The novelist and poet John Enright sadly passed away on February 10th, 2026, after battling a long-term illness. He was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1945 and later earned his Bachelor’s degree from the City College of New York.
Later, after working for Fortune, Time, and Newsweek magazines, Enright achieved his master’s degree in folklore at UC Berkeley. Throughout the 1970s, he pivoted towards the publishing industry, working across New York, San Francisco, and Hong Kong.
In 1981, he moved to Samoa, where he taught at the American Samoa Community College, and would go on to spend the next twenty-six years dedicated to environmental, cultural, and historical preservation pursuits on the islands of the South Pacific.
Throughout his literary career, Enright’s work, whether essays, articles, short stories, or poems, appeared in over ninety books, anthologies, and publications. His collection of poems, 14 Degrees South, won the University of the South Pacific Press’ International Literature Competition.
He is most well-known for his Jungle Beat Mysteries, set in American Samoa and featuring Detective Sergeant Apelu Soifua, a Samoan-American cop navigating two worlds. As described by Booklist, “Enright's portrait of cultural collision is the heart of this engaging series.”
Upon his passing, he and his wife, ceramicist Connie Payne, lived in Owensboro, Kentucky.
Pago Pago Tango
There is more to the island paradise, Tafuna, than meets the eye. Crime is rampant, and Apelu Soifua, a cop of two worlds, San Franscio where he began his career, and now Samoa, where he is from, is the man for the job.
Apelu reports to a white neighborhood after receiving a burglary call from a VP at SeaKing Tuna—the largest employer on the island. Only a few items are missing, but when, a few days later, a fatal shooting takes place at a nightclub, things take a turn for the worse.
All signs point to the executive’s daughter, and with the help of a local reporter, Apelu seeks to find out what exactly is going on. As put by the Providence Journal, “Enright meticulously interweaves the experience and landscapes of Samoa’s mountains, rain forests and jungles that he knows so well.”
Fire Knife Dancing
Before Apelu Soifua was a cop, he was a fire knife dancer, performing with a Polynesian dance troupe in San Francisco. The leader was Ezra Strand, who now lives with his wife in a secluded house in Piapiatele.
After reports of Ezra once again using a firearm, Apelu heads out to confiscate the weapon—only for him to the old man to turn the gun on him! But uncovering a smuggling operation in Ezra’s house is only the tip of the iceberg, and he journeys to Western Samoa to further investigate.
Armed with a list of women who travelled to the American territories, only to never be heard from again, Apelu soon finds himself as suspect number one. He turns to Ezra’s beautiful and charming neighbor for help, as they escape from watchful eyes, and work to discover the truth.
The Dead Don't Dance
When Apelu Soifua learns of the loss of a loved one, he journeys to the island of Ofu—finding solace in his father’s homeland, and booze. Apelu finds friendship with two national park workers and a local outcast, until he brings his son, Sanele, to live with him.
But, soon, the news of a resort being built on the island clouds the father-son reunion. The island spirits begin working overtime when one of the developers is found dead, with his head missing. Now, Apelu will have to solve the case before the being, whether human or supernatural, kills again.
Blood Jungle Ballet
For years, investigator Apelu Soifua has been baffled by one seemingly unsolvable case. A series of murders, beginning with a body found with a cross carved in its chest. Then, four different men, with no links, but Apelu is sure they are all in the hands of the same killer.
Teaming up with the new medical examiner, Dr. Laura Alomar, Apelu pursues various twists and turns, in what will be the most complex—and dangerous—case of his career.
14 Degrees South
Winner of the USP Press Prize for poetry in 2011, 14 Degrees South features poems by John Enright, who lived in American Samoa at precisely 14 degrees south latitude.
A distillation of his 26 years spent in paradise, Enright explores the beauty, simplicity, and even lore of the island he has come to love.
Featured image: John Enright
