All She Was Worth

Excellent mystery novel

This is one of the books that I have wanted to read for quite some time but for some reason or another have put it off. Well, I have finally read it, and enjoyed every minute of it. To begin with I have never read many mystery novels before, so I did not know how I would respond to this one, but it gripped me very quickly. The story is pretty simple. A detective named honma is taking it easy because he was wounded by a gunshot his nephew soon comes by and asks him to help him find his missing fiance. Bored with sitting at home Honma takes the case, but it soon changes into something completely different than simply a runaway fiance. What he finds involves a case of murder. a murder to steal someone else's identity. He enters the world of Kyoko a beautiful woman whose life had been completely destroyed by her father's financial woes.Although it seems simple this is actually a complex read. The most complex character is Kyoko: the reader does not know whether to hate her or feel sympathy for her. I don't want to give away any details here. please read the book.

What a chilling and fabulous novel! As a dilettante in world of mystery, I picked up this novel accidentally in my quest for a new Japanese author. What a delight to discover that Miyabe's concerns range far beyond those of the typical "who-done-it."Each character, from the protagonist--a disabled police officer struggling with his sudden uselessness after a bullet wound takes him out of the game--to the suspect/victim--a girl whose crime of credit excess is mirrored by nearly every middle-class American, reflects profoundly what it means to be a product of a consumer society. Characters consume, or are consumed. It's a Machievellian glance at society which asks (in the words of Billy Crystal)if it isn't better to look good than to feel good, at least until the bills come due.I highly recommend this novel as an engrossing mystery, but more importantly, as an impressive social critique of this era.

Wonderful Read! As a mystery, it's got all the intrigue and plot red herrings you would expect. However, if you are even remotely interested in Japanese society or just want to follow someone around Japan, this book does it well. I am left wondering how well does the translation keeps to the original since more than once I saw what I would have suspected as an English idiom crop up with a Japanese touch. Most notabably a variation on "Keeping up with the Jones". However, as an English reader, this touch only made the story more accessable as a whole. Very entertaining and leaves me wanting more!

Wow! This was an incredible read. If you are a Murakami fan, you will definitely love Miyabe. This book offers great insight into modern Japanese culture (or actually, modern society in general). The storyline is fast-paced and full of surprising twists and turns. You just can't wait to find out what happens next!