Honolulu Nocturne

Honolulu/1973. For Kevin McCloskey it’s too early to pursue grad school. He has many many more waves to catch. Still, if he wants to eat, he needs some kind of job. Kimo’s Kab offers just the ticket. Kevin becomes a night driver for the sketchiest taxi company in Waikiki, joining a small group of slackers who share a similar work ethic. Drive at night, 7 to 7, surf all day. Perfect.

After midnight his customer base shifts from tourists to the diverse purveyors of vice. Members of the various Honolulu Police Department’s plainclothes units are prevalent and fairly efficient at keeping the streets safe. Unfortunately, they are not dedicated to protecting the welfare of cab drivers who they regard with the same suspicion as they do the street crooks.

At first, Kevin is like a diver lowered in a safety cage in shark-infested waters. He is thrilled by the descent. But his level of integrity descends with him. After midnight a taxi driver is little more than a facilitator in Honolulu’s burgeoning sex trade. Kevin evolves from diver to shark, trying futilely to survive the game.

Nocturne is No Sleeper! It Charms, Then Chills.
As a former resident of inner-city Honolulu, I found John Moccia's "Nocturne" to be totally - sometimes brutally - honest and uncompromising. His gritty depiction of the main character's cab-driving colleagues had me laughing at my own memories of Hawaii's Rainbow Community. Laughing, that is, until the young protagonist's circumstances take a sharp turn into the heart of darkness. If readers want an exhilarating, after-hours tour of Waikiki and China Town, unlike any in the travelogues, this is the book they should read.
—Jud Watkins, Amazon reader

Moccia Does Not Disappoint
Good story. Well written. Moves along well. No dead spots or wasted pages. Worth the money and the time spent. This is my third John Moccia book. Three thumbs up (another story).
—Steve Ryan, Amazon reader

Couldn't put it down
All Kevin wants to do is surf and hang loose. He thinks he has found the perfect job as an all night cabbie. Slowly, Kevin and the reader are drawn into the dark side of Honolulu. Kevin's slacker attitude brings humor to this gritty tale. You'll never think of sunny Hawaii the same again.
—Kirra Ray, Amazon reader

Top Notch
Good story, great characters. A young fellow becomes enamored with the streets in the bad side of Honolulu. Good description of Honolulu's Hotel Street environs, good guys, bad guys.
—Whodunnit, Amazon reader

Honolulu After Midnight, Paradise Lost
Entertaining in it's characters and terrific in describing a darker underbelly of Honolulu after midnight. At times the plot and it's environment seems a bit over cooked, but the story is true to it's roots as an old fashioned pot boiler. I enjoyed it!
—Mike Burke, Amazon reader