Pg. 69: Deborah Turrell Atkinson's "Pleasing the Dead"

The current feature at the Page 69 Test: Pleasing the Dead by Deborah Turrell Atkinson.

About the book, from the publisher:

Some nasty predators dwell in paradise, and they aren’t all hiding in the azure waters. The day attorney Storm Kayama arrives in Kahului to help Lara Farrell set up her new dive shop, someone bombs a restaurant. When one of Lara’s employees, a recent Japanese immigrant, kills himself and one of his young daughters, Storm begins to ask questions.

The tentacles of the Yakuza, the dangerous, Japanese organized crime group, grip local businesses, real estate, and politics. Cunning and deadly, the clan leaders exploit underage women and eliminate anyone who dares face up to them.

Storm finds herself up against a lethal and faceless enemy, in a place where disposing of a victim is easy as dumping her in shark-infested waters.

But who is hunting whom? In a struggle to the death, Storm begins to realize that surviving doesn’t always mean living. For some, the ghosts of the past may be more painful than the anguish of the present.

Hawaii lawyer Storm Kayama must battle against the yakuza's presence and an ancient adherence to tradition to save more young girls from a terrible fate.

Learn more about the book and author at Deborah Turrell Atkinson's website.

Deborah Turrell Atkinson lives in Honolulu, Hawaii. She is the author of three previous Storm Kayama novels: Primitive Secrets (2002), The Green Room (2005), and Fire Prayer (2007).

The Page 69 Test: Pleasing the Dead.

--Marshal Zeringue