‘Primitive Secrets’ by Deborah Turrell Atkinson

Published by Poisoned Pen Press, 1 October 2002. ISBN: 978-1-59058017-2

When Storm Kayama discovers the body of her adopted
uncle Miles Hamasaki dead at his desk in his Honolulu law firm, she is
devastated. Although brought up with his own family, Storm is dismayed to find
that the questions surrounding her uncle’s death quickly show up cracks in the
family structure particularly towards her. Suddenly she is an outsider.

Feeling
somewhat shaken by both the death of Hamasaki and the rift with the family she
always considered herself to be part of Storm decided to visit her aunt and
uncle who live on the Big Island. En route she is almost driven off the road
and only narrowly escapes death. Whilst on the island she accompanies her aunt,
a traditional Hawaiian healer to find some special herbs. While on the mountain
she is separated from her aunt and has a weird experience, which on recounting to
her aunt, she is told is a legend from her youth.  

Set in Honolulu
and invoking the islands legends, the story is about money and greed. But whose
greed? As Storm seeks to discover her uncle’s killer, she is uncertain as to
whether she can even trust the people she has considered her family for so
long. And so, she seeks not only justice for her uncle but to discover just
exactly who she is. A good mystery with a climatic confrontation. --- Reviewer:
Lizzie Hayes

Deborah Turrell Atkinson's mysteries portray an insider's view of Hawaii, a perspective the
tour books never show. Featuring attorney Storm Kayama, the novels lead the
reader off the beaten trail and expose not only the dark side of human nature,
but the legends and folklore of the islands and the unique vulnerability of living
on an island chain. Debby lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, with her husband and their
two teenage sons. A recipient of the University of Hawaii's Meryl Clark Award
for Fiction, she is a graduate of the University of Michigan.