Pago Pago Tango (Jungle Beat Mystery)
Detective Sergeant Apelu Soifua of the American Samoa PD is called to a palangi (Caucasian) enclave to check on a burglary at the home of a vice president of the island’s largest industry, a tuna cannery. A VCR and some videotapes have been stolen; the VP dismisses the theft as unimportant, but the man’s shrewish wife and flirtatious twentysomething daughter tell different stories, and Apelu finds himself in a murky case that might be routine—or might be deadly. Apelu faces many obstacles, not least the fact that the police force is a “palangi invention.” Prior to the Americans’ arrival, villages policed themselves, and chiefs meted out justice. Enright’s portrait of cultural collision is the heart of this engaging series debut. The insights into Samoan society, culture, and history at first seem like interesting digressions, but they ultimately become integral to understanding Apelu’s approach to the case. Fans of crime in exotic settings will likely enjoy this one. --Thomas Gaughan