A man dies in a tragic accident involving a bull. Or was it an accident?
Makalani Pahukula needs to know. Plenty of people have motive and opportunity when it comes to the death of Larry Hiapo, the 67-year-old heir to a prosperous ranch on the Big Island. “Old enough to retire but way too young to die,” she thinks. And so begins her journey into the world of the paniolos, who have run cattle in Hawai’i since the mid-19th century, in the new novel “Hawai’i Rage.”
It’s the second book in Beaverton author Tori Eldridge’s Ranger Makalani Pahukula Mystery series. The first book, “Kaua’i Storm,” introduced readers to Makalani, a Native Hawaiian ranger at Crater Lake National Park who returns home to Kauaʻi for her grandmother’s 85th birthday party. Makalani finds her family roiled by the disappearance of two young cousins and jumps in to solve the mystery. This time, Makalani is back in Hawai’i for good, having transferred to Pu’ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site on the Big Island…