Murder most foul — and most fun

“Murder Frames the Scene: A Hawai‘i Mystery”

By Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl

University of Hawai‘i Press, $16.99

Victoria Kneubuhl, one of Hawaii’s acclaimed playwrights, begins her latest murder mystery with exciting action set in Shanghai, where Honolulu native Ned Manusia rescues and escapes with his seriously injured British friend while duping the opposition at every turn. The two return to Oahu, where the rest of the book is staged.

In addition to an espionage subplot that involves both Germans and Japanese, Manusia, who is part Samoan, and Mina Beckwith, who is part Hawaiian, get involved with an eclectic enclave of Honolulu artists, several of whom are murdered during the course of the book. The clever duo appeared in Kneubuhl’s previous two mysteries and provide character continuity.

Kneubuhl’s strong sense of place is evident as she details the setting for each scene in a 1935 Honolulu without the towering high-rises of our post-statehood era. But a U.S. military infrastructure is already well established.

As Manusia observes, “The way the mountains flowed down with their valleys and graceful ridges reaching toward the sea, the remains of the ancient fishponds, and the palm trees swaying patiently and steadily along the shore were a stark contrast to the airplane runways, battleships, and aircraft carriers.”

As in a skillfully created lau hala mat, the author weaves Hawaiian history, local sentiment and her keen knowledge of Honolulu’s people and culture together with the landscape, flora and fauna of this earlier Oahu, making it come alive while presaging the future we, her readers, inhabit.

“He imagined the island being overlaid with a veil — a veil that was still transparent but becoming more and more opaque, obscuring what was under the surface. But the things that were under the surface would still be there. They were unerasable, because they were the first things.”

Such ideas deepen and enhance this intriguing detective story. Kneubuhl’s command of sensual, rich descriptive language allows us to see, hear and smell each scene and taste the delicious meals served throughout the book. Clothing details are a feast for fashionistas interested in period costumes.

Cinematic in scope, “Murder Frames the Scene” is an evenly paced, gripping story that takes us back to a Honolulu with fewer people and a slower tempo. It’s refreshing to spend a few days enjoying this simpler time and place.