Em Johnson's Uncle Louie, owner of the legendary Tiki Goddess Bar on the north shore of Kauai, is participating in the Cocktail Shake Off Competition in Honolulu, and Em is accompanying him. The tiki bar is almost as famous for its link to murder as it is for mouthwatering food, Louie's tasty drink concoctions and the Hula Maidens, a troupe of aging dancers, especially after being featured on the reality show "Trouble in Paradise." Looking forward to a fun time, Em isn't sure that will happen when the notorious Hula Maidens decide to attend the esteemed event.

Shortly after their arrival at the Hawaiian Hilton, Louie's sacred "Booze Bible" is stolen from their suite and held hostage for $100,000 ransom. Worried about getting the irreplaceable book back and having to come up with a new drink for the competition without the bible and his taste- testing parrot, Louie decides to rent a monkey guaranteed to have a knack for knowing if a drink is great. If these circumstances didn't promise enough likelihood for chaos, Em's ex-husband is found murdered shortly after having lunch with her...and she's the main suspect.

Of course, the capricious Hula Maidens, who consider themselves a topnotch crime-solving squad, decide to play detective, while also entertaining anyone in the vicinity with their unique hula dancing. Sad to say, they are actually better crime investigators than they are dancers. Lucky for Em, hunky Kauai detective (and part-time fire dancer) Roland Sharpe arrives to salvage the situation, eventually attaining some pretty pleasant rewards.

I love reading and giggling through the Tiki Goddess mysteries by Jill Marie Landis and the fourth entry, TOO HOT FOUR HULA, is another great one. The hilarious, realistic characters "dance" off the pages under the author's deft pen. TOO HOT FOUR HULA is a fun, quick read with nary a lull in the engaging plot, and I can't wait to see what Ms. Landis has in store for this entertainingly zany cast in their fifth outing.

Book Summary

A marauding monkey, a mysterious murder, middle-aged hula maidens, and mugs full of Mai Tai's. Just another day in Tiki Goddess Paradise…

Crime-solving sleuth Em Johnson and her Uncle Louie, owner of the famous Tiki Goddess Bar on Kauai, head for the Cocktail Shake Off Competition in Honolulu. What is supposed to be a fun trip to a mixology contest turns weird when Louie's legendary "Booze Bible" is stolen, and Em's ex- husband winds up dead-with Em the number-one suspect.

Sexy Kauai detective and part-time fire dancer Roland Sharpe rushes to Em's side along with the unpredictable Hula Maidens, whose detective skills are even more haphazard than their dance routine at the island tiki bars. Toss in an escaped monkey and a killer who wants to make this the last call for someone's honky-tonk, tiki-tossing night out, and it's going to be another wild escapade for Em and her Hula Maidens.