the Lahaina Mysteries

... Intrigue builds as Helen Grant, Lahaina's Historian, begins researching the genealogy of the Smythe family. Using microfilmed depositions, old logs, and letters, she unearths five generations, dating from 1844, during Lahaina's whaling days, to a present day U.S. Senator. When Jamie's body washes up on the beach, Helen and Ben, along with their friends, Nacho and Justin, begin to learn surveillance, snooping, and eavesdropping, in a somewhat bumbling but determined attempt to find the killer. As they close in on the suspect, they plan a daring sting operation that puts Helen and Mambo, the cat, face to face with the killer and his knife.
When the murderer is safely behind bars, Helen leaves for Hana on an archaeological dig, where she meets Ioane, a local man who helps locate the Hawaiian side of the Smythe family.
A letter arrives too late to warn Jamie of impending danger, but succeeds in bringing closure to a 30-year-old mystery, adding the final nail to the killer's coffin.