Gasa-Gasa Girl

This is the 2nd Mas Arai mystery but I read them out of order. I actually read her third mystery first and her first mystery second and this one last. As far as I can tell they are all about the same. The mysteries are complex and difficult to solve although the books are quite short. Except for the daughter, the so-called "gasa-gasa girl" the characters are interesting and unique. I read a review that her use of Japanese words and phrases was frustrating because she gave no definitions so I paid careful attention when reading this book and I did not find that to be the case here. Perhaps that was a problem with the first book. I think most people would find this enjoyable.

Naomi Hirahara is one of the best authors out there. Gasa Gasa Girl and Big Bachi are wondeful reading. American-Japanese culture mixed in with a suspense, a must read for those who love suspense novels

Old Masao Arai, American-born L.A. gardener and survivor of Hiroshima, is a character who grows on you. In this second book in what looks to become a series, Mas has been called across the country to Brooklyn by his daughter, who has married an Anglo named Lloyd -- who, Mas discovers, is also a gardener and a student of the Japanese style. "Gasa-gasa" means "always on the move" and that certainly describes Mari Arai Jensen. When the benefactor of the foundation that owns the garden where Lloyd works is mudered, everyone involved is pointing fingers in different directions, except that several of them end up pointing at Mari. Mas, well aware of having never been the best of fathers, takes upon himself the job of solving the killing to protect his extended family. He's aided by Tug Yamada, Nisei war hero and all-around straight-arrow, who's also visiting in New York, and by his network of cronies back on the coast. Things get dicey more than once, but Mas is a stubborn o ld coot and he keeps at it. The author has a gift for empathetic characterization and dialogue, and for efficient description in a scene. Her prose is direct and unpretentious, and I look forward to more stories about these guys.