Like the archetypal blonde (air of sadness/legs for miles variety) whose appearance has set in motion a thousand fine detective novels, "Wipeout," the latest installment in Chip Hughes' "Surfing Detective" series, arrives in bookstores this month with a vapor trail of mystery, intrigue and deception.

This time around, the comely client with the voice "as soft as trade winds whispering in bamboo" comes calling in an unusual state: She's hapai with the child of a big-wave surfer believed to have been killed in the monster surf of Waimea, and she needs proof of her husband's death to collect on a $200,000 life insurance policy.

Anyone smell fish?

What follows is a labyrinthine journey through the world of big-wave surfing and the local drug trade as private investigator Kai Cooke, assisted by his colorful and now familiar hodgepodge of associates, attempts to make sense of a case that involves a seductive woman named Maya, a ticked-off crime boss, a map stashed at Shipwreck Beach, and, for good measure, a candy-striped surfboard.

Hughes, a professor of English at the University of Hawai'i, calls the setup for the skip-trace mystery "ludicrous ... really far out," yet what emerges from the foam is a taut, satisfying genre piece held together with bright writing and careful plotting.

Hughes, who made a splash last year with his first "Surfing Detective" novel, "Murder on Moloka'i," started "Wipeout" — which has undergone some 16 revisions — more than a decade ago.

In gathering information for the novel, Hughes, a recreational surfer, visited Maui and Lana'i and even paddled out to experience the frightful power of Waimea surf. "I didn't catch a wave, but I did get to experience what it is like to feel scared out there," he said. "There was not a wave I would have attempted."

Hughes also immersed himself in big-wave narratives by legendary surfers like Greg Noll and Fred Van Dyke (who, along with Ricky Grigg, served as consultants on the book).

The result is a carefully crafted mystery that eschews literary pretension for quick-paced action and wild yet credible plot turns.

"I don't see any heavy message to it," Hughes said. "Writing a popular novel is like throwing a party. You want to entertain people, and you hope they have a good time. I just hope people think it's a good read."

Van Dyke, who admits he isn't a "detective-type person," said he was impressed with Hughes' deft handling of local big-wave culture in "Wipeout."

"I think he understands the whole aspect of it, and he depicts it well in the book," said Van Dyke, who provided the foreword for the novel. "When he describes something, you can tell that he's feeling and touching it."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.