Blood Jungle Ballet by John Enright

First Line: To begin to understand it all, Apelu had to jump back two years, then connect the dots forward.

Life is changing for Detective Sergeant Apelu Soifua. His son, the only one of his children to stand by him when his wife left, is now fighting in Afghanistan. There is a new woman in his life. Everything seems to be pulling him away from being a police officer-- until a string of bizarre murders occurs. None of the murders seem to be connected since the victims range from a transvestite all the way to a politician, but when he begins working with the new medical examiner and a promising young officer named Ropeti, a pattern does begin to emerge-- a pattern that could make Apelu the next victim.

There is an "end of series" feeling to Blood Jungle Ballet that I hope is only in my imagination. I really look forward to John Enright's Jungle Beat mysteries, not only for the stories he tells, but for his poetic descriptions of the natural world of Samoa and his insight into its rich culture.

It takes some time for the clues and evidence to begin to come together, partly because higher-ups have decided that none of the murders need to be investigated. Apelu has to take care of other cases and not look as though he's working on something his bosses have told him to stay away from. When he's not on the job, he spends time reflecting on his life and what he really wants from it. Even though he grew up in California and first became a policeman there, Apelu has always worn Western culture very uneasily. In his heart and his mind, he's Samoan, and the more he thinks about it, the more he believes he wants to return fully to the culture and traditions of his people.

There are three new characters in this book whom I enjoyed. The new woman in Apelu's life and the new medical examiner represent two sides of Samoa: the native Samoan who can be a free spirit yet very much a part of her culture, and the outsider, who would love to know more about Samoa's traditions and history yet feels almost shunned by its natives. Ropeti the young Samoan police officer is a quick learner with a sense of humor whom Apelu seems to be training as a replacement. If the series focus should shift to Ropeti, I could be very happy with that-- as along as Apelu remains in the picture as his mentor.

Blood Jungle Ballet is a very rich and textured mystery-- and can easily be read out of series order-- but it wasn't quite as satisfying as the other books in the series for me. (Two of which made my Best Reads of the Year lists.) Very early on when Apelu had a conversation with an island resident, a chill ran down my spine. One of those chills that tell me I just encountered the guilty party. At that point, one part of my brain demanded to rush ahead to discover if all my deductions were correct. I didn't pay attention and forcibly kept this brain of mine on island time because I savor the time I spend with Apelu Soifua-- even when I wonder why it took him so long to solve this particular crime. 

Blood Jungle Ballet and all the rest of John Enright's Jungle Beat mysteries are perfect blends of setting, character and story. They're just the thing for anyone who loves traveling the world solving crime from his comfy armchair.

Blood Jungle Ballet by John Enright

ASIN: B00GS9KMDC 

Thomas and Mercer © 2014

eBook, 284 pages

Police Procedural, #4 Jungle Beat mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

The Dead Don't Dance by John Enright

First Line: What Apelu liked about walking down the road through To`aga was that nothing much ever changed.

Following a family tragedy, Detective Apelu Soifua has moved to a very sparsely populated island in Samoa, roughing it on a family plot of land, doing a lot of walking, a lot of brush clearing, and a lot of drinking. He is in self-imposed exile, and has little to do with other humans other than a recluse and a pair of marine biologists based in the National Park of American Samoa.

Apelu's exile is turned on its ear when a rather hostile team of surveyors arrive on the island and begin ripping through a section of  his family's land. When he does a little checking, he learns that there are plans to build a resort hotel on the beach-- plans that are almost guaranteed to destroy the coral reef and the island's peaceful way of life. When a gruesome murder is committed, Apelu must come back from leave to solve the case officially.

I can't put it any plainer than this: I love this series, and it just keeps getting better. But I also have to admit that when I began reading The Dead Don't Dance, you could've heard my groan all over town. I don't have that many pet peeves when I read crime fiction, but one of them is my intolerance for drunks. Having this book begin with a self-pitying man trying to drink himself into oblivion filled me with dismay; however, I kept reading on the strength of the two previous books in the Jungle Beat series. I'm so glad I did because The Dead Don't Dance is the best one so far.

The mystery is a strong one, filled with native legends, strong hints of the supernatural (or is it really?), shady people up to no good, and the environmental impact one resort could have on an entire area.  The mystery alone makes the book good, but there are three more things that make it wonderful.

Enright is a poet, and it shows when he describes the Samoan landscape and wildlife. The man paints with words.  He has also created an excellent character in Apelu Soifua. In the previous two books, he's mostly seen as a detective with only glimpses into his family life. In The Dead Don't Dance, we see him as an investigator naturally, but we also get to see him as a father spending time with his son. It is a relationship that adds depth and a wide range of emotions-- from humor to heart-stopping fear-- to the story.

Last but certainly not least is the author's depiction of Samoan culture, family life, language, and myths. It is a culture that is still trying to survive the aftermath of World War II as well as the present-day inroads of greedy, technology-laden American and European lifestyles. I've learned so much about this place and these people from reading his books-- anything from how land ownership is dealt with to how people travel from island to island (and much more). 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.

The Dead Don't Dance by John Enright

ISBN: 9781612185026
Thomas & Mercer © 2014
eBook, 252 pages

Police Procedural, #3 Jungle Beat mystery
Rating: A+
Source: Purchased as an eBook from Amazon.

Fire Knife Dancing by John Enright

First Line: For many years it was the only house out there, a house of elegant exile.

Ezra Strand has been firing off a shotgun at hikers and boaters along the cliffs near his house again, and Detective Apelu Soifua goes out to the remote area to warn him. Again. But when the old man takes a shot at Apelu, the situation becomes serious. Taken into town and put in jail, the old man seems demented and refuses to speak anything but Samoan. Apelu knows better. Ezra and his wife ran a Polynesian dance troupe in the United States-- a dance troupe that Apelu performed with during summers and school holidays when he was a teenager. Ezra knows how to speak English. Then there's the matter of strange caches of supplies in Ezra's house. When Apelu goes back to investigate, the supplies have disappeared. Before he can do anything about it, the body of a young woman turns up, and Apelu is accused of her murder. He must clear his name, but the only way he can do so is by hiding out. Staying away from his fellow police officers and his family is his one chance to find the answers he so desperately needs.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Pago Pago Tango, and I'm thrilled to say that I loved this one. 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. The detective has his hands full with his fugitive investigation, but even more tension is added by the strain that his marriage is under. He dearly loves his children, but he and his wife seem to be growing apart.

The author also brings the setting to life vividly and poetically with the "sea-peaceful starry nights" of the islands, the differences between Western and American Samoa, and how-- starting with World War II-- Western culture has been inexorably changing the landscape and its people.

The story moves swiftly, and in no time at all the reader is aware that Apelu has stumbled into a Gordian Knot of crimes. Separating the various strands and identifying the culprits leads the detective further and further into danger-- and kept me turning the pages faster and faster.

With his skillful blend of character, story and an unforgettable setting, John Enright has become an author whose books I do not want to miss.

Fire Knife Dancing by John Enright

ISBN: 9781612185019

Thomas and Mercer © 2013

Paperback, 254 pages

Police Procedural, #2 Jungle Beat mystery

Rating: A+

Source: Amazon Vine

Pago Pago Tango by John Enright

First Line: Once upon a time this had been a road.

Detective Sergeant Apelu Soifua was born on an island in American Samoa, and when he was a child, his father moved the family to the mainland where, as an adult, Apelu joined the San Francisco Police Department. After seven years on the force, he moved his own family back to Samoa to take care of his ailing father. His wife works for a shipping company, Apelu is a detective sergeant on the island police force, and they have four children.

Apelu's background makes him very familiar with the differences between the two cultures that co-exist on the islands. He needs every bit of that knowledge with a case he's determined to solve. He is called to the home of a white family in Pago Pago. They've been burglarized, and after speaking with the wife, Apelu goes to the canning factory to meet with the husband, who gives him a list of the stolen items. At first, it seems like an open-and-shut case, but as the detective starts gathering evidence and piecing together clues, he realizes that it's anything but a clear-cut case of breaking and entering.

As Apelu investigates, it becomes very clear that living on a small island where everyone knows everyone else has its advantages. He has to navigate a twisted track between the Samoan and American cultures, finding mystifying codes, dead bodies, and plenty of lies along the way.

Although the real villain's insertion into the plot was a bit too transparent for me, I really enjoyed this book. It's 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. He shares a great deal of information about Samoan culture and the effects that Western civilization has had on the islands. All these insights may seem like so many interesting sidetrips in the narrative, but they aren't; they are vital to understanding how Apelu approaches the investigation.

I was so engrossed in this book that I finished it much too soon. Now I have to wait in hopes of another investigation with the intriguing Detective Sergeant Apelu Soifua. I highly recommend Pago Pago Tango to any crime fiction lovers who like strong stories, intriguing characters, vivid, exotic settings, and learning about other cultures.

Pago Pago Tango by John Enright

ISBN: 9781612185002

Thomas and Mercer © 2012

Paperback, 296 pages

Police Procedural, #1 Jungle Beat mystery

Rating: A

Source: Amazon Vine