In Mark A. Henry’s THE HONOLULU SITUATION, expert melon-seller Jefir Zaqq finds himself fleeing from his home country when he accidentally kills the son of Bashir Hallazallah, a brutal warlord. Jefir is smuggled to Hawaii in a prefabricated house on a container ship, where he takes the name Jeff Zachary and is hired on as a mate on a fishing vessel captained by Natasha “Tasha” Hale. He wants to stay safe and hidden and earn enough money to have his brother, Rahim, smuggled out to join him. An unexpected ally, Wahiri Shwarma, wants to get his money’s worth out of Jeff and Rahim, or barring that by selling them out to Hallazallah, who wants both Jeff and Rahim dead to avenge his son. Captain Hale wants to get her ship back from the wealthy businessman who conned her out of it years ago. Customs and Border Protection wants to find the reported stowaway and investigate the incident, and Margot Carlene, Media Consultant for the company who owns the cargo ship, wants to make the incident go away.

All of these conflicting motives make for a lively and chaotic pretzel of a plot, with twists and turns enough to keep the reader engaged and interested until the very end. Characters and settings are vividly described in lively and earthy language. For example, Margot Carlene’s dress and leadership style are described as “a lot like Darth Vader: Keep it monochromatic with a few shiny accessories, and if some pinch-faced dickhead gives you any shit, choke his stupid ass with an invisible hand.” Jeff, the protagonist, has an appealing innocence that makes him stand out in a field dominated by corruption and cruelty, thus winning the reader’s sympathy and allegiance. His inexperience also adds a touch of humor, with his struggles to fit into a new world (his efforts to find out what the word “wahine” means, for example, lead to some amusing moments). Tasha Hale and her crew are likewise sympathetic: stout and loyal friends who look out for Jeff, even when they don’t know who he is or what he’s running from. Most of the other characters are delightfully sleazy, and it’s fun to watch them get caught up in the knots of their own twisting schemes. The ending ties neatly (almost unexpectedly) into the beginning, and it’s a satisfying resolution in most respects. All in all, this is an entertaining read, particularly for those who enjoy the more farcical end of the action-adventure genre.

Mark A. Henry’s THE HONOLULU SITUATION is an action-packed, zany adventure featuring a comic array of misunderstandings, coverups, outright scams, and conflicting motives.

~Catherine Langrehr for IndieReader