Pago Pago Tango

First in a Samoan-set series featuring police officer Apelu Soifua: Enrights portrait of cultural collision is the heart of this engaging series debut. Booklist The city of Tafuna may be located on a tropical paradise, but its no stranger to crime. Just like anywhere else in the world, it has its fair share of murder, drugs, and robbery. Which makes Apelu Soifua the perfect man for his job. Hes a cop of two worlds: San Francisco, where he started his career, and now his native Samoa. Following up on a routine burglary call, Apelu heads to a palangi, or Caucasian, neighborhood. The victim, a VP at SeaKing Tunathe largest employer on the islandreports only a few items missing. But a fatal shooting at a nightclub a few days later points Apelu to the executives hard-partying daughter. With some help from local reporter Lupe, Apelu chases a wave of violence that stems from the burglaryand seeks out what really went missing. The investigation puts Apelu in over his head and is about to be dragged under . . . Perfect for any armchair traveling mystery lover. Enrights descriptions of the Samoan landscapewhere the frigate birds are as much a part of the sky as the cloudsare vivid and poetic. Kittling: Books Enright meticulously interweaves the experience and landscapes of Samoas mountains, rain forests and jungles that he knows so well. Providence Journal The island setting is a terrific backdrop for the story, one that has Soifua bridging the cultural chasm between the local population and the American community. Mysterious Reviews