Naomi Hirahara - Snakeskin Shamisen (2006)
Reviewed by David J. Montgomery
In an age in which too many books are merely echoes of previous books, Naomi Hirahara has the distinction of writing a mystery series that is unlike any other. As her latest novel, Snakeskin Shamisen, proves, she is truly one-of-a-kind.
Mas Arai is an elderly Japanese-American survivor of Hiroshima living out his last days in Los Angeles. Arai doesn’t think much of the world he lives in, nor the people who live in it. He’s seen too much and hurt too much to care about the things that seem to consume most of our attention.
In his small way, however, he does what he can. One of the traits Arai admires most is loyalty, and when a friend asks him to help look into the murder of another Japanese-American man, he cannot refuse.
The plot of Snakeskin Shamisen is interesting, but it is the people in it that make it shine so brightly. Mas Arai is one of the freshest, realest and most fascinating characters in the mystery genre. Every book featuring him is a joy to read.
Posted by David J. Montgomery in Book Reviews | Permalink
