Red Dirt

Following on the heels of his critically acclaimed début noir novel, Kona Winds, Scott Kikkawa resumes his depiction of 1950s Honolulu Police Department Detective Sergeant Francis “Sheik” Yoshikawa, a Japanese American Nisei veteran of World War II. Handsome, street smart, literate, and haunted by memories of his military service in the famed 442ndRegimental Combat Team, Sheik must solve a murder case that begins with the discovery of a burned and dismembered body found in a sugarcane field. Investigating the victim’s life to see who would have wanted him dead leads to a local communist study group that’s being hunted down by the federal government.

"A compelling mystery with a breathtaking, unexpected ending.“Scott Kikkawa’s riveting new murder mystery, Red Dirt,transports readers back to1953O‘ahu, when bodies were buried in cane fields, and a Red Scare rippled all the way to these territorial shores. Packed with colorful characters, intrigue, and masterfully crafted twists and turns, Red Dirt is an illuminating reminder of how much Hawai‘i has changed, and how much it hasn’t really changed at all." —Chris McKinneyauthorofMidnight, Water City

About the author: A product of Hawai‘i Kai in East Honolulu, Scott Kikkawa writes noir detective stories set in postwar Honolulu, featuring 442ndveteran Nisei Detective Sergeant Francis “Sheik”Yoshikawa. His critically acclaimed début murder mystery, Kona Winds, was released at the end of 2019 and spent six months on the Small Press Distribution Fiction Bestsellers List. He serves as a columnist and an Associate Editor for The Hawai‘i Review of Books. Red Dirt is his second full-length novel and a third is scheduled for release in 2023. Winner of an Elliot Cades Award for Literature, the New York University alumnus is currently a federal law enforcement officer and lives with his family in Honolulu.