Bøker av John Enright

A haunted island brings American Samoan culture to life—and interlopers to their deaths—in this mystery from the author of Fire Knife Dancing.   After the devastating loss of a loved one, Det. Sgt. Apelu Soifua retreats to the island of Ofu. The isolation of his father’s land—and drinking—bring a temporary peace to his shattered soul. His only friends are two national park workers and the local outcast who has lived in the bush for nearly twenty years—and who has to scared some palangi (Caucasian) surveyors away. But not for long . . .   Attempting to heal at least part of his family—and himself—Apelu brings his oldest son, Sanele, to live with him. But their reunion is marred by the news that a company intends to build a resort hotel on the pristine To’aga beach. The locals know the island spirits have driven people away before—and they will again. When one of the developers is decapitated and his head goes missing, Apelu has a feeling that something has been awakened. And either human or supernatural, it won’t stop until it gets what it wants . . .   “A skillful, suspenseful novel.” —The Providence Journal  “The author’s lyrical and factual evocation of Samoa enriches every part of the book it touches. Story, writing style, character, and culture all combine in John Enright’s Jungle Beat mysteries to form a series that I just can’t recommend highly enough.” —Kittling: Books

Det. Apelu Soifua risks losing his career—and his life—in a case that exposes the dark heart of American Samoa, from the author of Pago Pago Tango.   Long before he was a cop, Apelu Soifua performed as a fire knife dancer during his teen years in San Francisco. The Polynesian dance troupe was headed by Ezra Strand and his wife, who now live in a secluded house on the cliffs between the ocean and the jungle in Piapiatele. The elderly Ezra has once again been caught discharging a firearm, and Apelu must confiscate the weapon. He never expects Ezra to turn the shotgun on him . . .    After uncovering what appears to be a smuggling operation in Ezra’s house, Apelu heads to Western Samoa to investigate. He returns home with a list of  women who immigrated to the American territory—and were never heard from again. When fingers start to point at Apelu and he becomes the main suspect in the murder of a prostitute, he turns to Ezra’s beautiful and mysterious neighbor for help. With Apelu branded a fugitive, they begin their own search for the truth, which unveils the evil and greed hidden behind the public masks of those in high places . . .  “Enright does a superb job of showing the fine line that Apelu must walk between the two very different cultures of American Samoa and the United States.” —Kittling: Books

First in a Samoan-set series featuring police officer Apelu Soifua: “Enright’s portrait of cultural collision is the heart of this engaging series debut.” —Booklist   The city of Tafuna may be located on a tropical paradise, but it’s no stranger to crime. Just like anywhere else in the world, it has its fair share of murder, drugs, and robbery. Which makes Apelu Soifua the perfect man for his job. He’s a cop of two worlds: San Francisco, where he started his career, and now his native Samoa.    Following up on a routine burglary call, Apelu heads to a palangi, or Caucasian, neighborhood. The victim, a VP at SeaKing Tuna—the largest employer on the island—reports only a few items missing. But a fatal shooting at a nightclub a few days later points Apelu to the executive’s hard-partying daughter. With some help from local reporter Lupe, Apelu chases a wave of violence that stems from the burglary—and seeks out what really went missing. The investigation puts Apelu in over his head and is about to be dragged under . . .   “Perfect for any armchair traveling mystery lover. Enright’s descriptions of the Samoan landscape—where the frigate birds are as much a part of the sky as the clouds—are vivid and poetic.” —Kittling: Books  “Enright meticulously interweaves the experience and landscapes of Samoa’s mountains, rain forests and jungles that he knows so well.” —Providence Journal  “The island setting is a terrific backdrop for the story, one that has Soifua bridging the cultural chasm between the local population and the American community.” —Mysterious Reviews

A city, three lives, four decades, poems, drugs, booze, hippies, love, lust, loss-- just keep moving. Some relationships linger across decades and continents, no mater how much individuals change. The links between Patrick, Joanna, Daisy, and San Francisco, though stretched, never snap. San Francisco and the Bay Area are at the heart of this story about three lives evolving over 40 years. When Patrick discovers San Francisco in the summer before the Summer of Love, he is old enough to be drafted for Vietnam, but too young to buy beer. His innocence extends from women to psychedelics. The city will tutor him. Joanna is a Bolinas poet, Daisy her 10-year-old daughter. In a world of lost families, they invent a simulacrum. The city is not just streets and seascapes, but events and the people drawn to and shaped by it. It is North Beach and the Mothers of Invention, City Lights Bookstore and LSD, Hammett's after-midnight fog and the Golden Gate. Patrick leaves and returns, leaves and returns to his default base. Patrick, Joanna, and Daisy-- their histories are entwined with the history of the city. Those were perilous, shifting times, and they rowed their boat through the heart of them.

First in a Samoan-set series featuring police officer Apelu Soifua: “Enright’s portrait of cultural collision is the heart of this engaging series debut.” —Booklist   The city of Tafuna may be located on a tropical paradise, but it’s no stranger to crime. Just like anywhere else in the world, it has its fair share of murder, drugs, and robbery. Which makes Apelu Soifua the perfect man for his job. He’s a cop of two worlds: San Francisco, where he started his career, and now his native Samoa.    Following up on a routine burglary call, Apelu heads to a palangi, or Caucasian, neighborhood. The victim, a VP at SeaKing Tuna—the largest employer on the island—reports only a few items missing. But a fatal shooting at a nightclub a few days later points Apelu to the executive’s hard-partying daughter. With some help from local reporter Lupe, Apelu chases a wave of violence that stems from the burglary—and seeks out what really went missing. The investigation puts Apelu in over his head and is about to be dragged under . . .   “Perfect for any armchair traveling mystery lover. Enright’s descriptions of the Samoan landscape—where the frigate birds are as much a part of the sky as the clouds—are vivid and poetic.” —Kittling: Books  “Enright meticulously interweaves the experience and landscapes of Samoa’s mountains, rain forests and jungles that he knows so well.” —Providence Journal  “The island setting is a terrific backdrop for the story, one that has Soifua bridging the cultural chasm between the local population and the American community.” —Mysterious Reviews

Thor Johnson makes a profession of fighting in other people's wars. So his new assignment, training guard dogs on a Caribbean island, sounds downright relaxing. But it's not relaxing for long. The island is in the grip of a religious cult that aims to sweep the world. The cults's prophet upholds a very old-fashioned family ideal: one husband, many wives. But instead of being one big happy family, the cult is a web of jealous intrigue which soon entangles Thor. Even more entangling is a mysterious dancer. She follows Thor to the island, and soon men are fighting over who will possess her. Thor must go to war once again, battling for his life, and struggling to understand what is happening to his own soul.