Leilani Santiago Hawai'i Mystery Books in Order

The Leilani Santiago Hawai'i mysteries are contemporary amateur-sleuth stories set on Kaua'i. Their center is Leilani Santiago, a young woman who returns home from Seattle when her mother is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and the family needs help keeping its shave ice business afloat.

Leilani is not returning to an easy homecoming. She has a complicated relationship with her estranged father, younger sisters to look out for, a grandmother in the mix, and a long-distance relationship that does not pause just because family life gets messy. When murder enters the picture, she cannot simply keep her head down and scoop shave ice.

In Iced in Paradise, Leilani arrives at the family business and finds the body of a young professional surfer. The victim had been coached by her father, who quickly becomes a leading suspect. To clear his name, Leilani has to ask hard questions while also trying to support her mother and keep the family together.

Kaua'i is beautiful, but it is not a postcard.

The series treats the island as a real community shaped by family histories, tourism, land, work, and the tension between people who have always lived there and those who arrive with money or plans. Leilani's multiracial family, food, local language, and the shave ice stand give the books a grounded sense of home. The setting is sunny at times, but the problems are not always light.

The second book, An Eternal Lei, takes place during the pandemic, when Hawai'i has been largely closed to visitors. Leilani and her sisters rescue an unidentified woman from the water at Waimea Bay. A distinctive lei leads Leilani toward her best friend Courtney and a family flower business, turning a rescue into a dangerous investigation.

Leilani is quick-witted and sometimes impatient. She has a strong protective streak, especially where her sisters, mother, and friends are concerned. That makes her a natural investigator, even when it places her in over her head. The mysteries combine family tension with local history and threats that feel close to home.

Begin with Iced in Paradise to meet Leilani and understand why she has come back to Kaua'i. An Eternal Lei works best next, since it builds on her family, friendships, and place in the island community.