For most people, Hawaii is heaven on Earth. But U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent Rachel Porter sees the rot beneath its natural splendor. Its pristine shores are harboring a new breed of criminal, those who would upset the fragile ecological balance in the name of profit ... those who would kill in the cause of greed.

On the trail of illegal traffickers in exotic animals, Rachel stumbles upon something far more insidious and frightening -- and a suspiciously shark-devoured human corpse that washes up on the rocks is only the beginning. Suddenly everyone wants her off a case that is too hot to handle. But she won't be warned, coaxed, or threatened away, even as the blood that darkens the tropical waters marks Rachel Porter as the most endangered creature in Paradise.

From Publishers Weekly

In Speart's lighthearted ninth Rachel Porter mystery (after 2004's Blue Twilight), the U.S. Fish & Wildlife agent, now stationed in Hawaii, stumbles across an international illegal exotic reptile smuggling ring and a conspiracy to skirt regulations banning the sale of shark fins. Porter's initial investigative steps put her at odds with her horrible boss, who personifies every stereotype of a bureaucrat more interested in preserving his position than in doing his job. An informant refers darkly to a high-level political connection to the conspirators, and Porter's legwork brings her face to face with a mobster from her past. While Porter's rash choices in life-and-death situations lack credibility, Speart does manage a nicely cynical ending.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In Speart's tenth Rachel Porter book, the intrepid federal agent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been transferred to Hawaii. To her chagrin, she finds her new boss insufferable and the work utterly boring. But a chance meeting with a teenager trapping chameleons in the forest soon leads her to uncover an illegal animal-export business. Rachel quickly discovers that the business is linked to a "shark-finning" operation that's making millions for its owners. When she attempts to discover who those owners are, she receives strong hints that she should stick to her paperwork. But, in genre fiction, that's like waving a red flag in front of a bull. Fresh, irreverent writing and a fast-paced plot combine with a sassy heroine and vibrant descriptions of "the real Hawaii" to give this environmentally conscious thriller multiple levels of appeal--especially for animal lovers and surfer dudes (and dudettes). Emily Melton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved