Humble Honest Men

Humble Honest Men is a comic novel from Hawaii author-historian Bob Dye. A dozen years in the writing, Dye's new book tells the story of Kapala Dolan, a Hawaii native who moves to Kinsale, Ireland, and soon becomes embroiled in the controversial history surrounding the sinking of the Lusitania and her mysterious cargo.

Dolan's fascination with the Irish half of his hapa haole ancestry—and the family lore that placed his maternal grandparents on the Lusitania as it sank off the coast of Kinsale—leads him to jump at the chance to consult for the town whose city fathers seek to make the wreckage of the great liner as successful a tourist attraction as Pearl Harbor's Arizona Memorial. The job proves to be more than a simple consultancy, as Dolan is drawn deeper into intrigue and cultural conflicts, while his sincere intentions rub some of the townspeople the wrong way.

Humble Honest Men is a tale of two cultures based on the fascinating similarities between Hawaii and Ireland. Dye's late wife, Tessa, suggested writing a novel to help pass the time in sleepy Kinsale, where the family has kept a home. Discerning Kinsale and Hawaii readers will recognize native turns of phrase, familiar quirky characters and beloved landmarks as Dye, a longtime aide to former Honolulu Mayor Frank F. Fasi, combines his ear for Irish argot with an eye for political intrigue and idiosyncratic characters.