Book Recommendation: Ghosts of Waikiki by Jennifer K. Morita
Ghosts of Waikiki (First Edition, November, 2024, Trade Paperback, February 24, 2026, Crooked Lane Books) is the first novel by author Jennifer K. Morita. I enjoyed this book and recommend it for your reading pleasure. Click on the link to reach the website.
In this atmospheric debut mystery, an out-of-work journalist and the homicide detective who broke her heart must cipher out a murder before the clock runs out, perfect for fans of Naomi Hirahara and Jane Pek.
After the newspaper she works for folds and the freelance assignments no longer pay the bills, Maya Wong reluctantly returns to her native Hawaiʻi to ghostwrite controversial land developer Parker Hamilton's biography. But when the Hamilton patriarch is found dead under suspicious circumstances, Maya is unwittingly drawn into the investigation. Maya’s family and friends aren't happy about her work for Hamilton. And now, with her ex, Detective Koa Yamada on the case, she’s forced to contend with the very person she was determined to avoid. All too soon, Maya is dodging assailants and digging for clues while juggling girls’ nights out with her old BFFs and weekly family dinners. Convinced the police are after the wrong man, Maya is determined to stop the killer before it’s too late. Exploring timely issues in Hawaii, including locals getting priced out of paradise, The Ghost of Waikiki is an engrossing mystery in the vein of The Verifiers. Goodreads
Jennifer K. Morita spent the first six months of the pandemic purging and baking with the rest of the world before giving her lifelong pipedream of being a mystery author a chance. She wrote while the California wildfires burned and her kids Zoomed through school, figuring she had nothing to lose – not even time.
Jennifer signed with literary agent Lori Galvin in 2021 and spent the next two years revising her manuscript.
GHOSTS OF WAIKĪKĪ will be released by Crooked Lane Books in November 2024.
Jennifer is a former newspaper reporter, who juggled freelance jobs with being a stay-at-home mom for several years before becoming a writer for the communications department at a local university.
Her first short story, “Cranes in the Cemetery” was published in the Capitol Crimes 2021 Anthology Cemetery Plots of Northern California.
In 2022 she was a runner up for the Sisters in Crime Eleanor Taylor Bland Award.
Jennifer is a past president of her local Sisters in Crime chapter and continues to serve on the board. She is a member of Crime Writers of Color, Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers.
When she isn’t writing, reading or pushing Girl Scout cookies, she enjoys watching British mysteries, cooking and baking. Her favorite shows are “Kim’s Convenience”, “Unforgotten”, “Top Chef” and “The Great British Bake Off.”
Aside from leisurely hikes with her family, Zumba and Hot Hula are the only forms of exercise she willingly participates in.
Jennifer lives in California with her husband and two daughters.
Hibiscus, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania USA IMG 1824
Canon PowerShot G11 Camera
Photograph by Roy Kelley
Roy and Dolores Kelley Photographs
Comments(3)