Review: The Coral Conspiracy

Review: Coral Conspiracy by Rosalie Spielman

Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Aloha Lagoon Series

4****

Blurb: Recent graduate Nelly O’Hare was looking forward to studying the picturesque coral reefs of Aloha Lagoon, Hawaii, expecting her new job to be full of sun, surf, and satisfying work. What she wasn’t expecting was a pair of arguing professors, an attraction to the resort’s hot golf pro, and a totally dysfunctional academic study…ending in murder!
When one of her new bosses is found dead, not only is her ocean study in jeopardy, but the local police are also suddenly asking questions that Nelly doesn’t have answers to. Luckily her best friend, Kiki Hepburn, is no stranger to murder investigations, and along with Auntie Akamai and the loud-mouthed Paulie the parrot, she vows to help Nelly find the true killer. From the professor’s mousy assistant, to the suspicious man and his weird crabs in the next office, to the impressive ex-wife with a new boyfriend and pampered pooch, there are no shortage of suspects who might have wanted the victim dead. Especially when Nelly discovers that someone seems to have been sabotaging the study findings. With danger lurking just below the murky surface, Nelly is finding out not everything in Aloha Lagoon is as sunny as it seems. As Nelly closes in on the killer, someone is closing in on Nelly…and if she’s not careful, the coral won’t be the only thing endangered in Aloha Lagoon!

Thoughts: This was a good addition to the Aloha Lagoon series. In case you haven’t read any of them, each story is a stand alone, which I love. But they also have recurring characters that show up – like Auntie Akamai and Kiki. I really enjoyed the descriptions of dive equipment and underwater animals. In this book, you get an education as well as a good mystery.

In this one, Nelly has moved to Kauai as an intern working on her doctorate. Unfortunately, things don’t work out quite the way she hoped as the head of the research ends up dead and she loses her only source of income. With the help of Auntie Akamai and Kiki, she gets a new place to live, a new job, and catches the killer. Oh, and gets a cute boyfriend too.

The book is full of interesting information, great imagery and details, and a good story with a satisfying ending.

Recommended.