Overview

Knives Out meets Moana in this tropical cozy mystery full of buried secrets, found family, and one very judgmental parrot. Dr. Cassandra Sato can handle just about anything: campus politics, faculty feuds, and a to-do list longer than a freshman advising line. But chaperoning Midwestern students to a Honolulu tech conference? That's supposed to be a low-key homecoming. Networking. Ocean breezes. Maybe a Mai Tai or two. Trouble, of course, didn't get the memo. A high-tech contest using virtual reality to ""time travel"" through a century-old cold case sounds harmless enough... until Cassandra learns one of the victims is family. Soon the clues start whispering stories no history book dared to print, including a handmade quilt hiding a royal secret. Uncovering the truth could rewrite her family's history and put a target on her back. With a cold case ready to burn hot, sometimes the biggest mystery is figuring out where you really belong. With her brilliant misfit students, a fiercely loyal parrot, and friends who feel more like family, Cassandra must solve the case before she becomes a footnote in its bloody history. Because in Hawai'i, ohana means nobody gets left behind or forgotten. Can Cassandra keep that promise when the past comes for her too? Homecoming Homicide is perfect for fans of academic drama, island intrigue, and smart sleuths who bring lost voices to light. Start your fictional vacation today.

Full Product Details

9781957938233

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Reviews

""...I absolutely adore this series by Kelly Brakenhoff, whose early married life in Hawai'i gives her a connection that allows her to recreate the local flavors and lifestyle of the islands. ...This is a compelling academic mystery that explores Hawaiian history and makes it come alive for readers as effectively as the VR technology it depicts. The Hawaiian Islands are more than just tourist destinations or vacation homes for billionaires, and readers will be as entertained as they are educated about its complicated history and people."" Cynthia Chow, reviewer, King's River Life Magazine

Author Information

Kelly Brakenhoff is the author of 16 books and a seasoned ASL interpreter. She splits her writing energy between two series: cozy mysteries set on a college campus and children's books featuring Duke the Deaf Dog. In 2025, two of her children's books were selected for the CBC Favorites Award Lists, honored by teachers and librarians nationwide for excellence in children's literature. Parents, kids, and educators love the Duke the Deaf Dog books and activity guides because they introduce ASL and the Deaf community through engaging stories. And if you enjoy a smart female sleuth, want to learn more about Deaf culture, or have lived in a place where livestock outnumber people, the Cassandra Sato Mystery series will have you connecting the dots faster than a group project thrown together the night before it's due. A proud mom to four adults, head of the dog-snuggling department, and grandma to a growing brood of perfectly behaved grandkids, Kelly and her husband call Nebraska home.

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