A Real Hawaiian Punch Is Behind This Itch
San Juan Islands, WA – One Big Itch (ArcheBooks), a suspense-filled tale of obsessive love, is like a tour of Honolulu between its covers. Sara Williams arrived in Hawaii in the mid-seventies during the 200th anniversary of the Cook Expedition, and was hooked by the history of the Polynesians and how the voyages of the Hokulae’a (their outrigger canoes) brought them to the Pacific Islands. She decided to study the Hawaiian culture and particularly how these voyages inspired a cultural renaissance among Hawaiians who understood that unless they took an interest in their own culture, would possibly end up just another “McParadise.”
One Big Itch is a timely read. This ancient Polynesian crossroads hosts a sophisticated academia that spawned one native son who now occupies the White House, and another, Dr. Randolph Haverhill, the brilliant economist who lies dead on his doorstep. Playful city it may be, but every Hawaiian knows that the city of Honolulu is haunted – and so is Hawaiian P.I. John Spyer! He’s a conflicted hapa haole (half-white), too much of a haole to heed Madam Pele’s visionary warning to stay off the case, since John can never say no to old friends. Even though Haverhill’s current and ex-wives insist Randy was murdered by one of his crazed lovers, the police target Haverhill’s own ill-fated, teenage son. Forced to intervene in order to save Toby Haverhill, Spyer soon finds that every move he makes in this case jeopardizes his own client, opening up his own psychic wounds in the process.
Read sample chapters, view the zine format, and download cover art and author photo at: www.archebooks.com; Sara’s blog and more reviews and endorsements are available at: www.sarawilliamsnovelist.com and www.onebigitch.com. Williams splits her time between Fort Myers, FL and the San Juan Islands of Washington, and has ties to Hawaii that go back some thirty years, lending realism and authenticity to her page-turning novel.
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‘Phil Jason’s Reviews’ recently made One Big Itch the lead-off cover feature in the Fort Myers Magazine with: “Williams…has mixed a high-energy mystery cocktail laced with more than a little Hawaiian punch….her third novel and the second to feature private eye John Spyer, intrigues and puzzles both protagonist and reader with an array of evidence, motives, and false trails. There are two sure things: The first is that academic superstar Randy Haverhill has been murdered. The second is that Spyer will not rest until he discovers the perpetrator…a third, less sure thing: Hawaii is haunted and its local spirits will spin you around until they have brought what is hidden to light.”
Eileen Goudge, NY Times best-selling author of The Diary: “Williams channels her inner Raymond Chandler with One Big Itch, an addictively ready tale set in Hawaii and featuring detective John Spyer. It abounds with local color and Hawaiian lore, and the story moves along at a fast clip as it builds toward the cliffhanger climax. You won’t see the end coming.”
Mystery Net.com: “Here is something new under the tropical sun, a Tony Hillerman style regional mystery set in Hawaii.”
Bob Morris, author of A Deadly Silver Sea: “One Big Itch will blow you away like the wind off The Pali. Here’s one novel with a real sense of place and a most intriguing hero.”
Don Bruns, author of Bahama Burnout: “If you love characters, One Big Itch has plenty of them. If you love location, you’ll fall in love with Sara’s Hawaii, and if you love a suspenseful race to the finish plot, One Big Itch will give you all you want. What a great read!”
Diane A.S. Stuckart, author of Portrait of a Lady, 2nd in the Leonardo da Vinci mystery series: “One Big Itch is one wild ride! With her quirky characters and rollercoaster plot, Sara weaves a slyly entertaining tale that combines the lush Hawaiian landscape of travelogues with the gritty reality of its urban streets. Alive with authentic native voices, this fast-paced mystery will leave you wanting to hop the next plane for a tropical adventure of your own.”
Matthew Goodman, author of The Sun and the Moon: The Remarkable True Account of Hoaxers, Showmen, Dueling Journalists, and Lunar Man-Bats in Nineteenth Century New York. “As if a page-turner of a murder mystery isn’t enough, One Big Itch also offers up an explosion of glorious Hawaiian color: expanses of mountain and sea, legends of native royalty, lots of local patois…not to mention a private investigator with a taste for Drambuie and vintage sports cars. Riding the New York subway, I almost felt I was in Diamond Head.”
