Leilani Santiago is back in her birthplace, the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i, to help keep afloat the family business, a shave ice shack. When she goes to work one morning, she stumbles across a dead body, a young pro surfer who was being coached by her estranged father. As her father soon becomes the No. 1 murder suspect, Leilani must find the real killer and somehow safeguard her ill mother, little sisters, and grandmother while also preserving a long-distance relationship with her boyfriend in Seattle.
After Leilani Santiago discovers a young pro surfer dead in her family's shave ice shack on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i, she must work to exonerate the No. 1 murder suspect, her estranged father, the star's coach.
"A delicious multicultural mystery with an instantly lovable heroine, lively family dynamics, and a vivid sense of place. I inhaled it like my favorite shave (not shaved!) ice!"
- Sarah Kuhn, author of Heroine Complex
"Iced in Paradise proves why Edgar-winning author Naomi Hirahara is among today's best traditional mystery writers. She magically intersperses Hawaiian culture with an intriguing murder mystery. It's a good thing this is a planned series because you'll want to spend lots of time with Leila Santiago and in her family's shave ice store. The next best thing to actually going to Hawai'i."
- Kellye Garrett, Agatha, Anthony, and Lefty award-winning author of Hollywood Homicide
"After returning home to Kaua'i to help her family, Leilani Santiago finds herself in the midst of a murder investigation and torn between her loyalties. Naomi Hirahara perfectly captures Leilani's Caucasian-Filipino-Japanese multicultural family, with its unique blend of traditions, dialogue, and food. Hirahara depicts local flavors and a gorgeous setting few Mainlanders ever see, along with the challenges of life on a tourist-driven island. This is a delightful new series that promises more compelling adventures of this sharp-witted, relatable heroine."
- Cynthia Chow, branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library, O'ahu
"In Iced in Paradise, we are introduced to Leilani Santiago, a refreshing millennial heroine full of wit, sass, and (as much as she may try to hide it) heart. I tore through this book, delighting in the authenticity of the setting as much as the nuanced cast of characters. Naomi Hirahara has once again crafted a complex mystery steeped in culture that readers will adore."
- Jill Orr, author of The Good Byline and The Ugly Truth
