Fire Knife Dancing (The Jungle Beat Mysteries)

As someone who has lived in American Samoa over the years covered in the Jungle Beat series, I congratulate the author on his ability to capture a lot of the essence of what life in these Americanized, Polynesian islands is all about.The plot lines of both books in the series, while not overly complex, have enough unexpected twists and turns to keep them lively, and often enough humorous. The characters are well developed--often composites of real people. The pace of life, and the variance between traditional Samoan village and modern Western culture, are well documented.The author's real strength lies in his descriptions of the moods of the islands. Stormy and squally weather, sunny trade wind days, the sounds and smells of the forests, and of the reefs and ocean, are all vividly described. Sometimes you can practically taste the place.A good read for those who like a little mystery and want to learn a bit around another part of the world.The Guy Who Lives in the Shack in da' Back

I have become a John Enright fan. I love his easy writing style. He obviously has lived in and around Samoa because he sets his reader down on the island and its surroundings and when you finish the novel you feel you were really there watching the adventure.The way he moves his protaganist around gives the reader a chance to be a part of the mystery. There is usually a surprise ending.You can count on getting a history lesson when you least expect it and it is never dull.If you read more than one of his books you will recognize old friends from the previous books. FIRE KNIFE DANCING kept me entertained till the end. Now I am readint The Dead Don't Dance. I will be sorry to finish this series. I find it well written and facinating.

After reading Enright’s first Apelu Soifua novel, I was delighted to discover there are more. His tight plotting and evocative writing continue, and Detective Soifua is a living, breathing American Samoan character I would not be surprised to meet in real life down at Mark & Soli’s restaurant some evening—except I think it got washed away in the tsunami, but you get the idea. Enright is better at atmosphere than just about any writer I’ve run across; you will find you have absorbed a lot more about American Samoan culture than you may have thought existed. [Jim Kent]

I have read all 4 of John Enright's Jungle Beat Mystery series and loved them The writing was poetic, the character of Det. Soifua was complex and interesting and the plot twists intriguing. Although the pace was steady and not as suspenseful as we sometimes expect in cops and murder mystery books, given Enright's poetic bent and background it was appropriate because they came across as more works of art than bloody murders and stuff getting blown up. After reading them I even ordered the set of four for my daughter who was born there but never lived in Samoan or South Pacific culture or society and I ordered a complete set for a friend who lived in Samoa for two years. I also have recommended them to others I know who lived and worked in Samoa and the South Pacific. I highly recommend them!

The story was just so-so for me. There was nothing exciting or engaging about the investigation, nor was it complex enough. You could describe Detective Soifua as the "Columbo" of the South Pacific, laid back, non excitable, not much personality, and very polite, which put all together makes him annoying. His suspects can't really be rude to him because of his politness which does make for a comical exchange. Soifua's reflection on his "fire knife dancing" wasn't really relative to the story other than it's slight connection to the suspects. I expected more in relation to the book title. That being said, I would read another of Soifua's crime solving escapades because I love all things south pacific even if it's a little weak in substance. Would I recommend this book, not to the hard core crime mystery reader. Tofa

Hey John...your book brought back so many memories of living in Am. Samoa--the inner workings of strange things that happen on a small island and how one needed to be careful of who one dealt with, for fear they were related to someone who you didn't want them to know what you felt about them! I could almost connect some of your characters, incidents and places to actual people, events and places there. I am looking forward to more adventures of Apelu Soifua! However, I don't really need the rated R scenes and language to keep me reading. Fa'afetai!

This is the second book in the jungle beat mystery series but it stands fine on its own. I enjoyed Pago Pago and bought this one also. I wasn't disappointed. The combination of a detective straddling two very two different worlds, the beautiful scenery and a detective story/ murder mystery combined to make an interesting read. The author again explores the main characters feelings as he deals with his heritage and his job which pulls him further from that life; and how he separates the two. But it's not a rehash he goes deeper and you learn more about the character and about life on this beautiful island where the author himself lived.An interesting book, for the mystery and for the character study.

I liked this book and its prequel (Pago Pago Tango) as I feel the author establishes his characters and the environment in a way that reflects the Samoan psyche and the island itself. Having lived in Samoa myself for a while (Apia not Pago) I could hear the accents of the characters as they spoke and it took me back to my time there. The story is believable and is quite intriguing.

I bought this because I had really enjoyed Pago Pago. In my opinion it is not as good as that book. The story is slightly weaker and there an over-reliance on background detail to the extent that it intrudes on the narrative, whereas in the previous novel it was an inherent part. It is still highly readable and enjoyable but it suffers in comparison to this author's high standard previously set.

Not my usual type of book but it proved to be both funny and a mystery at the same time. Don't let the title put you off, the book is well worth a read. I would by other books by this author.

good entertaining light-hearted read. Generally well-written and easy to follow.

This is the second novel in the Jungle Beat series by Jon Enright.This story starts with Apelu's police car being shot up outside the property of Ezra Strand, who lives with his wife in a remote part of the island.After arresting Ezra the police find contraband goods in the house but also that his wife is missing.The contraband goods have been brought over form Western Samoa (not part of American Samoa).On his return to Pago Pago Apelu finds himself framed for a crime he hasn't committed.Another interesting story in this series.I look forward to more novels by this author.

This is John Enright's second book with Detective Sergeant Apelu Soifua and if you liked his first book "Pago Pago Tango" (see my review) then you will undoubtedly enjoy this one as it is very similar. In this book, Soifua is caught up in a simple case of smuggling pirate CDs, tobacco and such but then it turns nasty when it becomes clear that human trafficking is also taking place and Soifua ends up being the prime suspect! The book is once again full of rich cultural detail which I soaked up but, once again, it did slow down the story telling, although the crime story was not treated as secondary as it was in the previous book. Again, a really good read and an improved read on the first book but Mr Enright still hasn't got the balance between including cultural detail and pace of story quite right - the pace needs to be just that little bit quicker then I would award 5 stars.