Trouble in Paradise Books

Wilson McKenna’s newest tenant is hot, gives great hugs, and just saw a dead body being thrown from a plane. McKenna’s not one to get involved in other people’s problems, especially those of a woman half his age, but before he knows it he’s volunteered to find the plane and its owner—and found more trouble than he’s ever seen in his life. He’s uncovered an island drug ring, pissed off a sociopath, and set himself up as the victim in a beautiful woman’s con that could cost him his life.If only trouble didn’t have such great legs.

Wilson McKenna has never written a bad check in his life. So how did he end up with $4,000 in returned checks from an island he’s never been to? He knows one thing, make that two, the bank wants their money, and he’s going to Kauai to track down the crook who's ruining his life. Before you can say “welcome to the island,” he’s almost arrested for impersonating himself, the woman who trashed his credit turns up dead, and McKenna feels like he’s up to his umi’umi’ in hot lava. McKenna quickly learns he’d better watch out because some temptations can get you killed.

McKenna flies to the Big Island of Hawaii to help find his best friend's missing niece. No sooner has McKenna's search begun than he's got a teenage hacker messing with his investigation, has uncovered deep family secrets, and is caught in the middle of a twenty-year-old plan of revenge. Even worse, everyone he questions is spooked by a 70-year-old Indian curse on a 1939 Martin guitar. With a killer on the loose and his best friend's very hot sister pressuring him for results, McKenna's got more than trouble in paradise, he's got a volcano ready to blow.

A precious necklace…an arrogant stranger…an unsolvable murder… Apartment manager Wilson McKenna just got a gift card to Honolulu's newest, upscale coffeehouse from his rich, PI-wannabe tenant, Chance Logan. Wouldn't you know it? Trouble breaks out during their first visit when the barista confronts an arrogant customer over the lei niho palaoa he wears around his neck. McKenna knows the lei palaoa is only worn by Hawaiian royalty—and this guy is anything but. The argument turns violent and a short time later, the troublemaker is found murdered, and the lei palaoa is missing. The cops have one suspect in their sights—the store owner. McKenna and Chance set out to find the real killer. As the investigation expands, they realize dead men tell no lies, but the living certainly do. Can they crack a case with no clues, no evidence, and no witnesses?

When a con man dies, no one cares…except his killer. Apartment manager Wilson McKenna’s day tanks when the cops accuse an old friend of killing a ruthless Honolulu scammer. McKenna hates to break the “no more amateur sleuthing” promise he made to his new girlfriend, but his buddy is desperate. He's got no alibi. Made threats against the dead man. And, his gun was the murder weapon. Talk about a guy with big trouble. McKenna turns to his private-investigator tenant, Chance Logan, for help. Too late, McKenna discovers Chance isn’t really a PI. Now, McKenna’s stuck with an investigation he doesn’t want, is mentoring a PI-wannabe, and hiding it all from his girlfriend. A string of shattered lives—and suspects—lie in the dead man’s wake. Can McKenna and Chance find a cagey killer who's always one step ahead? Or, will a dead con man ruin another life?

Some secrets are too dangerous to reveal... McKenna and his friends are taking a sunset cruise off the coast of Honolulu when they discover a stowaway. The stowaway turns out to be ten-year-old Kai Palakiko, one of O‘ahu’s best young surfers. Kai insists she needs to hire a private investigator so she can prove her nanny isn’t a murderer. McKenna reminds everyone he’s only an amateur sleuth, not a PI. Kai’s determination and charm endear her to his friends on the cruise and, despite his better judgement, McKenna agrees to help. Almost immediately, McKenna realizes Kai will be the worst possible client. She’s precocious, strong-willed, and has a nasty habit of interfering in the investigation. He also discovers the woman he’s trying to help appears to be lying about her involvement in the murder. The worst part is she’s somehow involved in a government cover-up involving the US Army and secrets nobody wants unearthed.

Not even the freak hurricane bearing down on Honolulu can dampen Wilson McKenna's holiday spirit. His girlfriend is coming to town, and they'll be celebrating their first Christmas together. Everything changes though when Chance Logan shows up and begs McKenna to help with a big charity event. Chance wants his best friend to take the role of Santa in the Christmas play he's directing. The previous Santa claims to have malaria, and dress rehearsal is only hours away. McKenna agrees to help, but trouble strikes during rehearsal when the storm hits town. There's a city-wide power outage, the phone lines and traffic are snarled, and when the lights come on, one of the elves is dead. When McKenna and Chance decide to investigate, the child star insists on being Santa’s helper. Now, McKenna has questions galore and no answers. Is the killer the Shakespeare-quoting Scrooge? The secretive Jack Frost? Or the way-too-friendly elf with more personalities than he can count? Should he give Assistant Elf Investigator Holly the promotion she's demanding? And what should he do about the Santa suit? It's giving him itches in places he can't even mention in public. This year, Hawaii's best amateur sleuth has a short Christmas wish list. He wants to find a killer before the curtain comes down on this production. And, he'd kill for a sturdy backscratcher.

The eighth Trouble in Paradise island mystery featuring senior sleuth McKenna and his PI-wannabe sidekick Chance Logan. Whatever happened to easy? McKenna had the perfect cover for his plan to propose marriage. He and his girlfriend Benni would help his elderly tenant, Mrs. Nakamura, fly to Maui for a visit with her pregnant granddaughter. Then, he’d take Benni for a walk on the beach. He had a ring, but did he have the courage to pop the question? The minute they land, McKenna’s perfect plan hits a snag. Mrs. Nakamura’s grandson-in-law is being accused of murder—and she wants her amateur sleuth landlord to investigate. Reluctantly, McKenna agrees to take the case with his friend Chance. They dive into an investigation that starts in a seedy hospitality club and goes straight downhill. Before they know it, the battle for Maui’s water is raging around the amateur sleuths and they have too many questions to answer. Why was the murder victim living under a fake identity? Why is their client claiming he committed the crime? And, who is the mystery man stalking them? On a dusty cane road, McKenna must answer the toughest decision of his life—live rich or die poor? There's no way it's the question he wanted to face, but if McKenna doesn’t think fast, he may never ask another.

Trouble in paradise returns Former skip tracer turned apartment manager McKenna is back in another senior sleuth cozy mystery. McKenna is shocked when one of his tenants loses everything in a work-at-home scam involving a new perfume. With his wedding just weeks away, McKenna has to make a tough decision. Does he evict a woman who’s down on her luck? Or take time out from wedding planning to help his tenant? A senior sleuth cozy mystery with a murder in paradise Turning the case over to his PI-in-training friend Chance Logan seems like the perfect solution—until Chance asks for just one favor. By the time one favor turns into two, McKenna’s up to his board shorts in island mysteries ranging from industrial espionage to murder in paradise. As McKenna digs deeper, he realizes the only way to get his life back is to solve the case and unmask a killer. And maybe finish up in time for the wedding. Other than that, it’s just another day—along with some trouble in paradise. Praise for the previous Trouble in Paradise senior sleuth cozy mysteries Photo Finish Finalist San Diego Book Awards - Best Mystery/Thriller 2012 Kauai Tempations "...a great read." — Midwest Book Review Maui Magic "For a fun read with surprises at every turn, read this book!" — Amazon customer

Trouble in paradise Former skip tracer turned apartment manager McKenna is back in his tenth senior sleuth cozy mystery. Honolulu philanthropist Kenji Ito has gone missing. His daughter is worried something has happened to him. So, she asks former skip tracer McKenna and his PI-wannabe sidekick Chance Logan to find her dad. A senior sleuth cozy mystery with a murder in paradise Right away, McKenna figures this simple find-my-dad situation is going to bring him trouble in paradise. Even McKenna doesn't foresee Kenji’s body turning up, the victim of murder. In addition to the murder, McKenna hears rumors about Kenji's company. For instance, he was a ruthless businessman. Or the one about payoffs to government officials. And then there's the supposed gang associations. Oh yeah, McKenna’s worried. If the rumors are true, he and Chance are in over their heads. And Benni could become a widow before she’s even a bride. Praise for the previous Trouble in Paradise senior sleuth cozy mysteries Photo Finish Finalist San Diego Book Awards - Best Mystery/Thriller 2012 The Scent of Waikiki "Mr. Ambrose has written a mystery that goes from simple to complex in the blink of an eye." — Escape with Dollycas Big Island Blues "Likable characters, witty dialogue, and ample amounts of humor ensure that readers will be captivated by this Hawaiian Getaway of a mystery." — Kings River Life