed a bit lackadaisical - the resolution seemed to almost happen by accident...

Overall, a tough novel to get through, but thankfully saved by the brilliant characters that inhabit the islands of American Samoa (where this book is set.)


Paul
ARH