Books

It's not nice to fool Mother Nature.

On the way to interviewing a local farmer, Professor Molly stumbles onto a gruesome discovery in a field of genetically modified papayas. Molly is sure the murder has nothing to do with her new research project...until a second death rocks Mahina's tight farming community, and Molly's administration drops her research like a hot potato. If Molly can't root out the bad apples, not only will her tenure case go pear-shaped...she might end up pushing up daisies.

Our guest of honor may have been “The Most Hated Man in Hawaii,” but the College of Commerce was in no position to be picky. Not after the latest round of budget cuts.

After a brutal year on the academic job market, Professor Molly Barda has finally landed a job at Mahina State University ("Where Your Future Begins Tomorrow"). All she wants to do is keep her head down and stay out of trouble until she gets tenure. But then the wealthy and widely-hated Jimmy Tanaka, founder of Merrie Musubis lunch shop, pledges a huge donation to Molly's college and promptly disappears. Molly's venal dean, knowing Molly is in no position to refuse, orders her to track down the missing mogul. As Molly uncovers Mahina's ancient feuds and fresh scandals, she starts to fall for Tanaka's competitor...who might have few secrets of his own.

With this reissue of the original stories in a single volume, a new generation of children can enjoy Alice and Alistair's adventures on Hawaii's Hamakua Coast. Follow Alice Mongoose as she travels across the ocean, befriends the gentle and dapper Alistair Rat, starts a new business, and learns valuable lessons about life and friendship in her new Hawaiian home.
The Alice Mongoose and Alistair Rat stories are classic tales of friendship, beloved to this day by children of all ages.

It's Alice Mongoose's first Christmas in Hawaii. She misses her family and is resigned to spending the holiday alone.

Alistair Rat would love to spend Christmas with his best friend Alice, but he's afraid that Alice has more exciting things to do than spend time with a solitary rat. Fortunately, the outspoken Cordelia Canetoad knows just what to do! The Alice and Alistair stories are classic tales of friendship, beloved to this day by children of all ages.

Alice Mongoose and Alistair Rat have a lovely lunch shop. Alice runs it during the daytime, and Alistair, who is nocturnal, manages the night shift. Everything is working well--until a helpful customer suggests that they put up a sign.

Alice and Alistair agree that their lunch shop should have a sign. And they assume they agree on what the sign should say. When the delivery arrives, Alice and Alistair both have a bad surprise. They must work together and come up with an agreeable solution, and they learn that it is never wise to assume.

Alice Mongoose and Alistair Rat love to eat. And they love to cook together. Naturally, they decide to open a restaurant. How much fun it will be! But on opening night, Alice and Alistair find that some customers are impossible to please, others are happy to eat everything in the pantry and squawk for more, and the entire endeavor is far too much for the two friends to manage. Their dream, they fear, has turned out to be a failure. Fortunately, with the help of their wise friend Pennie Pueo, Alice and Alistair are able to find a happy solution.

The Alice Mongoose and Alistair Rat stories by Mary Pfaff, "The Beatrix Potter of Hawaii," are classic tales of friendship, beloved to this day by children of all ages.

When Alice Mongoose sails from India to a sugar plantation on the Big Island of Hawaii, she is shocked to learn what her new job entails. She decides instead to strike out on her own. When she meets the gentle and dapper Alistair Rat, she knows that she has found a friend in her new Hawaiian home.Alice Mongoose and Alistair Rat in Hawaii is the first book by Mary Pfaff, acclaimed in her day as the "Beatrix Potter of Hawaii." The Alice Mongoose and Alistair Rat stories are classic tales of adventure, resilience, and friendship, beloved to this day by children of all ages.

"Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god of the underworld, was a man with a wolf's head. The Navajo skin walkers could turn into any animal they pleased. And of course there's the Hồ tinh, Hanoi's nine-tailed fox. I was thinking I might write a story about the Hồ tinh."

"Gertie, that's a great idea," Ally said. "Are you going to write children's books?"

"Oh, my goodness, no. There's no money in children's books. I'm thinking erotica."

A graduate student from Hawaii visits the tiny bayou town of Sinful, Louisiana to investigate the effects of the oil spill on the local wildlife. Sinful resident Fortune Redding, who happens to be a CIA operative hiding out from a ruthless arms dealer, worries that the nosy newcomer might blow her cover. But when he makes a gruesome discovery, he unleashes forces that will go to any lengths to protect Sinful's darkest secret.

Seven on the crew. Six seats in the canoe. Everyone wants to paddle in the big Labor Day race. What could go wrong? 

Professor Molly investigates a mysterious paddling accident, and realizes it isn’t just business majors who cheat to get what they want. Whether it’s moving up in the college rankings, getting a seat in the Labor Day canoe race, or just looking out for themselves, some people will do whatever it takes to sink the competition.

Professor Molly feels more relief than grief when Mahina State’s one-man hostile work environment keels over at a faculty retreat.  She has no desire to get involved with the case, so it's an unpleasant surprise to find she already is involved. Now Professor Molly has to fight to keep the wrong person out of prison—and herself off the unemployment line.

If you like Dorothy Parker, Sarah Caudwell, P.G. Wodehouse, or E.F. Benson’s Mapp and Lucia stories, you’ll enjoy this tale of passion, pilferage, and petty politics in the middle of the Pacific.

Professor Molly is thrilled to accompany Donnie to Mahina State's exclusive donor dinner. She doesn't expect to have to share a table with the insufferable Stephen Park and his tactless new girlfriend.

Turns out it's one thing to invite your toxic ex-boyfriend to drop dead...it's quite another when he takes you up on it.