Fire Knife Dancing

Det. Apelu Soifua risks losing his career—and his life—in a case that exposes the dark heart of American Samoa, from the author of Pago Pago Tango.

Long before he was a cop, Apelu Soifua performed as a fire knife dancer during his teen years in San Francisco. The Polynesian dance troupe was headed by Ezra Strand and his wife, who now live in a secluded house on the cliffs between the ocean and the jungle in Piapiatele. The elderly Ezra has once again been caught discharging a firearm, and Apelu must confiscate the weapon. He never expects Ezra to turn the shotgun on him . . .

After uncovering what appears to be a smuggling operation in Ezra’s house, Apelu heads to Western Samoa to investigate. He returns home with a list of women who immigrated to the American territory—and were never heard from again. When fingers start to point at Apelu and he becomes the main suspect in the murder of a prostitute, he turns to Ezra’s beautiful and mysterious neighbor for help. With Apelu branded a fugitive, they begin their own search for the truth, which unveils the evil and greed hidden behind the public masks of those in high places . . .

“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.” —Kittling: Books