Those familiar with the TV series Hawaii Five-0 will find many similarities in the setting of this novel. In fact, at first you will even think that it may have been written to serve as inspiration for a new season of the TV show. In reality, things then get a little complicated, also because the investigation of a murder discovered by pure chance is intertwined with the risk of discovering what the hero of the story had done in the past - when he was a young man full of pain and anger -. Eventually, as it should be, all the chickens come home to roost and our hero discovers the murderer and loses what he considered a close friend. Although not spectacular and with a few passages a little dragged out, it is nevertheless an enjoyable entertainer.

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Treachery Times Two is a modern murder/corruption procedural set in Hawaii and the fourth book in the Koa Kāne series by Robert McCaw. Released 4th January 2022 by Oceanview, it's 352 pages and available in audio and ebook formats.

This is a procedural with a well established ensemble cast and the added contrast of what should be an idyllic paradise setting with the investigation into the murder and mutilation of an unidentified woman who is discovered in an abandoned graveyard after a volcanic earthquake. The titular protagonist has a conflicted and flawed past himself along with being forced to navigate problems with his immediate family (his brother's incarcerated). There are some scenes which might be too graphic for some readers. It's a modern procedural and some descriptions are gritty.

The writing is competent but struck me as choppy and abrupt in some places. It reads more like a military thriller (a la Tom Clancy) than a police procedural for a small town police force. I also had a few difficulties with the liberal use of the Hawaiian language throughout the book. It added verisimilitude, but where it wasn't explained in context, it left me a bit confused.

I suspect that my issues with the book were due more to my preconceptions than the author's stylistic intentions (i.e., my fault). I went into the book expecting Hawaii Five-0 and got Jack Reacher. Definitely readable, and enjoyable, just not what I was expecting. Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

What a great read! 4 solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️stars!

This was my first Koa Kane Mystery and regardless can be read as a stand alone!

I loved the breakneck speed this plot moves and the writing style makes you really feel like you are in a Hawaiian mystery!

Without giving anything away, the FBI investigation of espionage was to me a back story compared to the character study of Detective Koa Kane’s dark past coming to light!
All of the characters felt real and fleshed out.

If you want a mystery that’s easy to read, quick pace and can’t put down, try out Treachery Times Two!
I definitely I’ll be going back and reading this series from the beginning!

Santa Blows The Case Open. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking (accurately) that Santa is never once mentioned in this police procedural/ mystery set in Hawaii and showing off many elements of its land and people not often seen by non-Islanders. But I swear the connection is there, at least for me - you see, there is one particular clue that blows at least part of this case wide open. It tells Koa, our hero, that all is not as it seems - and an *eerily* similar situation, wherein x happens (though not the exact particulars and certainly not in a murder investigation), is how I learned that Santa wasn't real nearly 30 years ago. So that was cool for me personally, and shows that just that thing *can* actually lead to life changing real-world events. Overall truly an excellent book of its type, one that shows a great layering of plot and characterizations in order to show just how complex we all are - even when we look like we're not. Very much recommended.