Set in the early 2000s, the series is about Rei Shimura, an antique dealer, who finds herself involving in various mysteries having emigrated to Tokyo. The novel was introduced to me by a friend as dealing with the manga industry in Japan and it piqued my interest. It is told in an outsider narrative, however, and it works in one sense. Being Japanese-American, Rei Shimura will not feel completely fit in with either her Japanese or "American" culture, but I often feel like there is a disdain and fascination with something Other gloss over the narrative. It can be innocuous, but often times, it has unfortunate implications, especially given the power United States has over Japan, culturally and socially, and the fact that this was written for a Western audience. So that left a sour taste in my mouth and I couldn't continue when it's apparent the novel is about Rei Shimura Rei Shimura Rei Shimura and not anyone else in the story -- and also, that the novel is not for Japanese-Americans despite being about them.
I should have learnt from reading the previous book (about the Japanese art of flower arranging called ikebana) that Massey is capable of turning the least likely themes into decent settings for a mystery. But I still expected to be disappointed in a tale based around the comic art of manga. I wasn't of course, I should really learn to trust Massey to make any aspect of Japanese culture interesting. Once again there is a decent plot here though I didn't think it was quite as well resolved as in other books in the series. The characters are mostly fleshed out realistic people; I was glad to see we didn't have to have too much to do with Rei's Japanese family in this book as they always seem to be quite stereotypical to me and take me out of the story. In the end it was good to see Rei dealing with modern day culture rather than her usual antique culture. I'll keep reading this series and try not to take too many preconceptions about the subject matter with me into future books!
What do You think about The Floating Girl (2000)?
I love this mystery series set in Japan. The heroine is Rei Shimura, a Japanese-American who writes about art and antiques. After a takeover of the magazine she writes for that involves changing the format into a graphic/comic format Rei must write about the history of comics. In the process there is a murder that involves a manga heroine and the artist who draws her. The settings and cultural viewpoints seem very realistic and well-done and it's a view of modern Japanese culture that comes across as an insiders pov. The characters are interesting and the plot moves along quickly. This is one of those I couldn't stop till I finished it mysteries.
—Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson
As usual, Massey has written an engaging and elegant novel. Her main character, Rei Shamura finds herself in a position where her antique business is not producing enough income. So, she turns to writing for the Gaijin Times -- a newspaper style publication that is actually a forum for the owner's advertising business. But what can Rei do when the owner decides to turn the Times into a Manga comic book? This mystery has a certain taste of intrigue, romance and novelty. I can therefore recommend it.
—Lydia
