By Colleen McNulty

Legal thrillers often promise high drama, but few deliver the lived-in authenticity that makes courtroom tension feel real. With Tropical Lies, David Myles Robinson draws on decades of legal experience in Honolulu to create a thriller that balances procedural realism with narrative momentum, introducing readers to Pancho McMartin, a criminal defense attorney navigating one of the most dangerous cases of his career. As the first novel in the Pancho McMartin Legal Thrillers series, with a second and third book already released, the story establishes a foundation built on character, place, and the uneasy relationship between truth and persuasion.

The novel begins with the murder of a powerful Honolulu investment counselor, a crime that immediately places Pancho at the center of a volatile trial. Hired to defend a former mercenary accused of the killing, Pancho faces a case where the evidence appears stacked against his client. As testimony unfolds and strategic options narrow, Pancho is forced to consider a single, high-risk maneuverone that could either salvage the defense or permanently derail his career.

Drawing from a Case Stranger Than Fiction

Robinson’s approach to Tropical Lies is rooted in real-world legal history. The initial spark came from a notorious Honolulu fraud case that blurred the line between credibility and absurdity.

“My inspiration for the story was a real-life criminal in Honolulu by the name of Ron Rewald, who used some of Hawaii’s famous names for the name of the financial firm he set up. It was a huge Ponzi scheme. Lots of well-known local people were caught up in it,” Robinson explains.

When Rewald was eventually arrested, the case took an unexpected turn. “When he was ultimately caught, he claimed that he had been working for the CIA all along,” Robinson says. A close friend of Robinson’s served on the defense team and witnessed extraordinary courtroom restrictions. “The Federal Judge required all the attorneys to get classified clearance, and he refused to admit a ton of evidence that the defense tried to admit. Crazy case.”

Rather than retelling those events directly, Robinson adapted their themes. “So, I used the fraud and the CIA angle to create the story,” he says. That decision allowed him to construct a fictional trial that feels heightened yet grounded. “Pancho was more or less just coming into his own as a top criminal defense attorney, so I wanted him to take on a blockbuster case.”

Designing a Protagonist Who Could Carry a Series

From the outset, Robinson knew Pancho McMartin needed to feel distinctive and sustainable across multiple books. “First off, I wanted him a little bit quirky,” he says.

Pancho was born and raised in Taos, New Mexico, “home of some of the original hippies,” and was born on a commune.” Even his name reflects that background. His parents claimed they named him Pancho so he would fit in better at mostly Hispanic schoolsan explanation Robinson dismisses as “patently absurd.” Pancho’s own interpretation is more biting: “They dropped acid to celebrate his birth and named him while stoned.”

Once Pancho establishes his legal career in Hawaii, his personal style becomes part of his identity. “He adopted his ‘uniform’ of blue jeans and cowboy boots, along with the more traditional dress shirt, tie, and blazer.”

Relationships, Humor, and the Cost of the Job

Robinson was equally intentional about Pancho’s personal life. “As he was a bachelor, I thought it important to have love interests,” he says, noting that as the series progresses, readers see how Pancho’s work “at times interfered with his relationships.”

Pancho’s inner circle also includes a trusted investigator. “I also wanted him to have a good sidekick, his Samoan investigator, with whom he surfed and engaged in humorous ‘trash talk.’”

Pancho’s position as an outsider in Hawaii further shapes his courtroom presence. Robinson notes that Pancho “was a minority in Hawaii, a haole, who had an uncanny ability to relate to local juries, possibly in part to having grown up as a minority in Taos.”

Hawaii as Emotional Counterweight

For Robinson, Hawaii is not simply a scenic backdrop. “First of all, having been a trial attorney in Honolulu for forty years, it was the obvious place to set the series,” he says.

The setting allows him to explore contrast as a narrative tool. “The contrast between the high tension/risk of trial work, particularly criminal defense, and the gentle beauty of Hawaii is compelling.” That contrast is often visible when Pancho steps out of the courtroom. “On more than one occasion, we see Pancho leave court and have an almost surreal feeling of serenity once he reemerges into the paradise in which he lives.” Surfing, Robinson notes, “is his major form of relaxation.”

Lies, Truth, and the Rules That Matter

At the heart of Tropical Lies is the question of deception. “Criminal defense (and prosecution) is really all about lies and deception and ultimately (hopefully) finding the truth,” Robinson says.

Pancho understands the reality of his profession. “Pancho tells his new clients he won’t tolerate their lying to him, yet he knows that virtually all of his clients will, at some point, lie.”

Despite that, Pancho himself operates under strict limits. “I never have Pancho lie and he makes it clear to his clients that if he knows they are lying, he will not allow them to testify.”

Crafting Suspense Without Sacrificing Accuracy

Robinson’s courtroom scenes reflect professional discipline. “Some of the best compliments I have received about the Pancho series are from other trial attorneys (some also authors) who praise me for the realism of the trial scenes,” he says.

He is careful to balance accuracy with pace. “So, I take pains to make the courtroom scenes realistic while summarizing some of the most boring aspects of a trial (and there is a lot of boredom in real-life trials).”

Suspense emerges from uncertainty: “What will a particular witness say? Will a witness lie? Can Pancho break a witness on cross-examination?”

A Series Built to Grow

As the series continues in  Tropical Judgments and Tropical Doubts,  Robinson keeps returning to Hawaii for inspiration. “All of my Pancho books are inspired by my life in Hawaii,” he explains, drawing on “the rhythm of life and the people” as well as “the dark side of what most people think of as the wonderfully gentle and welcoming Aloha State.” Both titles are currently available, expanding the series’ world while deepening the complex atmosphere that has become a hallmark of Robinson’s storytelling.

With Tropical Lies, Robinson establishes a legal thriller series grounded in realism, shaped by character, and driven by the risks attorneys take when justice is anything but certain.

The Pancho McMartin series, including Tropical Lies, Tropical Judgments, and Tropical Doubts, is available on Amazon.