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| When a beautiful journalist drowns mysteriously in Honolulu Bay, former Special Forces veteran Pono Hawkins, now a well-known Hawaii surfer and international correspondent for surfing magazines, soon gets embroiled in trying to find why she died. What he learns quickly makes him a target for murder or life in prison as a cabal of powerful corporations, foreign killers and crooked politicians focuses the blame on him.Haunted by memories of Afghanistan, and determined to protect the Hawaii he loves from dirty politics tied to huge destructive energy developments, Pono turns to Special Forces buddies and his own skills to fight his deadly enemies, trying both to save himself and find her killers.Alive with the sights, sounds and history of Hawaii, Saving Paradise is also a deeply rich portrait of what Pono calls “the seamy side of paradise”, and an exciting thriller of politics, lies and remorseless murder.Bestselling novelist, war and human rights journalist, international energy expert and award-winning poet, Mike Bond lives on the paradisiacal Hawaiian island of Molokai. Based on his experiences in dangerous, remote and war-torn regions of the world, his critically acclaimed novels depict the innate hunger of the human heart for good, the intense joys of love, the terror and fury of battle, the sinister vagaries of international politics and multinational corporations, and the vanishing beauty of the natural world. |
Praise for Saving Paradise:
“Bond is easily one of the 21st Century’s most exciting authors … An action packed, must read novel … taking readers behind the alluring façade of Hawaii’s pristine beaches and tourist traps into a festering underworld of murder, intrigue and corruption … Spellbinding readers with a writing style that pits hard-boiled, force of nature-like characters against politically adept, staccato-paced plots, Saving Paradise is a powerful editorial against the cancerous trends of crony capitalism and corrupt governance.” – Washington Times
“Bond’s lusciously convoluted story provides myriad suspects and motives … Bond skillfully adds new elements to the mystery, including several energy corporations and no less than three femmes fatales … In the end, readers may find it nearly impossible to guess the killer, but they’ll enjoy the trip. A complex, entertaining whodunit.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Saving Paradise will change you … It will call into question what little you really know, what people want you to believe you know and then hit you with a deep wave of dangerous truths … Saving Paradise is a thrill ride to read and pulls you in and out of plots until you don’t know who to trust or what to do any more than the character. You trust no one, you keep going, hoping not to get caught before figuring out what is happening. Mike Bond is not only an acclaimed novelist, but an international energy expert and a war and human rights correspondent who has lived and worked in many war torn areas of our world. His intellect and creativity dance together on the pages, braiding fiction into deeper truths about ourselves, our nature, our government, our history and our future.” – Where Truth Meets Fiction
“Saving Paradise is an absolutely fabulous book … a wonderful book.” – Art Zuckerman, WVOX
“Saving Paradise is a rousing crime thriller – but it is so much more. Pono Hawkins is a dedicated environmentalist, a native of Hawaii who very much loves the islands but regrets what they have become. Pono is a thinker, a man who sees a bigger picture than most, and Mike Bond deftly (and painlessly) uses the character to instruct the reader in Hawaiian history from an insider’s point-of-view. Saving Paradise is a highly atmospheric thriller focusing on a side of Hawaiian life that tourists seldom see.” – Book Chase
“An absolute page-turner” – Ecotopia Radio
“He’s a tough guy, a cynic who describes the problems of the world as a bottomless pit, but can’t stop trying to solve them. He’s Pono Hawkins, the hero of Mike Bond’s new Hawaii-based thriller, Saving Paradise … an intersection of fiction and real life.” – Hawaii Public Radio
“Mike Bond’s Saving Paradise is a complex murder mystery about political and corporate greed and corruption … Bond’s vivid descriptions of Hawaii bring Saving Paradise vibrantly to life. The plot is unique and the environmental aspect of the storyline is thought-provoking and informative. The story’s twists and turns will keep you guessing the killer’s identity right up until the very end.” – Book Reviews and More
“Within the first page, I was hooked … From start to finish, I never put it down.” – Bucket List Publications
“A wonderful book … quite powerful … going to create a lot of discussion.” – KUSA TV, Denver
“A fascinating book.” – KSFO, San Francisco
“Saving Paradise is one heck of a crime novel/thriller and highly recommended!” – Crystal Book Reviews
“You’re going to love the plot of this book.” – KFVE TV
“A wonderful book that everyone should read.” – Clear Channel Radio
“A very well written, fast-paced and exciting thriller.” – Mystery Maven Reviews
Bond “incorporate(s) a lot of the reality of wind turbines and wind energy hype and fantasy into Saving Paradise along with a very spectacular character, former Special Forces veteran Pono Hawkins …” – Chris DeBello, Issues and Ideas
“A fast pace thrill ride that I think a lot of my mystery junkie readers would love … The descriptions of Hawaii are beautiful and detailed.” – Romancebookworm’s Reviews