“Remember where you are, Caroline. This is M a u i. There are mysteries here that men have never touched — good and evil. I don’t want to deny any of the old powers.” — Marla


Phyllis A. Whitney was a wonderful writer who wrote mysteries for young people, and tales of gothic romance and mystery for adults. In some ways, Silversword is atypical of her work because the gothic element and setting is missing, but in another way it is one of her finest, highlighting her deft talent for storytelling, and her uncanny ability to keep the reader involved in the intrigue. In Silversword — a lovely plant which blooms at ten year intervals then dies — the intrigue involves a dysfunctional family guarding a secret, and the recently divorced Caroline, who must find out the truth so that she can move forward with her life, and find her own place in the world:


“My grandmother Elizabeth believes that my father was murdered.” — Caroline

“I’ve always had the feeling that might be so myself. The atmosphere at Manaolana was too strange for the accident theory.” — David


But it will in no way be easy for Caroline to get at the truth, with everyone else involved with the incident wanting it left alone:

“I’ve often wondered what really happened. In a way, it’s convenient that no one could tell the story afterward. Just the same, Caroline, I think you should accept the fact you don’t really know the truth. I wonder if anyone does, or ever will.” — Ailina


Having grown up reading her mysteries for children, I had always been aware of Whitney’s strong connection to Japan, but not her close ties to Hawaii. She expounds on them in the afterword (at least in the Coronet edition). The setting for Silversword is like an additional character in the story, lush and beautiful, full of history and beliefs, and perhaps magic. When reading this one, I could not help but think of Tony Hillerman and M.M. Kaye. Whitney weaves such a rich and lovely tapestry around Hawaii, and especially Maui, that we see its beauty in our mind’s eye while reading, feel it’s amazing history, and are touched by its spiritual side. On a slightly smaller scale, Whitney does for Maui, and Hawaii, what Kaye did for India, and Hillerman for the Southwest. Though it is certainly not on the same scope as Michener’s Hawaii — this is romantic mystery fiction, after all — there is something lush and tangible that the reader takes away from the setting as Whitney describes it, and as the protagonist experiences it.

Silversword begins in San Francisco, however, a city which has had long ties across the Pacific to Hawaii. Caroline Kirby is living in Pacific Heights with her father’s mother, a wealthy and controlling woman who worships a dead son. Elizabeth had given Caroline a home when both her parents were killed in Hawaii during a tragic accident at a crater. But a home is all it was, devoid of real love and affection. Caroline, also referred to as Linny and Cao, has recently divorced and is trying to find her own way in life. She thinks going back to Maui may be the answer, but is in for a shocking discovery, and deception. Though the revelation happens early in the narrative, and is basically the impetus for the entire book, I will attempt to be a bit vague about it. Suffice it to say, it leads to greater questions, as to why Caroline couldn’t remain in Hawaii, rather than have her childhood ruined. But darker questions loom, including what really happened that day at the crater.

The narrative is gentle and involving, and the romance which blooms slowly, like the silversword — it has taken a lifetime for Caroline and David — is realistic. Whitney knew how to weave a tapestry of mystery and romance as well as anyone in this genre, and her gift for storytelling is very much on display here — though I must note, that as previously mentioned, this is an atypical book by the author. We like Caroline, but Maui and the mystery of what happened all those years ago is what drives this novel of romantic intrigue and mystery forward, even if it is at a gentle pace. Along the way, Caroline begins to find sure footing in the most unlikely places, and by the most intangible means:


“Hawaiians say it’s our own spirit we see reflected in the clouds. You’re very lucky — it doesn’t always happen. But I thought you might be — I thought you might be given a sign.” — David

Caroline’s inner thoughts about David’s remark: “Whatever he said I could believe. I could believe that somehow, in some inspired way, that was the reflection of my own soul—spirit—shining out there in that circle of light. No one could behold such a vision without being touched and changed. While I had come to Maui for some small human purposes of my own, now something more was given to me. Something far larger — a destiny? At this moment the word didn’t seem too large for me to accept it. I was here because — something — was meant to be. I didn’t need to understand. In a little while I would go back to my own human perspective, but I wouldn’t forget what had touched me here.”


Whitney gave this enough depth to make it interesting, and enough romance and mystery to keep the reader involved despite the gentle but steady movement. She writes evocatively of Maui’s beauty and its history. And she weaves in its mystic side, which Caroline experiences herself in a vision. It is a tapa beater, and Caroline’s loving persistence to help someone open doors long-shut, however, that will finally bring this terrific read in the genre to a very satisfying close.

There is a wonderfully illustrated and detailed map of Maui on page twenty-six in the Coronet paperback edition, as well as an afterward by Phyllis A. Whitney which is well worth reading. This edition has a beautiful cover depicting Maui, and I urge anyone seeking it out in paperback, to find this one. Though written and published in the 1980s, this one feels sort of timeless, and is a wonderful example of this genre done correctly. If you enjoy this genre of romantic suspense and mystery, Silversword is highly recommended. ( )

Some of the beautiful descriptions in this book reminded me of two of my girlhood books about Hawaii: Lois Says Aloha by Dorothy Heiderstadt and The Secret of the Golden Pavilion (Nancy Drew #36), which was pleasant. Our heroine, Caroline Kirby, was taken from Maui when she was an even younger girl, only six years old, after the accident that left her orphaned and her maternal aunt injuried.

Caroline has grown up in San Francisco, ruled by her autocratic grandmother, Elizabeth Kirby. Mrs. Kirby has a shrine to her late son and has brought Caroline up to worship her father. Mrs. Kirby even picked out a man, Scott, who reminds her of her lost Keith, for Caroline. The marriage was a disaster. Caroline has divorced the jerk, to her rich grandmother and ex's displeasure.

For over 20 years Caroline thought her Grandma, Joanna Docket, didn't care about her because she never answered any of her letters. Mrs. Kirby confesses that she never mailed any of Caroline's letters or gave her the ones her Grandma sent. Unsurprisingly, Caroline goes back to Maui.

There Caroline finds that some more of what she was told isn't true. Mrs. Kirby believes that her son was murdered. There is so much of guilt and secrets floating around the Docket ranch that Caroline suspects her paternal grandmother might be right. Can the truth be uncovered in this very cold case? Aunt Marla, Grandma Joanna, and Tom, the ranch hand who had loved Caroline's mother, don't even want her to try. At least David Reed, widowed photographer who was Caroline's childhood friend, might be innocent, since he was only 12 at the time.

Caroline finds some of her own memories returning, memories that make her realize her parents' marriage wasn't all sweetness and light. Part of that has to do with a still-lovely widowed singer named Ailana. Ailana's son, Koma, may be David's best friend, but he's very much an activist for preserving Hawaii's past. Koma doesn't like Caroline because she's Keith Kirby's daughter. Could Caroline's ex have been even more like her father than Grandmother Elizabeth thinks?

Expect to learn something about the history of Hawaii while Caroline is trying to uncover the past. I freely admit that I didn't guess the truth. If you like romantic suspense, you'll probably enjoy this book. ( )