John Teschner (Project Namahana) continues his exploration of the dark side of Hawaii in the insightful techno-thriller Valley of Refuge. The novel juxtaposes two characters with vastly different ideas about how the land should be treated. Franky Dalton started as a Peace Corps volunteer, bringing Internet and computer skills to remote African villages. Now, 15 years later, he is a billionaire techno-industrialist who wants to pave paradise to build his exclusive "Sanctuary," an advanced marine research center on a remote Hawaiian island. But the land Dalton covets belongs to Nalani Kanahele Winthrop and her family. Despite the life-changing money being offered, the family does not want to give up the ancestral land that means more to them than cash. The Hawaiian island is also the destination of Janice Diaz, shuttled from an airplane to a hospital with only a locked cell phone and a passport, and no memory of her past. Teschner expertly reveals her past, and why she lands on the island.
Teschner deftly contrasts his characters' motives against the backdrop of Hawaii's seamy side, depicting how Dalton became driven by his ego, going from a volunteer with pure ideals to a megalomaniac who is unconcerned about others or land destruction. Dalton thinks he is a good man, trying to protect his family and building a future for his wife and twin sons. He is wrong. Nalani could be seduced by wealth, but she believes the past is more important. Strong characters coupled with solid action flow throughout Valley of Refuge. --Oline H. Cogdill, freelance reviewer