ATYPICAL DETECTIVE ATTIRE TAKES CENTER STAGE IN ROSALIE SPIELMAN’S LATEST COZY MYSTERY

Rosalie Spielman is a mother, veteran, and retired military spouse. She was thrilled to discover that she could make other people laugh with her writing and finds joy in giving people a humorous escape from the real world with her cozy mysteries. Learn more about Rosalie and her books at her website.

Hallo-waiian Shirts

The detective in the Aloha Lagoon mysteries, shared by all the authors who write for the series, is Detective Ray Kahoalani. The series sleuths are often initially confused by his causal "Island Time" lack of urgency and his Hawaiian-print shirts, but he is still a professional who gets his job done. Our sleuths just sometimes help a little!

 

Kiki Hepburn, the protagonist and amateur sleuth introduced in Death Under the Sea, is a dive tour leader in Aloha Lagoon, a resort town in Kauai. She has settled into a comfortable life living with Auntie Akamai and dating Dex Kokoa, and occasionally solving murders.

 

In our most recent visit to Aloha Lagoon, Hallo-waiian Murder Mystery, Kiki is hanging out with Auntie Akamai and her friends in a rousing pre-Halloween game of mahjong, when one of them collapses, presumably from an allergic reaction. Kiki performs first aid, and the friend is sent off to the hospital, where they later find out she has died. When Detective Ray shows up, Kiki and Auntie Akamai realize it was not an allergic reaction, but murder.

 

While Ray is questioning Kiki, she notices his shirt:

 

Ray's usual Hawaiian shirt was dominated by orange flowers and had a black background, so I couldn't help but smile that he was wearing Halloween colors. At least until I saw the tiny lime green skulls between the flowers. 

 

And in a later scene:

 

Tonight, his Hallo-waiian–print shirt had a purple background with grinning jack o' lanterns scattered amongst fuchsia hibiscuses and teal surfboards.

 

I wrote this, thinking myself quite clever and not realizing that shirts like this actually existed. But I'm thrilled to see that they do! A simple internet search will show you a world of alternatives to the colorful surfers, sunsets, and hibiscus shirts we usually picture, including Halloween-themed ones.

 

I didn't find exactly what I had pictured, but some on Amazon.com came close. I will fully admit to then falling down a rabbit hole of Hawaiian shirts. I've found shirts for enthusiasts of many different things, like cats, Sasquatch, Star Wars, cows, cartoon characters, dinosaurs, and…capybaras. You can even get a custom shirt with pictures of yourself or your pet, nestled among Hawaiian-type foliage.

 

But my absolute favorite find, the Inception of festive casual wear: The Hawaiian shirt of…Hawaiian shirts.

 

You should fully expect to see that one in my fourth Aloha Lagoon book!

 

Hallo-waiian Murder Mystery

An Aloha Lagoon Mystery, Book 20

It's Kiki Hepburn's first Halloween in Aloha Lagoon, and she doesn't know exactly what to expect. Between working at the busy Aloha Lagoon Dive Shop and living with the eccentric Auntie Akamai, life is always unpredictable. But one thing Kiki definitely didn't expect is the sudden death of Auntie Akamai's life-long friend, Celine Suzuki! And when the island's Homicide Detective Ray shows up, Kiki knows the death is not an accident—it's murder.

Now Auntie Akamai's friends are all suspects in the death. Was it Oliana Harris, the Pineapple Princess, and heiress to a pineapple fortune? Margaux La Roux, a transplant from New Orleans? Or Stella Keawe, Akamai's gossipy goose of a neighbor? They're all acting suspiciously. And each is hiding something. But is what they're hiding worth killing over?

Instead of enjoying her first Hawaiian Autumn under the waves, Kiki's investigation takes her to gardens of flowering poisonous plants, an over-the-top animal shelter, a prickly pineapple plantation, and a zombie theme "Hallo-wedding." With time running out and "something" stalking her every move, will Kiki live to see her Halloween treats? Or will this year end in a "trick" Kiki won't come back from?

Preorder (available Oct. 3^rd)