The Green Room

After agreeing to represent Stephanie Barstow in her bitter divorce battle with her husband, surfing promoter Marty Barstow, attorney Storm Kayama soon finds herself caught up in an ancient feud involving local legend, greed, a cutthroat surfing competition, dark secrets from the past, and murder.

The title of Atkinson's second book to feature Hawaiian attorney Storm Kayama (after 2002's Primitive Secrets) refers to the tumultuous place beneath the waves where a surfer either gets thrown or dives to escape a potentially dangerous swell. Kayama has spent time in the green room; her nightmarish past keeps her shy of the bigger waves these days, and she's instead focused on building her new law firm with her partner and boyfriend, Ian Hamlin. When a client's son extends an enticing invitation to attend a surf contest in Oahu, Kayama reunites with her long-estranged cousin, Nahoa Pi 'ilani, now a celebrated surfer top-seeded in the contest. After his highest ranked opponent dies under suspicious circumstances, Pi 'ilani receives a mysterious and threatening gift, a Hawaiian war totem known as a lei o man. When her cousin subsequently disappears, Kayama finds herself pulled into a risky search for answers. Peppered throughout with surfing terms, Hawaiian dialect and gorgeous descriptions of Oahu's North Shore, this exotic beach read is quick and fun.
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Oahu provides the tropical setting for this second adventure of Storm Kamaya, whom readers first met in Primitive Secrets (2002). Having recently passed the bar, Storm is setting up shop in Honolulu with her boyfriend, lawyer Ian Hamlin. When a new client turns out to be the mother of a surfer, Storm is drawn into the surfing world and reacquainted with her cousin, famous surfer Nahoa Pi'ilani, who has received a mysterious package containing an ancient Hawaiian weapon--signifying a threat to his life. Atkinson provides an in-depth look into the surprisingly lucrative competitive surfing world. Interesting subplots include Storm's struggle to overcome her fear of the "green room"--how surfers refer to the roiling green water that sometimes traps those who capsize--and her attempts to reconcile with Nahoa's family, some of whom blame Storm for the drowning death of her uncle. Atkinson adds depth by weaving tidbits of ancient Hawaiian lore into the plot and ramps up the action with her descriptions of Storm and others trying to ride the fickle waves. Jenny McLarin
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