Member Reviews
I really enjoyed reading this cozy mystery set in a Tiki Bar on the island of Kauai. Em has arrive to help her Uncle run the Tiki Goddess Bar. When a body is found in the parking lot she sets out to solve the murder. I really enjoyed the setting and there are lots of fun quirky characters. The mystery was good with plenty of suspects although I was able to solve it. The solution made sense. I look for word to reading the next book in the series. Enjoy
This one was just an average read for me. Nothing special. I did like the different setting from my usual cozy mysteries. I wish the characters were a bit more fleshed out. Overall a decent read though.
Mai Tai One On by Jill Marie Landis
I did not review this book. VIt was a romantic novel. This was mot in my genre.
This was such a fun book to read due to the quirky characters. I loved their adventures and they had me laughing throughout. I loved my visit to Hawaii in this book as well.
Many thanks to BelleBooks and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.
One of the quirkiest, cozy reads that I have read in a while that made me smile the whole time I was reading. It was refreshing and I felt like I was on vacation the entire time.
Jill Marie Landis writes The Tiki Goddess Series, and Mai Tai One On is the first in the series. Rather than dwell on the food (although there are lots of food references), this series focuses on cocktails served at a rundown bar on the North Shore of Kauai called The Tiki Goddess. Em Johnson, a divorcee who has escaped from her former life, runs the bar, and discovers the body of a neighbor who was a troublemaker, in her Goddess luau pit. With the help of some elderly has-been dancers, Em tries to find the murderer because she is blamed.
Landis is a veteran writer, and knows how to tell a story with a little romance and a lot of humor. This is not to say that there isn’t suspense – there is, and it builds throughout. Readers won’t know who-done-it until the very end. There are several cocktail recipes included, and the characters, who are mostly likeable and believable, will tempt readers to pick up the remaining books in the series. Fun! Fun! Fun
Mai Tai One One by Jill Marie Landis is the first book in A Tiki Goddess Mystery series.
Em is divorced, broke and jobless when she gets a call to go and help her uncle who is running a tiki bar in Hawaii. She is just settling in when their obnoxious neighbor is found dead, burned in imu pit. Unfortunately her waitress's past is not as straightforward as should be and she almost immediately becomes a person of interest. Uncle Louie is not above suspicion either. So Em has no choice but to try to figure out who had it for the much disliked local.
I loved the setting, beautiful nature and breathtaking beaches of Hawaii make it one of the most desirable places. Also I liked the tiki bar and uncle Louie's constant recipe tasting.
There are enough characters both main and supporting. Although I thought that too many times Em behaved irresponsibly not to say stupidly as well. She wasn't a very likable character in my opinion.
I also found Maiden's spiteful, too quarrelsome instead of funny and quirky as I had expected. Ronald and Em's romantic moments are entertaining but too sparse.
It is a well thought out and written story but above mentioned things quite ruined it for me.
I hope that next installment will prove to be much better.
This book was not only a good mystery it had so much humor in it I laughed so hard. Em has just been through a rough divorce, financial ruin and needs a change in her life. When The Maidens a Hula group from her Uncle's bar in Hawaii sends her a one way ticket to come help him run the bar, she jumps at the chance. Little does she know all the mystery, secrets and craziness there is running the bar. Then on top of it the neighbor gets killed in the bar's firepit. I loved the addition of the Maidens who added so much humor to the story. I can't wait to read more from this author and series.
I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
A very good cozy mystery!
I liked the cast of characters, the plot was engaging and kept me guessing.
An enjoyable and fun read.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC
This was a great summer read! Even though it's just into fall read it and get those summer vibes back! Great cozy mystery
I really enjoyed Mai Tai On One, and have picked up the others in the series. I liked the zaniness of the Maidens, as well as David Letterman. I am glad to have found another mystery series that I like.
This is a fun, fast paced mystery filled with plenty of Hawaiian culture and customs which will make you want to pack your bags and plan your own trip there. Em is getting over a bad divorce when she receives a letter from the Hula Girls, a group of mature women who perform at her Uncle Louie's bar in Kauai, The Tiki Goddess. They tell her that they are worried about Louie's mental decline and send her a plane ticket. When Em arrives she starts managing the bar with its close knit group of patrons and enjoys life there, but the next door neighbor Harold has a habit of burning his trash right when the bar is staging a luau which detracts from the atmosphere. One night Harold is found dead, burned to death in the luau pit and the police seem to be focusing their investigation on Sophie, the young bartender. Em and the Hula Girls believe in Sophie and are off on their own investigation to clear their friend. This is a most enjoyable story, with the great bonus of the wonderful Hawaiian background.
Laugh Out Loud Cozy Hawaiian Mystery
This is the funniest cozy mystery this reader has ever had the pleasure of reading. It features an enormous selection of great characters with a rundown Hawaiian Tiki bar as the backdrop. The plot has several great twists with an ending that is perfect. This is the first in a series of 5 books and I can't wait to read them all! I received this book at no cost and this is my honest review.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The Hawaiian back drop and the crazy characters. If you like your cozy mysteries with some humor then I would definitely recommend this author. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.