Mahu Books In Order

Publication Order of Mahu Books

Neil Plakcy has become one of the most prominent figures in the world of gay fiction in recent time. A former student at Florida International University, he earned a degree in creative writing from the school. He has written many stories involving mysteries, gay romance and much more. He has especially written about dogs in many of his works as he has been an avid dog owner and enthusiast for much of his life. One of the books he has written is about gay men and how their relationships with their dogs help them through their lives.

Many of the stories Neil Plakcy has written over the years include ones that entail mysterious crimes and surprising activities. He has particularly been a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award twice, specifically in the category of mystery. This is an honor that is given to writers in the LGBT community who explore issues and topics relating to the gay world. The Mahu series of novels is a particularly noteworthy one that he has worked on over the years.

About the Mahu Series

The Mahu series has been around since 2005. Plakcy created this as a series about a man in Hawaii who solves mysteries. The stories surround the hero of Mahu, Kimo Kanapa’aka. He is a detective with the Honolulu police force who works on homicide cases out of the Waikiki division.

Many of the stories in the series surround Kimo’s work to find criminals around the city and to bring them to justice. But there are also numerous stories abound about his personal life and what he does to try and improve upon his standing in the community. This especially comes as his personal life becomes more well known among people around the island. The stories are about Kimo’s changes in his life and what he is doing to keep his image intact. The stories are entertaining but there is always an element of surprise in each of the stories that come about.

Books of Note

Mahu

The first book in the Mahu series is simply titled Mahu. The story is a personal one for Kimo as he is drawn to a gay bar in the city. It is here where he starts to accept the fact that he is indeed a gay man and tries to get away from the worries that he had with regards to hiding his true self. But as he tries to accept being open to the world as being gay, he sees a dead body dropped in an alley in the area. This leads him into an investigation over what is happening but it especially becomes difficult as his private life is now taking over the news headlines. The investigation leads him into the seedy part of Chinatown and eventually to the many fancy homes around the island where the wealthy play.

Mahu Fire

Mahu Fire focuses on Kimo as he starts to become more comfortable with his role as an openly gay man on Honolulu’s police force. He even works as a mentor for gay teens in the community. But during an event in the city designed to support gay marriage laws, a bomb goes off. This goes into a chase for a person who could have been so strongly against the issue that the person was ready to kill to make a statement about it. But as Kimo looks for the bomber, it becomes a real challenge for him to blend in as his strong visible profile makes it a challenge for him to be seen.

Natural Predators

The Hawaiian island of O’ahu is the key place where Natural Predators takes place. In this story, Kimo and Mike, a fire investigator who has become Kimo’s romantic partner in recent time, look into a fire that kills a patrician on the island. The two become foster parents for a teen who saw the crime as they are getting ready for fatherhood. Meanwhile, Kimo, Mike and fellow detective Ray look into the state’s history to find information on what is happening on the islands and how they have evolved over the years. This is to try and identify the killer and to understand what the victim in particular had been targeted all this time.

Honors

The Mahu series has received a few honors over the years. In 2007, the story Mahu Surfer was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for the best gay mystery. In 2008, Mahu Fire was nominated for the same award and also won the Hawaii Five-O award for being the best police mystery novel of the year.

Goodreads has also heralded this series as a popular M/M series. In 2013, it was a nominee for a Member’s Choice Award for being the best M/M series. That same year, Goodreads nominated Natural Predators as the best mystery novel of the year.

Who Is the Series For?

The Mahu series is a line of mystery novels that are very appealing to those who are fascinated by gay culture. It is a series that shows how intriguing the state of Hawaii is and is rather fascinating for those who are looking for a story in one of the world’s most exotic locations. The series especially does well for people who want to read about people in some of the most interesting police cases around.

The series is especially worthwhile for people who are interested in people who are a key part of the gay world looking to get by. People in the gay community have especially been interested in the Mahu series for how it shows a realistic and interesting look at what happens among those in the community. The stories are very important and fascinating to look into.

The Mahu series of stories is worth checking out. This is a great line of gay mystery stories that all take place in a beautiful setting and entails many points about not only crime but also about accepting oneself.