On Flashback Fridays I will share with you
the books I was not able to review
when they were first released that have been screaming at me
from my To-Be-Read bookshelf.

Mai Tai One On (The Tiki Goddess Mystery Series)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Hawaii
Bell Bridge Books (July 3, 2011)
Hardcover: 228 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1611947939
Paperback: 228 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1611940442
Kindle ASIN: B005CD2RC4

Six months ago, if anyone would have told Em Johnson she’d end up divorced, broke, and running the dilapidated Tiki Goddess Bar on the magical North Shore of Kauai she would have told them to shove a swizzle stick up their okole. As if all that isn’t bad enough, when an obnoxious neighbor with a grudge is found dead in the Goddess luau pit, suspicion falls on Em and the rest of the Goddess staff. With the help of a quirky dance troupe of over-the-hill Hula Maidens, Em and the cast of characters must ban together to find the killer and solve the mystery before the next pupu party.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Doesn’t that cover just scream fun! and murder!
Em Johnson’s uncle owns Tiki Goddess Bar on the North Shore of Kauai. The Hula Maidens, a group of seniors who dance at the joint have written to Em and asked her to come because they are worried about her uncle’s memory, plus the place is losing money fast. With nothing to hold her on the mainland she hops a plane. She has been there are 6 months and some of her ideas have started to turn the place around. The jury is still out on her uncle. But when one of the bar’s neighbors is found dead, in the Imu, (the pit where they cook the pigs for the luaus) Uncle Louie is the police’s prime suspect.
What really makes this book sing or I should say dance is its cast of quirky characters. Their antics had me in stitches from the first page until the last. The Hula Maidens are a hoot and Detective Roland is a fire dancer when he isn’t trying to put Uncle Louis or their new bartender behind bars. A new neighbor is quite flamboyant and the dead neighbor took obnoxious to a whole new level. There is also parrot named David Letterman, who is the taste tester for Uncle Louie’s new creations and he is a big fan on the television show Survivor. The ringmaster trying to hold this whole circus together is Em Johnson and while trying to protect the people she cares for she doesn’t always make the best decisions.
This series gets off to a nice start with not only a murder or two but also a kidnapping and a human femur bone found on a shelf. Everyone seems to be holding something back and those secrets lead in many different directions. Detective Roland seems to be around often but in addition to asking questions the Hula Maidens think he has romantic ideas about Em. She feels a little spark too, but until the case is solved she has no interest in the fire dancer, no matter how good he looks in that loin cloth.
I have never been to Hawaii and probably will never get there so I really enjoyed this little virtual escape. I will be back when I read book #2, Two to Mango.
If you like your cozy mysteries to include a nice slice of humor, fix yourself a mai tai and enjoy!

Find out more about Jill Marie Landis on her webpage here.
I read this book on my Kindle but when I was longing it into my Reading Diary
I saw I had a trade paperback copy of my PaperBackSwap shelf,
so I giving that copy away!
Contest is open to anyone over 18 years old
with a US or Canadian mailing address.
Duplicate entries will be deleted. Void where prohibited.
You do not have to be a follower to enter but I hope you will find
something you like here and become a follower.
Followers Will Receive 2 Bonus Entries For Each Way They Follow.
Plus 2 Bonus Entries For Liking My Facebook Fan Page.
Click the Like Button at the top of this post for a Bonus Entry.
Add this book to your WANT TO READ shelf on GoodReads for 3 Bonus Entries.
Pin this giveaway to Pinterest for 3 Bonus Entries.
If you publicize the giveaway on Twitter or Facebook or anywhere you will receive
5 Bonus Entries For Each Link.
Contest Will End September 29, 2017 at 11:59 PM CST
Winner Will Be Chosen By Random.org
Winner Will Be Notified By Email
and Will Be Posted Here In The Sidebar.
Click Here For Entry Form
*This book was from my private collection. The opinions I have expressed are my own
Love the title of this one, I’ve had it on my wish list.