An openly gay homicide detective explores the dark corners of sunny Hawai’i.
What the critics have said about the Mahu Investigations:
“Plakcy keeps the waves of suspense crashing!” In LA Magazine
“Hits all the right notes as a mystery.” Mystery Book News
“Kimo brings needed diversity to the genre, and the author handles the island setting well.” Honolulu Star-Bulletin
“Spotless pace, intriguing plots twists, and an earnest depiction of challenges faced by people transitioning out of the closet.” Honolulu Advertiser
“Recommended to a wide audience.” Reviewing the Evidence
Perfect for fans of Joseph Hansen, Michael Nava and John Morgan Wilson.
Mahu: Mahu Investigations Book 1
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A gay police detective investigates the dark corners of sunlit O'ahu Mahu---a generally negative Hawaiian term for homosexuals---introduces a unique character to detective fiction. Kimo Kanapa'aka is a handsome, mixed-race surfer living in Honolulu, a police detective confronting his homosexuality in an atmosphere of macho bravado within the police force. A man of intelligence, strength, honesty, resourcefulness, and intense dedication to the people of Hawaii, Kimo is a hard-boiled hero you will never forget. Fast-paced, intricately plotted, thoroughly enjoyable, this is a sexy, surprisingly moving mystery about discovering oneself as much as catching a killer. Kimo Kanapa'aka's world turns upside down in Mahu. At 32, the hero of Māhū has reached the pinnacle of his profession, detective on the Honolulu Police Department's homicide squad, based at the Waikīkī station. But a difficult murder case, as well as turmoil in his personal life, is about to threaten everything he has worked for. |
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A life-threatening drug bust in chapter 1 makes Kimo realize that it's time to stop lying to himself. He's drawn to the Rod and Reel Club, a gay bar in Waikīkī, where he has a couple of beers and begins the long process of accepting his attraction to other men. Leaving the club, though, he stumbles onto two men dropping a dead body in an alley, and he launches himself into a nightmare where his private life becomes public news.
Kimo's pursuit of this case takes him from the seamy underside of Chinatown to the elegance of million-dollar homes in Maunalani Heights, from gay bars where young men stride naked down runways to bloody crime scenes.
Mahu Surfer: Mahu Investigations Book 2
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Going undercover means lying to everyone he loves. MAHU SURFER, the second book in my Mahu Investigations mystery series, sends gay Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa’aka back to his surfing past. His new boss asks the former competitive surfer to go undercover on Oahu’s North Shore to find the killer of three surfers. The catch: he can't tell any of his family or friends that he has returned to the force, causing him to lie, when he has just come out of the closet and begun to tell the truth about his life. Also available in audio from Audible, iTunes and other sites. |
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| Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for best gay mystery. Winner of the Left Coast Crime conference award for best police procedural. |
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Mahu Fire: Mahu Investigations Book 3
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A fiery love affair erupts in the ashes of a deadly bombing. MAHU FIRE, the third Mahu Investigation from Lambda Award finalist Neil S. Plakcy, begins as openly gay Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa’aka attends a local charity event in support of gay marriage. When a bomb disrupts the gala, Kimo, his family and friends are thrust into a deadly contest between the forces of good and evil. |
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MAHU FIRE showcases a handsome, sexy hero who struggles to overcome personal troubles and makes private sacrifices for the public good. Throw in an exotic tropical locale, plenty of aloha spirit and a dash of surf culture, as well as a slam-bang ending that puts Kimo and the people he cares about in danger, and you’ve got the makings of a page-turning mystery. Also available in audio from Audible, iTunes and other sites. |
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Mahu Vice: Mahu Investigations Book 4
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Can Kimo work with the man who broke his heart?
Openly gay Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa’aka is faced with a new murder that comes dangerously close to his personal life.
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A lot stands in the way of their getting together once more, including Mike's identity issues, a mysterious man who knows how to exploit Kimo's sexual fantasies, and a deadly little thing called murder. Also available in audio from Audible, iTunes and other sites. |
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Mahu Blood: Mahu Investigations Book 5
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Kimo's Hawaiian heritage comes to the fore in this deadly investigation 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. |
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| 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. Also available in audio from Audible, iTunes and other sites. |
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Zero Break: Mahu Investigations Book 6
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When another surfer dies, it's personal for Kimo. Zero break refers to the deep-water location where waves first begin, often far offshore. For Honolulu homicide detective and surfer Kimo Kanapa'aka, it means his most dangerous case yet. |
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Natural Predators: Mahu Investigations Book 7
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Kimo's father may hold the key to a case with roots in island history. The beautiful tropical island of O'ahu is filled with predators, from high-flying owls to bottom-dwelling criminals. When the body of an island patrician is found in a warehouse fire, tracking his killers will bring openly gay Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa'aka into contact with many of those predators, natural and otherwise. Kimo and his detective partner Ray Donne dig deep into the history of Hawai'i as the islands were teetering on the brink of statehood in order to understand the victim, his killer, and their motives. |
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Children of Noah: Mahu Investigations Book 8
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On special assignment to the FBI, Kimo faces new dangers In eight previous Mahu Investigations, openly gay Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa'aka has investigated crimes that have taken him around the island, from the Windward to the Leeward Coast and up through the center of the island to the North Shore. Ray has a chance to shine here based on his own growing familiarity with Honolulu, and Mike has a part to play as well in the investigation of arson at a day care center. Kimo and Ray must also work with other members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, composed of law enforcement officers from a variety of departments. |
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| Kimo and Ray must negotiate a new bureaucracy and a tricky case, which begins with threatening letters sent to a U.S. Senator and his family. Things heat up as they discover connections to other harassment of mixed-race couples and families, even children. Since his new-born twins are a mix of many cultures, from Hawaiian to haole to Japanese to Korean, Kimo feels especially motivated to solve this case. | ||
Ghost Ship: Mahu Investigations Book 9
Deadly Labors: Mahu Investigations Book 10
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A favor to his mother may put Kimo at odds with his own department. Can Hawaiian native Ikaika Kahale turn his life around after studying the hula in a cultural program at San Quentin and then returning to the AlohaState? Or is the new murder he’s accused of proof that an orchid can’t change its colors?
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Working undercover, Kimo traces the roots of what seems like an unfortunate death in a fight at the bar where Ikaika worked as a bouncer. What was HPD officer Brian Yang doing at the Surf City Crazy Bar? Who was the mysterious man he brawled with before Ikaika intervened and delivered a deadly punch? Kimo’s investigation takes him into the hills of the Windward Coast of O’ahu, where the gorgeous blossoms of a nursery may be hiding a deadly secret. Along the way, he’ll require the assistance of his partner, his friends and his loved ones in a demonstration of what the word ohana, Hawaiian for family, really means. |
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Soldier Down: Mahu Investigations Book 11
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A Case Colder Than Mauna Kea Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa’aka can’t say no when the chair of the House Defense Appropriations Committee asks him to investigate her father’s death. The case may be as cold as the top of Mauna Kea—over fifty years old—but Representative Stacey O’Brien controls the purse strings for the eleven military bases in Hawai’i. |
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| “One of Plakcy's gifts is for his secondary characters. Five stars for the overall effort and dazzling effect of these tales.” A.J. Llewellyn, author of the Last Warrior Series “Plakcy’s storytelling is tight, flawlessly executed, eminently interesting and inspiring.” George Seaton, Out in Print. |
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Unruly Son: Mahu Investigations Book 12
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A Missing Mother and Son A mother and her neurodiverse teen-aged son are missing in one of the parks surrounding Honolulu, and homicide detective Kimo Kanapa’aka must use his knowledge of the landscape, and of human nature, to tackle this case, with more twists and turns than a mountain trail. Pressure mounts from civic and tourism leaders, as well as the news media. Kimo must confront old adversaries as he negotiates tricky questions. What does it mean to be a parent? How can you protect your children while at same time preparing them to be free someday? The heart and warmth of Kimo’s ohana will provide the answers in this thrilling new mystery from an award-winning author. |
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The Virgin Homicides: Mahu Investigations Book 13
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Two Dead Women. Will Kimo's Niece be Next? The latest Honolulu homicides in the long-running Mahu Investigations series are perplexing, even to a seasoned detective like Kimo Kanapa’aka. The two female victims, a young art college student and a seasoned HR executive, seem to have nothing in common. Yet as Kimo and his partner Ray Donne delve deeper into the investigation, they sense a connection between the two. Navigating the murky waters of teen dating, fashion influencers, an experimental power company, and a group of frustrated young men, Kimo is determined to find the truth. But when his own family is threatened, the stakes become personal, and Kimo is forced to race against time to bring the killer to justice. |
Accidental Contact: Short Stories of Crime in the Aloha State
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21 Short Stories Newly revised to include all twenty-one of the Kimo's short investigations in the Aloha State. From murderers to missing babies to a shaggy dog with an unusual appetite, Kimo has his hands full. The stories fill in the time periods between the main novels. This collection also includes "Macadamia Nuts to You," a story that brings Kimo together with Anthony Bidulka's Saskatoon-based private eye, Russell Quant. Sun-drenched streets hide bodies in their shadows and clues lurk in the most unusual places, from a hearse to flowering hedge to a psychic who provides Kimo with an unexpected revelation. These sexy, smart and satisfying stories will please new readers and fans of the Mahu series as well. |
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Mahu Men: Gay Hawaiian Erotica
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Kimo-Rotica WARNING: These are piece of erotic fiction, not crime fiction, though there may be mystery elements. This is a new and revised edition of the previously published book, confined only to erotica. Other crime stories featuring Kimo are collected in the anthology Accidental Contact. Over the years, I've written a number of erotic short stories about Kimo. Most of them take place early in his coming out process, before he meets fire investigator Mike Riccardi and settles down. This collection features ten erotic stories that move from pickups to murders. Kimo surfs the waves of his professional and personal lives in a sexy, sensual tropical paradise, where danger and desire lurk behind every palm tree. The collection also includes "The Honolulu Hula," the only story so far that is told from Mike's point of view. The stories fill the gaps between the Mahu novels, showing Kimo dating as well as solving cases and establishing a relationship with his new detective partner. Mixing the sensuality of erotica with the sharp-edged attitude of mysteries, Mahu Men is a chance for new readers to meet Kimo, and for fans to delve more deeply into his world. |
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