Tue 7 Dec 2010
Reviewed by J. F. Norris: MAX LONG – The Lava Flow Murders.
Posted by Steve under Authors , Bibliographies, Lists & Checklists , Characters , Reviews[6] Comments
MAX LONG – The Lava Flow Murders. Series detective: Komako Koa #2. J. B. Lippincott, hardcover, 1940.
After an expository overload in which the characters are introduced in quick succession, the first third of the book is spent on detailed descriptions of a volcanic eruption and the attempts of plantation policeman, Komako Koa, and the plantation owner, Tucker, in evacuating the visitors who have recently arrived from a yacht in the harbor.
They are also told to avoid a heiau (sacred Hawaiian shrine) to Pele. But two members of the party mock nearly everything to do with traditional Hawaiian beliefs and culture. One of those mockers, a brash woman, enters the heiau and is seen arguing with someone who the visitors believe is the embodiment of Hawaiian goddess Pele.
The woman is almost immediately discovered dead — her head crushed by a coconut. For some reason the mainlanders actually believe that Pele is responsible and there is a lot of silly melodrama with people running around crying out to beware of Pele.
None of this makes any sense. Koa takes advantage of this and rather than telling everyone that he knows the woman was murdered he lets them indulge themselves in superstitious gullibility. Irresponsible of a policeman and a bit contrived on the part of the author. But without that the rest of the story would not follow.
Meanwhile, the volcano continues to erupt and encroaching lava flows continue to threaten the characters as well as the ranch house where they are staying. Then another person is hit on the head with a coconut and yet another person disappears.
Soon it appears that a homicidal maniac is at work and the book takes on the atmosphere of And Then There Were None set in Hawaii with an active volcano as an added menace.
Koa’s friend and the series narrator, Hastings Hardy, believes that a local Hawaiian has gone mad and is acting as a murderous nemesis for the offended Pele. There is a character called “the firewalker” who fits this bill. But Koa says no Hawaiian would enter a heiau and commit murder let alone do any of the other horrid things that the killer does (for example, a woman is thrown into the steaming, fomenting ocean where the lava flow ends and is basically boiled to death!).
The book is not very well constructed and — believe it or not — is often dull. It’s a hodgepodge of a disaster adventure comprised of lots of scientific detail about volcanoes, lava flow, the different types of lava and how they behave, the types of rock and ash that accompany violent eruptions, etc. etc.
The murder mystery is thrown in almost as an afterthought. The book could easily have been much shorter and the narrative handled less clumsily had the author focused on the story rather than focusing on the volcano and the lava.
The only thing that holds one’s interest is the interspersing of Hawaiian lore and legends. The culprit, once one accepts Koa’s dismissal of anyone Hawaiian, is a bit obvious. The killer’s motive, set up also rather obviously way back in the first chapter when land rights and inheritances are discussed, and the denouement overall are less than satisfying.
LONG, MAX (Freedom). 1890-1971. SC: Komako Koa, in all.
Murder Between Dark and Dark. Lippincott, 1939.
The Lava Flow Murders. Lippincott, 1940.
Death Goes Native. Lippincott, 1941.
December 8th, 2010 at 2:38 am
Sounds like local color with disaster thrown in to the pot. Though I don’t recall another mystery involving an active volcano, there are several with oncoming hurricanes. This one reminds me most of Newton Gayle’s Murder at 28:10, set in Puerto Rico. The solution was silly, I thought, but there’s this great ongoing tension with the approaching storm, with maps every few chapters graphically demonstrating the storm’s progress toward the island!
December 8th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
This is a scarce book. There are only two copies of this book offered on ABE right now, one for $30, the other for $80, and neither has a jacket.
My copy, which I’ve had for a long time but never read, also no jacket. Back during the years when old mysteries like this one were comparatively easy to find in jacket, I didn’t bother. I was looking for quantity, an objective which I think I satisfied rather well, but I still kick myself for not being a little smarter. Books I could have purchased for $3 back then (1970s) now have asking prices in the $300 range.
So I bought books that cost me only 50 cents to a dollar instead.
December 8th, 2010 at 6:34 pm
It’s a nice jacket too! Though I have to say J. F.’s (first name?) review, though very enjoyable, does not make me want to read the book particularly.
I think what’s interesting here is that you have a clear case of an author–and I think this was pretty common–who probably was a lot more interested in other matters (here, Hawaiian culture) than murder mysteries but decided hitching a murder in was a better way to get published. Also, this is a time when what I call “local color” mysteries were getting popular (New England had a whole subgenre)–people were reading detective novels still but wanting more than mere mystery.
Also interesting that this was the second detective novel by this author and that apparently he had still not gotten plotting in his grasp.
December 9th, 2010 at 11:24 am
Max Freedom Long is far better known in Hawaii (and elsewhere) as the creator of the Huna movement – a kind of new age philosophy that incorporates native Hawaiian magic into healing, meditation and esoteric teachings. I travel to Hawaii a lot and of course visit the used book stores there. Very few bookstore owners I’ve talked with know that he wrote three detective novels. They all know about the Huna books though – two of which are still in print.
I have also read the first Komako Koa book and that one was a little better. A corpse is disposed of in a blowhole – there’s that fascination with Hawaiian geography and geology again. I have the third (a signed copy in jacket no less) that I have yet to read. I’m sure I will do so soon, if only so that Long will have all three books reviewed over at the GADetection website.
Oh! and you can all call me John. I just got used to the J F Norris byline back in 1990s when I started writing for fanzines and ezines. I stick with it for consistency’s sake.
December 9th, 2010 at 6:40 pm
I’d enjoy reading reviews of the other books!
January 6th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
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