Death of a Hero

Ever wonder how Joe Horseman went from accounting major in college to the Fiji police force? In Death of a Hero by B.M. Allsopp, we meet Joe as a young university student. His plan is to follow in his father's footsteps and become an accountant, but of course, he still wants to play rugby.

When team captain Seru recognizes Joe's talents and selects him to be on the University's first team, Joe turns into a  loyal fan. Even though he has been assigned lowly duties like caring the team singlets, filling the water bottles and other mundane chores, Joe is thrilled to be accepted by Seru and he idolizes the team captain.

In a hurry one day to get to practice, Joe stumbles on what he thinks is the resting figure of Seru. Before long he realizes Seru is not breathing and rushes out to find help. When the ambulance arrives, it's too late to save Seru. With no visible signs of violence, Joe cannot believe the captain is dead.

When Detective Sergeant Ratini arrives, he is very rude to Joe and makes a point of telling him not to get involved in the investigation. He even intimates that Joe might have killed Seru or that Seru killed himself.  

Not happy with the progress being made by the police, Joe decides he needs to discover how Seru died so he would not be dishonored by being thought a suicide. Joe knows that's not possible, but as he investigates, he discovers some interesting bits of information about Seru's personal life. 

A delightful prequel to the Joe Horseman series. If you love the adult Joe, you will love the youthful Joe. Looking forward to adult Joe's next adventure. 

Death by Tradition

Detective Inspector Josefa Horseman is watching his Suva Shiners rugby team facing the toughest team in the area and worries about the result. In Death by Tradition by B.M. Allsopp Joe concerns are swept aside when the boys perform admirably, although they did not win, they scored and that makes them happy.

Before Joe can celebrate with the boys, he is called away to investigate the murder of a young man up in the hills in the Tanoa village. Also on Joe's agenda is some long awaited vacation time and a visit from his friend Melissa who is coming from the U.S. to the Fiji Islands. He is undecided about canceling the trip because of the investigation.

Hoping he can solve the case quickly, Joe doesn't postpone Melissa's visit but hurries up to the hills and the village. With his new assistant Tanielo Musudroka and Sgt Susie Singh, Joe begins the investigation of the murder of a young man.

Viliame was an ambitious man who worked a day job at the National Land Trust Board and

commuted back to village on weekends to maintain his nutmeg and vanilla business. He had established quite a thriving business and was able to share in the profits with his workers. Why would someone want to kill him and display his body in such a public manner?

Joe is blocked in his investigation by the elders who don't really want to cooperate with the police. The chief is focused on making amends for the murder of a missionary 100 years ago. He has invited the missionary's descendants to the village for a ceremony showing their remorse.

When another death occurs, Joe is in a race to find the killer and salvage some of his vacation time with Melissa.

I enjoy this series because of the exotic locale and portrayal of life in a Fijian village, a series steeped with tradition. 

Death on Paradise Island

National rugby hero Josefa Horseman returns home to Fiji from one year rehabbing his knee in the United States. When he returns home, he discovers he has been promoted Detective Inspector at his day job on the Fiji Police Force. In Death on Paradise Island by B.M. Allsopp, Joe is thrown right into the case of a drowned woman.

Without so much as a chance to sleep after his 24-hour plane ride, Joe is sent to a luxury resort called Paradise Island to investigate the drowning of one of the maids. Most everyone thinks Nisi accidentally drowned, and her family has already prepared her for burial, clearly destroying any exterior evidence. But the postmortem reveals, Nisi did not drown and she had had either a miscarriage or an abortion in the previous week.

There are plenty of suspects including her uncle Jona, an angry man tasked with keeping an eye on his niece; Dr. Vijay Chakra, who has disappeared from the scene; Maika, Nisi's boyfriend; and Bill Burgermeister, a scientist

leading the marine reserve project. Joe and his team including Sergeant Susila Singh fan out on the island to look for a motive.

Even in Paradise there are secrets, lies and hidden jealousies that lead Joe and his team on a strange path to solve the crime.

In the back of Joe's mind is his rugby career. He is positive he will be recovered enough to play again after resting this season, but nearly everyone he meets comments on his retirement from the game and his promotion in the police department.

This is an interesting mystery that shows even Paradise can be a place where bad things happen, and there are people who seem to have a perfect life wishing for more. I enjoyed Death on Paradise Island and hope there are more books in this series.