Hawaii is palm trees, black sand and blue water - but for policewoman Lei Texeira, there’s a dark side to paradise. Lei has overcome a scarred past to make a life for herself as a cop, but often the cases she works activate wounds and complications from her tangled family history. Lei is affected deeply by her cases even as she solves them with persistence, obsession, and intuition. She falls in love with Michael Stevens, the charismatic detective she works with, and they make a life solving crime in contemporary Hawaii with all its beauty and deadliness.
Meet Toby Neal
She lives in Hawaii with her family and dogs and enjoys many outdoor sports including bodyboarding, beach walking, gardening, hiking, wondering about human nature and coming up with original plots.
Toby credits her counseling background in adding depth to her characters - from the villains to Lei Texeira, the courageous and vulnerable heroine in the Lei Crime Series.
Blood Orchids by Toby Neal (2011)
Length: 312 pages
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Blood Orchids Blurb:
Lei has overcome a scarred past to make a life for herself as a cop in the sleepy Big Island town of Hilo. On a routine patrol she finds two murdered teenagers - one of whom she’d recently busted. With its echoes of her own past, the murdered girl’s harsh life and tragic death affect Lei deeply. She becomes obsessed - even as the killer is drawn to Lei's intensity, feeding off her vulnerabilities and toying with her sanity.
Despite her obsession with the case and fear that she's being stalked, Lei finds herself falling in love for the first time. Steaming volcanoes, black sand beaches and shrouded fern forests are the backdrop to Lei's quest for answers - and the stalker is closer than she can imagine, as threads of the past tangle in her future. Lei is determined to find the killer - but he knows where to find her first.
Fast-paced crime mystery with a touch of romance, readers call Blood Orchids "un-putdownable!"
"Sometimes in crime fiction you stumble across a character who lives on beyond the book's end by virtue of their psychological complexity, and the richness with which the author has drawn them. Will Graham, Jack Reacher, Alex Cross, and now they have a worthy female counterpart in Lei Teixera. Blood Orchids is that rarity among debut novels, in that it satisfies on every level. A powerful new talent is on the scene, whole-heartedly recommended." - Drew Cross, former police officer and author of BiteMarks
Torch Ginger by Toby Neal (2012)
Length: 320 pages
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Torch Ginger Blurb:
The island of Kaua`i is remote jungle, golden beaches and ancient culture - but transients are disappearing in paradise, and only Detective Lei Texeira notices.
Lei transfers to the island of Kaua`i, where she uncovers a pattern of disappearances that may be related to a bizarre cult - or is it just one madman at work? In Lei's world, everyone is guilty until proven innocent. In the midst of the biggest case sleepy Kaua`i has ever seen, Lei must also untangle the mysteries of her heart and discover who she loves.
"Lei Texeira is both tough detective and vulnerable woman in this second winning novel in the popular Hawaii Lei Crime mystery series created by Toby Neal." - David Bishop, author of the Jack McCall mysteries
The island of Maui is turquoise ocean, stunning vistas, and whalesong - but organized crime has a hidden hold, and Detective Lei Texeira tracks evil that hides behind a beautiful face.
"Lei Texeira is both tough detective and vulnerable woman in this second winning novel in the popular Hawaii Lei Crime mystery series created by Toby Neal." - David Bishop, author of the Jack McCall mysteries
Black Jasmine by Toby Neal (2012)
Length: 274 pages
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Black Jasmine Blurb:
When a nameless teenage girl dies in an apparent vehicular suicide, Lei can’t rest until she finds out what really happened. She blazes through all the wealth and poverty of Maui island society in her quest for justice, rousing a deadly foe - even as she faces the personal demons of commitment and revenge that threaten the only real love she’s ever known.
May you read well and often
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