Die Halbjapanerin Rei Shimura bringt als Kurierin wertvolle Kimono von Tokyo nach Washington. Kurz nach der Ankunft verschwindet eines der kostbarsten Stücke und wenig später wird Reis Sitznachbarin im Flugzeug, die im selben Hotel nächtigte, tot aufgefunden. Doch nicht genug der Komplikationen: Rei begegnet ihrem Ex-Freund Hugh und weiss bald nicht mehr, wo ihr der Kopf steht. Was ein ganz guter Krimi hätte werden können, entwickelt sich leider zu einer Geschichte, die eher aus Shoppingerlebnissen besteht und vor Unlogiken und Übertreibungen nur so strotzt. Der Diebstahl ereignet sich auf Seite 107, vom Mord erfährt man auf Seite 194, also der Hälfte des Buches. Bis dahin und ebenso danach wird man mehr mit Informationen über die gekauften Markenartikel sowie Reis Gefühlsleben versorgt. Die wenigen Krimiaspekte erschöpfen sich beispielsweise in einem Wagen der die Protagonistin verfolgt oder haltloser Verdächtigungen aller möglichen Personen. Deutlich mehr verärgert haben mich jedoch die vielen unlogischen wie unsinnigen Dialoge sowie die extrem übertriebene Darstellung einzelner Personen. Ein paar Beispiele: - Rei wird von der Polizei verhört. Tatsächlich stellt sie aber die Fragen und bekommt sie auch alle beantwortet. - Bei einer zweiten Vernehmung wird sie der Prostitution verdächtigt. Ihr Vater wird dabei als Sugar Daddy bezeichnet, ein Polizist ist ein typischer Cowboy mit Goldzahn, die Detectives amüsieren sich köstlich, 'sie lachen hysterisch' usw. - Ihre Eltern sind entsetzt darüber, dass ihre 28jährige Tochter ein Verhältnis mit zwei Männern hat. Der Vater:..'Angesichts des herrschenden sozio-sexuellen Klimas - HIV,.. - .. setzt man seinen Partner keinem Risiko aus. Ich hatte das Gefühl, das ganze Buch wurde mit der berühmten heißen Nadel gestrickt - schnell runtergeschrieben und raus damit.
My initial impressions of this book weren't good. The story takes Rei away from Japan, the country she chooses to live in and the setting that makes the books a really interesting read for me. As well as going to what I thought would be a more mundane location I thought there were several bits of unrealistic plot happenings early in the book. Rei, still fairly new to the antiquities business is entrusted with taking a shipment of valuable old kimono from a museum in Tokyo to a museum in Washington DC and the whole setup and incompetence of the two museums didn't ring true for me. Of course I should have trusted the author more as most of the things that bugged me in the beginning turned out to be plot devices rather than plot holes by the end of the book. And the transition to the United States worked pretty well too. Rei is half American and grew up in California and the inclusion of her parents in this book definitely furthered the personal side of the series. There was also a lot of things where we saw America through the eyes of Japanese tourists and so the setting wasn't as run of the mill as I'd been expecting but actually worked pretty well. In the end the plot wasn't as good as it could have been but the side of the story dealing with Rei's relationships really developed very well in this book and I like it as an episode in the series though I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who wasn't following the series. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what Massey does with the characters next.
An okay mystery, mainly of interest to me for the information about kimono rather than the actual story. Part of a series, I think.FROM THE PUBLISHERRei Shimura is struggling to build her antiques business in Tokyo when she gets a call from a Washington, D.C. museum, asking her to act as courier to transport a set of priceless early 19th-century kimonos. Thus begins the adventure of a lifetime, involving stolen articfacts, a wacky tour group of Japanese women heading for the U.S., shopping malls, and a very dead body.Rei manages to reunite with her parents in California to uncover a story of long-dead lovers, to rekindle a tempestuous affair with the man who just might be her Mr. Right, and—of course&3151;to solve the crime.
—bookczuk
I don't read that much fiction, and rarely mysteries, but this was a book club pick and I got my nonfiction kick with the history and culture included. I learned about kimono, Japanese culture, and art museums, and enjoyed the food and clothing details. The author has done her research. Rei is a feisty Japanese-American heroine who is smart but comes across as a regular girl torn between lovers, trying to muddle her way out of a mess that gets bigger. Some parts don't seem realistic and the romance issue works out way too well, but this was a fun, easy romp (with some spice) through the Washington, D.C. area. I'd like to read more in the series.
—Linda
This mystery novel takes Rei Shimura from Tokyo to Washingto, D.C., where she is presenting a lecture on Edo period kimono. It has been a long time since I've read one of these mysteries, but this one fell a bit short. It was written in 2001 and there is quite a bit about not being able to use computers and email and this "new" auction site eBay. Funny! I'm pretty sure everyone I know (aside from my parents) was on the web by the late 90s. Anyway, I found Rei too annoying in this novel, but I'm going to catch up with the series and read the Samurai's Daughter soon.
—Pinky
