Book Review: The Last Death

Reviewed By: Luke Croll - RAM

The Last Death     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
John Roynesdal
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Thriller
The Fiction Works; 2000; $17.95 (American dollars); 352pp
Classification: Adult fiction (thriller)

Philip Michael Carnegie is a detective within the Honolulu PD. Baffled by seven brutal murders on the beach, he finally uncovers a suspect - but no-one will believe him. Will he able to convince everyone that the man is guilty before it is too late?

In many books, authors try to create a sense of place by using authentic names, locations, restaurants, foreign words, etc. Since 'The Last Death' is set in Hawaii, Roynesdal uses an enormous amount of Hawaiian words and the whole essence of the plot seems to revolve around Hawaii at first. For someone who knows little about Hawaii, this creates a very confusing environment and although the author does explain some of the words, in the end it becomes slightly grating and unnecessary. A smattering of the words would have been fine, but here it is taken to saturation point. Although the plot is interesting with a variety of clues, for me it did not work that well. Carnegie is an enigmatic character whom the author clearly intends to develop in future novels, but I feel that it would have been better to know more of his back story to thus further our understanding of him. His policing methods were different; to say the least and he seemed to have a curious relationship with the world around him. 'The Last Death' is a book that will undoubtedly appeal to anyone interested in Hawaii and its culture. Other than that, I see little chance for 'The Last Death' to succeed, since it deals so much with a niche market. If Roynesdal develops Carnegie and reduces the Hawaiian references, there is more chance, but it will be difficult.

Luke Croll - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

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