Sometimes paradise isn’t all it’s served up to be. New to both Hawaii and the Aloha Lagoon Resort, Carrie Jorgenson has big dreams of stardom. But while she awaits fame and fortune, she’s forced to accept a job waitressing at the resort’s The Loco Moco Café. It isn’t long before she discovers the dish on her new boss–also known to many as “The Big Kahuna.” Hale Akamu is rich, handsome, … repulsive…and dead. When Carrie discovers Hale’s lifeless body, she’s suddenly forced into yet another role–amateur sleuth. With everyone from Carrie to the saucy chef to the café’s hot assistant manager under suspicion, Carrie needs to track a killer before she becomes his next main entrée! Recipes included!
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What could be better than living in Hawaii? Being broke, having an egocentric cheating boyfriend, and, oh yeah, finding your new boss that everyone hates dead on the hotel kitchen floor with a big knife in his chest. And being the newest employee doesn’t mean much because the entire staff are the suspect list.
A good cozy mystery with believable characters and a sound plot. I loved it!
Narrator Amy Deuchler has a melodramatic delivery that really ratchets up the suspense factor.
I won the audiobook in a giveaway!
This review is for the audio book.
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the characters and found the mystery to be fun and entertaining. It is definitely a series I will be adding to my look out for list. There was plenty of suspects and clues that it will keep you guessing who the killer is.
Carrie is new to the island of Hawaii and in need of a job.The only job she can find might not be what she was looking for and with the boss hitting on her in the job interview one she wants to keep for long but beggars can’t be choosers and at least she will get to work with the hunky Keanu. That is until she stumbles over the boss’s dead body and then what was once a life saver could very easily cost her her life. The police have to many suspects, as Carrie wasn’t the only waitresses he hit on or crossed with his mean temper. The chiefs knife turns out to be the murder weapon and as the police start to focuses in on Carrie and the Chief, it is a toss up as to which one will be arrested first that is if they are not killed first.
I like the narrator and think she plays a big part as to why this book was so much fun. Definitely a series I will be looking out for.
“Death of the Big Kahuna” earns 5/5 Umbrella-ed Mai Tai Cocktails at a Beach Tiki Bar!
This book written by Catherine Bruns is the sixth in Gemma Halliday Publisher’s multi-author series Aloha Lagoon Mystery, and it just may be my favorite. Catherine offers a clever bite from ‘Karma’ giving many of us, who have suffered working for an insufferable boss, a cathartic experience. The characters are well developed people you might just recognize as friends, family, or co-workers. Carrie is a bruised soul for whom you are sympathetic, and that keeps you engaged with her journey and the strength she finds. Descriptions bring the humidity and the tropical aromas to life, and dialogue is as engaging as eavesdropping. This is a marvelous reading journey for it’s humor, suspense, and satisfying resolution.
UPDATED 9/27/19 Audio Version
“Death of the Big Kahuna” earns 5/5 Mai Tai Umbrellas…Engaging Listening Fun!
Catherine Bruns offers in her first book in the Aloha Lagoon Mystery collection a clever bite from ‘Karma’ giving many of us, who have suffered working for an insufferable boss, a cathartic experience along with a delightfully fun setting, mystery, and well-developed characters. Carrie Jorgensen exchanged life in Vermont for Kauai, but finding a job and trying to salvage her romantic relationship is problematic. She finally lands a waitressing job at the Loco Moco Café, and, despite the congeniality of the other employees, the owner, dubbed the “Big Kahuna,” is very worrisome with some “Me, too” behaviors. It gets more worrisome when Carrie happens upon the “Big Kahuna” in the kitchen…dead. Carrie is a bruised soul for whom you are sympathetic, and that keeps you engaged with her journey, her growth, and the strength she discovers she didn’t realize she had. Descriptions bring the humidity and the tropical aromas to life, and dialogue is as engaging as eavesdropping. This is a marvelous cozy journey for it’s humor, suspense, and satisfying resolution.
Even though my journey started with reading the eBook, I was eager to revisit the story by listening to the newly released audiobook. I was not disappointed as my re-experience was greatly enhanced by Amy Delucher very talented narration, who also lends her talents to Bruns’s Cindy York series. Amy does well with the traditional reading out loud performing the tone and emotions to keep listeners, like myself, totally engaged, but she goes beyond just reading. Her voice artistry portrays well the different personalities with varied inflections, tone, and accents like Poncho’s Spanish accent to make this audio version very entertaining. Even though it’s a challenge for female narrators, she did well with the male voices, too. Get a pad and pencil since Amy does read the ingredients and directions for the four recipes included in the book: Poncho’s Pineapple Salsa (I can attest it’s delicious), Pumpkin Roll, Pulled Pork, and Mai Tai Cocktail (sans the little umbrella, of course). The only construction criticism I have is the absence of a Hawaiian dialect. I know it may be stereotypical, but it is set in Hawaii and would have added a uniqueness to the story. All in all…I loved it! A delightful way to enjoy Catherine Bruns’s Aloha adventure…Death of the Big Kahuna is great! Can’t wait for the next book, “Death of the Kona Man.”