Mahu Men

I've been a fan of Neil Plakcy's Hawaiian gay detective Kimo Kanapa'aka since his first novel, Mahu. The Mahu Series was briefly reviewed here. In Mahu he is outed; in subsequent novels he forms a relationship with fireman Mike Ricciardi, then ends it because Mike is closeted and afraid; then in the latest novel of this series, Mahu Vice, they get together again. Mahu Men consists of short stories which cover this whole period, adding to the picture revealed by the novels. If you are a fan of the likable and sexy Kimo, then this is required reading. If you are not, these stories will make you want to read the novels.

One of the reasons the Mahu series is so readable is that Kimo and his guy undergo a journey of sorts. The most engrossing and satisfying stories involve a journey: a real one or an internal, psychological one. The journey, physical and psychological, in Lord of the Rings, for example, is what makes it such compelling reading. The extended development of the love between Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane and between Detective-Inspector Parker and Wimsey's sister adds interest to the detective novels of Dorothy Sayers.

Of course, there are other factors, too. We like characters to have a bit of bad in them. A character without faults displeases, because he or she is too bland. But not too much bad: they have to be likable. Only a consummate author can write about wholly bad guys whom we hate yet nevertheless continue reading about. We also need some angst: Joseph Hansen gets this right in his flawless stories about the gay investigator, Dave Brandstetter, whose love affairs colour his life and the novels.

In fact, we respond to characters who are real, warts and all, in pain or happy. Agatha Christie, in contrast to Dorothy Sayers, wrote puzzles not novels. Her Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot thrillers are only interesting when they're converted into films, or TV series, and then only when they're carefully directed and filmed with good actors. When that happens, the flat cardboard characters Agatha Christie wrote become alive and therefore we can care about them.

Looking at the series of Mahu books as a whole, all these elements are present. Kimo Kanapa'aka comes across as likable, decent... and very hot. Well, why not? It's not just that he's a cop. It's not only that he's a surfer (and who could resist a gay surfer?). It's because he's strong and big, yet compassionate and gentle. Yet he's not without a certain cynicism. He's seen too much of the world as a cop in uniform and after that as a detective for him not to have experienced the seamy side of life. And when he stops trying to pretend to be straight, he does what we all did: he sleeps around, hoping to find Mr Right. He has anonymous sex, he gets into trouble because of it, and his sex scenes with pick-ups end up on the web because of a scam. Not a good image for a cop. He fails and screws up.

The journey is the one we all make from denial through resignation to accepting what we are and then embracing it. Kimo's boyfriend Mike has to make that journey too, only he's six months behind Kimo. There are unhappy times when it seems that Mike and Kimo are on entirely different pages. Their journeys make us want to go on reading, to find out what happens.

Because these short stories in are in a way snippets of Kimo's life, we only see his developing self-awareness and the stop-start relationship with Mike Ricciardi peripherally. This in some ways makes Mr Plakcy's job harder. How do you make people want to go on reading if they are not sure who this person is and why he does stuff? It's hard for me to tell whether that's been achieved here, because I knew and liked the Mahu series previously. I believe though that even if you haven't read about Kimo Kanapa'aka before, you'll be drawn to read the novels. The mixture of mystery stories and erotica might also strike one as odd, yet the two are linked in his life. His personal journey is reflected in his changing job, and vice versa – as just one example, he meets Mike Ricciardi while they are both on the same case – and it makes sense that we are also shown his private life. The long introduction the author gives explaining the genesis of both the series in general and Mahu Men in particular is interesting and puts the stories in perspective.

There are fifteen stories in the anthology, too many to discuss individually.

In I Know What You Did a man is bludgeoned to death outside a gay night club. But the murder is so inept it's obviously an amateur. The killer is not the first suspect, but is in the end revealed as a pathetic and tawdry individual.

Blowing It is nicely tasty and sexy with an amusing twist in its tail.

The Price of Salt – an homage to Patricia Highsmith, who wrote a lesbian novel by that name – is about a decapitated man found in a ritzy hotel. Was he ritually killed by the Indonesian keris found in the hotel room, or is that a cover for something else?

Super-Size is a celebration of big blokes: “I could see that he had a whomping big dick stuffed into that tight bikini, and that he dressed to the left. Something about a sexy guy with a big dick and a sad face really turns me on.” Kimo's kindness and compassion shine out in this story.

In The Cane Fields one of two lovers goes missing. He works for the Prisons Dept., and at first Kimo suspects one of the ex-cons, but then...

Sex in Salt Lake is the sexiest story in this volume:

“She suddenly planted her lips on mine, and swung over to straddle me, her leather miniskirt riding up to her waist. It took me by surprise; it had been a while since I'd had such intimate contact with a woman, and I was assaulted by sense memories, as well as the strangeness of it all. My dick didn't mind it though; it popped up to attention. Was I really gay if a woman's kiss and caress could turn me on? I always thought a bisexual was somebody who couldn't make up his – or her – mind. It only got stranger when I heard a key in the lock and then the door swung open. A haole bodybuilder type stood there, framed in the light. He had a deep tan and his dark hair was shaved down to stubble. […] Mindy was still straddling me on the couch and she leaned over and began kissing the edge of my chin. […] My eyes fastened on his body and wouldn't let go as he began to unwrap himself. First he pulled his T-shirt above his head, revealing washboard abs and biceps as thick as my leg. […] My body was going nuts, and I wasn't sure if it was the pressure of Mindy's ass on my stiff dick, her nibbling on my chin, or the show going on in front of me.”

In Rainy Day at Black Point, a gay man is bludgeoned to death – but was it his ex for the million-dollar life insurance? Or something else?

The Second Detective is a particularly involving story. A naked man, disoriented and bleeding from his arse is found outside a straight bar. This is the third guy found like this. What's happening? And just what is the sexual orientation of Kimo's new helper, Billy, who says so many crass things about gays but seems pretty conflicted? In a way it's a pity it's a short story: it would have made a great novel.

Island Ball is another of Plakcy's cleverly written erotic stories. Kimo has to play guard/baby-sitter/and more to a famous gay baseball player, who's been getting death threats since he came out. At first the baseball player is extremely cold and hostile. Then ...

In the title story, the last of this collection, someone Kimo has had hot sex with, someone he hopes will be his Mr Right, dies. Is it murder? Will Kimo's new partner, who so far has trusted him and worked well with him, suspect him of being involved?

I should also mention the Kimo story in I Do Two!, called The Honolulu Hula, about Mike Ricciardi's old friend from uni, who Mike thought was straight, but who's getting married to his guy in Hawaii, and needs Mike's help. Someone else's marriage makes Mike and Kimo wonder whether they should get married too. Every Mahu fan should read this story: it would have made a fitting end to the stories in Mahu Men.

Highly recommended.