The Lei Crime Series: Seal of a Monk (Kindle Worlds Novella)

The ancient jungles of Kauai provide the perfect setting for self-discovery.

Despite the terror she experienced on her last trip, Lainey Lee returns to Hawaii to manage a silent meditation course on the Coconut Coast. Twenty-five women are under her care for ten days in a beautiful and remote location. Lainey expects to find inner peace, but four days into the course, one of the meditators disappears without a trace.

Did the girl leave of her own free will, or was she lured away by a strange cult? Lainey is frantic to answer these questions. As her desperation grows, she finds help from an unexpected source—a retired Navy SEAL named Maximillian Scott.

Now, Lainey has two mysteries to solve: what happened to the missing girl and the case of her own heart. Can she ever trust a man again?


Q & A with Eden Baylee

Q: Tell us how your story is connected to Toby Neal’s Lei Crime novels.

EB: SEAL of a Monk runs parallel to Toby Neal’s second book, Torch Ginger.

The themes I explore from Toby’s book are: a missing person, a cult, search and rescue, and romance.


Q: Is SEAL of a Monk a sequel to A Snake in Paradise, your first book for the Lei Crime series?

EB: No, the book stands on its own though it does see the return of protagonist, Lainey Lee. This time it takes place on the oldest of the islands in Hawaii—Kauai. If you want to know about Lainey’s affinity for Hawaii, then I recommend you read A Snake in Paradise first.

In SEAL of a Monk, I introduce Maximillian Scott, a retired Navy SEAL. You also learn more about Harumi Ito, the tebori master who is Lainey’s best friend.


Q: Does your Lei Crime series story have any connection to your usual writing?

EB: I write in multiple genres, and my first novel was a mystery suspense called Stranger at Sunset. To this end, writing in the same genre for the Lei Crime series has honed my skills as I work on my next book.