Mystery

	By NAOMI HIRAHARA *Summer of the Big Bachi* Random House, 2004; Mas Arai is a Japanese American gardener in 1999 Los Angeles with a secretive past from 1945 Hiroshima; pb $13.00
	*Gasa-Gasa Girl* Random House, 2005; Visiting his gasa-gasa daughter, Mari, in New York City, Mas Arai finds himself maneuvering in an unfamiliar city, with unfamiliar family including a tall blond son-in-law and a sickly grandchild; AND finds a dead body in the rubble of a former koi pond; pb $12.00
	Snakeskin Shamisen Random House, 2006; Mas Arai hates to stick his nose in other people's business, but a favor to a friend soon has him caught up in a mystery that reaches from the islands of Okinawa to the streets of L.A.-- a world of heartbreaking memories, deception and murder; 2007 Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original; pb $12.00
	By SUJATA MASSEY This series set in contemporary Japan follows Japanese American Rei Shimura's adventures. The Salaryman's Wife HarperCollins, 1997; Although 27-year-old Rei Shimura lives in one of Tokyo's seediest neighborhoods, she is determined to maintain her independence from her parents in California-- all while piecing together a murder mystery; The Agatha Award; pb $6.99 Zen Attitude HarperCollins, 1997; Rei Shimura runs her own antique business in Tokyo and opens a Pandora's box of mystery, theft, and murder when she is sold a tansu by a con man who is found dead; pb $6.99 The Flower Master HarperCollins, 1999; Thanks to her aunt, Rei Shimura finds herself reluctantly enrolled in flower arranging classes and proceeds to find plenty of excitement when the class turns into a stage for murder; pb $6.99 The Floating Girl HarperCollins, 2000; Rei Shimura has a new job with a Japan magazine for foreigners and is assigned to write a story on manga; a man she interviews is found dead in this exploration of the Japanese fascination with manga; pb $6.99 The Bride's Kimono HarperCollins, 2001; Enter the world of antique kimonos and museums as Rei Shimura finds herself accompanying a collection of priceless antique kimonos to a Washington, D.C., museum; HC $25.00; pb $6.99 *The Samurai's Daughter* HarperCollins, 2003; While Rei Shimura is in San Francisco visiting her parents and researching a personal project to trace the story of 100 years of Japanese decorative arts through her own family's history, her lawyer boyfriend is involved in a class action lawsuit on behalf of people forced to engage in slave labor for Japanese companies during World War II; before long, their two projects intertwine; HC $24.95; pb $12.95 The Pearl Diver HarperCollins, 2004; Rei Shimura finds herself settling down in Washington D.C., getting acquainted with a long-lost cousin and furnishing a trendy Japanese restaurant. At the restaurant's opening- night party, her cousin disappears. In searching for her cousin, Rie finds mysterious links to a Japanese war bride who disappeared thirty years earlier; HC $23.95; pb $12.95
	By LAURA JOH ROWLAND This series set in seventeenth-century Japan introduces compelling detective Sano Ichiro. Shinju HarperCollins, 1994; When beautiful and wealthy Yukiko and low-born artist Noriyoshi are found drowned together in an apparent ritual double suicide (shinju), Sano Ichiro risks his family's good name and life to search for a killer across every level of society; pb $6.99 The Way of the Traitor HarperCollins, 1997; The volatile, corrupt city of Nagasaki is threatened by foreign invasion when Sano Ichiro must investigate the body of a Dutch trader found washed ashore; pb $6.99 The Concubine's Tattoo St. Martin's Press, 1998; Sano Ichiro is summoned to the imperial palace to find the murderer of Harume, a young concubine poisoned while applying a lover's tattoo; Sano is alarmed when his new bride, Reiko, with her samurai blood and warrior skill, insists on helping him; pb $6.99 Bundori HarperCollins, reprint 2001; Someone is killing citizens of Edo and mountain their heads publicly as battle trophies (bundori); pb $6.99 The Samurai's Wife St. Martin's Press, 2000; Sano Ichiro begins the most challenging case of his career with the assistance of his strong-willed and beautiful wife Reiko-- to unmask the murderer who possesses the secret of kiai, "the spirit cry," a powerful scream that can kill instantly; pb $6.99 Black Lotus St. Martin's Press, 2001; In 1693, a cottage belonging to the Black Lotus Temple, spiritual center for hundreds of Buddhist nuns, monks, priests, and orphans, is burned to the ground; three are dead, but Sano Ichiro discovers the victims were murdered before the fire began; HC $24.95; pb $6.99 The Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria St. Martin's Press, 2002; The Yoshiwara pleasure quarter is the site of a terrible murder where the shogun's cousin and heir, Lord Mitsuyoshi, lies dead; HC $24.95; pb $6.99 The Dragon King's Palace St. Martin's Press, 2003; The shogun's mother and Sano's wife are kidnapped with an unusual ransom demand; HC $24.95; pb $6.99 *The Perfumed Sleeve* St. Martin's Press, 2004; Sano Ichiro investigates the death of the Shogun's most trusted adviser with one clue-- a torn perfumed sleeve of a kimono; HC $24.95; pb $6.99 *The Assassin's Touch: A Thriller* St. Martin's Press, 2005; HC $24.95 *The Red Chrysanthemum* St. Martin's Press, 2006; HC $24.95; pb $6.99 *The Snow Empress: A Thriller* St. Martin's Press, 2007; HC $24.95
	Back to Top