Talking Homecoming Homicide: Guest Posts & Review Highlights
Homecoming Homicide has been out in the world for a couple of months, spreading a little mystery, mayhem, and island sunshine wherever it goes.
Below you’ll find a thoughtful review, a guest post (where I explain how a loudmouth parrot hijacked my plot), and an author interview that dives into my writing process, favorite advice, and what’s next for Cassandra Sato.
I’ve included a short excerpt from each piece (just enough to give you a taste). Click through to read the full versions on the original sites.
Let’s start with a review that made me want to hug my laptop and order extra SPAM musubi. A Hawaiʻi librarian from Kings River Life Magazine called Homecoming Homicide “a compelling academic mystery that makes Hawaiian history come alive,” and wow, that’s about the best compliment Cassandra Sato (and I) could ask for.
Homecoming Homicide: A Cassandra Sato Mystery by Kelly Brakenhoff
Review by Cynthia Chow, Mysteryrat’s Maze
“Despite Cassandra Sato earning a reputation as the “Queen of Doom” due to the alarming number of disasters and crimes that have occurred around her, as the Vice President of Student Affairs at Nebraska’s Morton College she is eagerly anticipating a working trip that will take her back home to O’ahu. This year the PastForward Conference that explores an unsolved mystery every year is being held in Honolulu, and they have invited Cassandra and a select group of her students to earn credits and hopefully solve the mystery. Not only will they have the opportunity to use high-tech virtual reality equipment to immerse themselves in history, a $10,000 bonus prize will be awarded to the team with the most plausible solution. While Cassandra enjoys the opportunity to meet up with a large assortment of relatives and enjoy meals at her parents’ home in Waipahu, the case study they have been given reaches just a little too close to home…”
Next is the guest post where I explain what happens when a parrot that wasn’t even in the outline becomes the star of the book. In Homecoming Homicide, a last-minute cover change led to the creation of Skipper, a yellow-headed parrot with serious scene-stealing energy. Come behind the scenes for sushi thefts and chaotic clues.
Polly Wants a Plotline: How a Parrot Took Over My Mystery Novel
By Kelly Brakenhoff
“I have a confession. I didn’t mean to write a parrot into Homecoming Homicide. Skipper wasn’t in the outline. He wasn’t part of the mystery. He wasn’t even a whisper in the first draft. But he was on the cover.
Let me back up.
When my cover designer sent me the early version of the Homecoming Homicide artwork, something was off. The other books in the Cassandra Sato series had a small critter tucked into the title design. There was a mouse. Then a couple of dogs, a pumpkin. This one? Nothing.
So I said, “How about a parrot? That feels Hawaiian, right?” …”
Kelly Brakenhoff Discusses Her Latest Cassandra Sato Mystery and Her Favorite Writing Advice
Lynn and I chatted about the making of Homecoming Homicide, the Cassandra Sato series, and a few lessons learned along the way.
Lynn Slaughter | September 4, 2025
“Having spent considerable time dealing with intrigue and warring faculty on college campuses, I’ve never been able to resist mysteries set in academia, like those penned by Kelly Brakenhoff. I loved learning about Kelly’s latest release, her career and children’s writing as an ASL interpreter, and her favorite writing advice.
Lynn: First off, congratulations on the publication of HOMECOMING HOMICIDE, the fifth book in your Cassandra Sato Mysteries. Can you share with our readers a bit about HOMECOMING HOMICIDE and the series as a whole?
Kelly: Thank you! It’s been a fun ride. The Cassandra Sato Mysteries are cozy academic whodunits where small college meets big secrets. Cassandra is a Hawaiian-born college administrator who moves to rural Nebraska for her dream job only to discover her “other duties as assigned” include wrangling faculty feuds, student protests, and the occasional corpse. Think Only Murders in the Building if it were set at a Midwestern college, with less podcasting and more paperwork.
In Homecoming Homicide, book five, Cassandra heads back to Hawaii expecting leis, sunshine, and family time. Instead, her homecoming begins with a century-old murder, buried family secrets, and a very opinionated parrot. It’s Knives Out meets Moana—with better snacks and way more paperwork.
Lynn: I’d love to know more about the background and personality of your protagonist, Cassandra Sato…”
And that’s a wrap for today. Homecoming Homicide is officially out living its best life. Huge thanks to the readers who’ve helped share Cassandra’s latest adventure. If you’ve finished the book, I’d love for you to leave a review or tell a friend (preferably one who enjoys mystery, sarcasm, and feathered sidekicks.)
Kelly Brakenhoff is the author of 17 books and a seasoned ASL interpreter. She splits her writing energy between two series: cozy mysteries set on a college campus and children’s books featuring Duke the Deaf Dog.
In 2025, two of her children’s books were selected for the CBC Favorites Award Lists, honored by teachers and librarians nationwide for excellence in children’s literature. Parents, kids, and educators love the Duke the Deaf Dog books and activity guides because they introduce ASL and the Deaf community through engaging stories.
And if you enjoy a smart female sleuth, want to learn more about Deaf culture, or have lived in a place where livestock outnumber people, the Cassandra Sato Mystery series will have you connecting the dots faster than a group project thrown together the night before it’s due.
A proud mom to four adults, head of the dog-snuggling department, and grandma to a growing brood of perfectly behaved grandkids, Kelly and her husband call Nebraska home.