The Green Room

August 15, 2005
The title of Atkinson's second book to feature Hawaiian attorney Storm Kayama (after 2002's Primitive Secrets
) refers to the tumultuous place beneath the waves where a surfer either gets thrown or dives to escape a potentially dangerous swell. Kayama has spent time in the green room; her nightmarish past keeps her shy of the bigger waves these days, and she's instead focused on building her new law firm with her partner and boyfriend, Ian Hamlin. When a client's son extends an enticing invitation to attend a surf contest in Oahu, Kayama reunites with her long-estranged cousin, Nahoa Pi 'ilani, now a celebrated surfer top-seeded in the contest. After his highest ranked opponent dies under suspicious circumstances, Pi 'ilani receives a mysterious and threatening gift, a Hawaiian war totem known as a lei o man
. When her cousin subsequently disappears, Kayama finds herself pulled into a risky search for answers. Peppered throughout with surfing terms, Hawaiian dialect and gorgeous descriptions of Oahu's North Shore, this exotic beach read is quick and fun. Agent, Jane Chelius
.