Once again, Ben Kella has his hands full. A sergeant in the Solomon Islands Police Force, as well as an aofia, a hereditary spiritual peacekeeper of the Lau people, he's called to investigate acts of sabotage that threaten the local operations of a powerful international logging company.
Meanwhile, Sister Conchita, a young nun with a flair for detection, has been forced to assume command of a run-down mission in the lush Western District of the Solomon Islands. When an American tourist is murdered in the mission church, she and Kella join forces to uncover the links between these goings-on and a sudden upsurge of interest in John F. Kennedy, who was once a wartime U.S. naval officer in the area but now, in 1960, thousands of miles away, about to become the thirty-fifth American President. Set in one of the most beautiful areas of the South Pacific, One Blood is the second entry in an exciting new series. "Graeme Kent wisely uses his protagonists and a fascinating setting to drive the book forward. Instead of simply serving up a mystery lightly spiced by exotic surroundings, One Blood delves deep into the post-colonial era of the 1960s, showing how life on the islands, among native and white residents alike, changes as they move toward independence.... One Blood wraps up its riddles in a satisfying, surprising way, while providing a glimpse at how the Solomon Islands made their way to independence in 1976.... [A] compelling picture of the chaos of a nascent country."-A.V. Club
"Compelling and refreshingly unique." -Kirkus
"Graeme Kent knows how to weave a good story and validate the local ways of belief, tradition, and community… File this series also under spunky women, and wonderful independent local residents who know a whole lot more than the armed colonizers landing among them. And, of course, under respectable detection methods and marvelous psychological juggling of detective, criminal, and witnesses." -Kingdom Books
"A gripping story, a loving look at different cultures and a fond portrayal of two very different investigators." -Richmond Times-Dispatch
"This second clever and atmospheric Sister Conchita and Sergeant Ben Kella mystery is just as appealing and enjoyable as the first (Devil-Devil, 2011). The exotic locale of the Solomon Islands in the last days of colonialism makes the series stand out." -Booklist
"A cozy mystery in nature and the second book in a series by Graeme Kent, this book takes the reader to the heart of an investigation by a nun and a native police Sergeant…. the setting is so unique that it absorbs the reader to end. Definitely a good read." -Mystery Tribune
"Even for those without an interest in U.S. history, Kent's latest novel has much to offer. Kent provides vivid descriptions of the Solomon Islands, highlighting both their beauty and their danger. He also excels at characterization, creating appealing protagonists and vivid secondary characters…. Kent also writes with a light touch about serious political and social concerns. On one occasion, he has Kella and Mary Gui, who like Kella was born in the Islands but educated abroad, stop for a drink at the Mendana Hotel. The dismay of the hotel guests at their entry into a "whites only" establishment is narrated with disarming humor." -Mystery Series Examiner
Praise for Devil-Devil:
"Truly fabulous.... This is a series, and a writer, to watch."-Toronto Globe and Mail
"Will appeal to history buffs and those fond of exotic locales…. The Solomons, then a British protectorate, come fully alive in this absorbing adventure." -Publishers Weekly
"Kent, a prolific author of fiction and nonfiction, fills Devil-Devil with a sparkling plot (complete with an unexpected conclusion) and a rich history of the Solomons and their native people. But it's Kella and Conchita-and Kent's wit-that makes this unusual mystery work, and readers will eagerly await the
