Hello! Today on Lil Red’s Book Club, we are going to be discussing the fourth novel in the Koa Kane Hawaiian Mysteries called Treachery Times Two by Robert McCaw. Although this is the fourth book in the series, it can be read as a stand alone title, which is what I did and I also think is very cool. As always, there will be no spoilers in this post so as not to ruin all of the insane twists and turns of this book! Let’s get to it:

Koa Kane is the Chief Detective of Hilo, Hawaii and it is his career to uncover dark secrets and put the bad guys away. However, his past offense of murdering his father’s nemesis and covering it up thirty years ago would definitely qualify himself as someone he should be tracking down. Although he is, indeed, a murderer, Koa worked hard to turn his life around through his time in the military, as a detective, in his community, and with the love of his life, Nalani.

A common saying is to leave the past in the past but that is awfully difficult for Koa when the grandson of his victim comes to the islands investigating his death, which had been ruled a suicide. On top of this, an earthquake had uncovered a makeshift burial ground with a fresh corpse of a Tiger Baldwin, who had been shot and killed as well as had her fingertips cut off. Needless to say, Koa has his hands full.

Tiger’s murder baffles Koa and his team and if they don’t solve the mystery fast, America as we know it could be at stake. Through his detective work, Koa discovers that Tiger works for an ultra high tech and ultra secret company located in Hawaii called X-CO. After much digging, we learn that the employees at X-CO are working on a new military weapon called Deimos – the most dangerous development since the atomic bomb.

When functioning properly, Deimos can withstand and protect soldiers against the terrors of war. But bad code in the programming can cause the machine to begin attacking those it was meant to protect. Was Tiger Baldwin behind this major breach in security or was she trying to fix it? And just how deep does the treason to our country go? Read Treachery Times Two to find out!

Robert McCaw’s Treachery Times Two was a wild ride and it felt like you were right alongside Koa in Hawaii sleuthing too. I loved how McCaw was able to immerse his readers in Hawaiian culture, language, traditions, and scenery. It wasn’t a book just set in Hawaii, because with a big enough imagination, you were in Hawaii. This was so neat to me and I can’t recall a book that I have read recently that included this much detail about the location through such vivid imagery.

If you know Lil Red, you know that she loves a book with multiple story lines and Treachery Times Two included this, as well. Not only were you reading about the secrets of Deimos being uncovered but you were also on the edge of your seat as the grandson of Koa’s victim tried to crack the thirty year old suicide. I, frankly, can’t remember ever hoping that a murderer would get away with his crime but I found myself rooting for Koa the entire book!

Treachery Times Two was a unique reading experience for me. While we all know that I love a mystery, I have never read too many books about government secrets before. This book was definitely one that you had to be careful with as you read because there were so many details that could be easily missed. However, I am pleased to say that I solved most of the grand reveal thanks to Koa’s handiwork. 😀

I am going to award Treachery Times Two with an eight out of ten star rating. I so enjoyed getting lost in this book and read it ravenously. It also made me really want to go back and read the first three books in the series. Highly recommend!

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah