Mahu is the first in a series featuring police detective Kimo Kanapa'aka. Kimo is the first in the Honolulu Police Department to come out of the closet - and he didn't even want to. I love the character Plakcy has created. He's got a nice body - tall, tan, muscled and (even if he does say so himself) a nice face. Kimo is just another guy trying to hold onto his life through a series of misadventures. That guy just happens to be gay (even though he tries to deny it).
What I really love about Kimo is that in between chasing down leads and running away from sex he's afraid to have (because that will mean he really is gay), he surfs. He surfs Waikiki and the North Shore. Having recently moved to Oahu, I have been learning all about the beaches and "primo" surf spots through these books.
But Kimo isn't the only one to love. Plakcy has also created a wonderful set of background characters for Kimo from his loving parents and brothers to the gay men he meets to the "uncle" in the Chinese Tong. Kimo plays off all of them deftly and with sincerity.
This is a great mystery and a fun read. Kudos to Neil S. Plakcy for coming up with the wonderful character of Kimo Kanapa'aka!
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