The Flower Master

I keep trying to find an adjective that appropriately describes Sujata Massey's piquant and wonderful Rei Shimura series. With this third, and best, addition to the series, I think I have found one, although it hardly describes the talent of the writer: delicate.Exquisite delicacy, akin to the ikebana arrangements described in this book, is the hallmark of Massey's wonderful mysteries. Imagine murder, mayhem, forensics, and all the rest of the usual crime-novel/mystery genre told in a setting of kimono, cherry blossoms, the aforementioned ikebana and the constant east-west conflict of the heroine, and you have a slight idea of just how different these books are--and just how delightful.This story finds half Japanese-half American Rei Shimura thriving as an antiques dealer, despite the end of her tumultuous relationship with Scotsman Hugh Glendinning. Dragged to her aunt's ikebana school for lessons (as part of her aunt's ongoing project--making Rei comfortable with her Japanese side), Rei soon stumbles on a murder. And not just any murder. This is as bloody as any samurai killing--but in place of the sword, the fatal weapon is a pair of ikebana scissors. Who among the genteel, proper women at the school could have committed such an atrocity? And most of all, why?As Rei sets out to solve the mystery, she is threatened by all sorts of hostile influences, from a radical pro-environmentalist organization to a sinister and unseen writer of threatening haiku--to her own treacherous heart, as she finds herself drawn to the handsome son of the school's chairman.It all makes for a fascinating and utterly wonderful mystery. This is a series not to be missed!

Rei Shimura is growing up! It's a pleasure to see it. Gone are the petulent stances, the irrational moods. Not that Rei has gotten boring -far from it. But she is becoming more in tune with her Japanese heritage and her place in Japanese society. And that place in society, her antiques business, may be in jeopardy from the latest misadventure, when Rei's aunt is suspected in a flower master's murder. Massey's ability to create intriguing characters is fully in evidence here, especially the victim's son and daughter, young Japanese who, while rebelling against societal restrictions, are compelled, as Rei is (usually), to observe propriety. And that's the jist of Rei's story, too, which the author does a superb job of conveying. Rei's attempt to fit in and yet maintain her own, California-bred identity is superbly realized. And the mystery ain't bad either! You come away from this book with an increased appreciation of Rei's maturity and determination, during the murder investigation as well as "normal" life. The people who populate Sujata Massey's books are unique, vibrant characters, worthy of any reader's attention.

Rei is from California. She's bright, independent, and wears unacceptable athletic shoes. Her Japanese aunt works hard at putting the finishing touches on her wayward niece, including lessons in flower arranging. As Rei bows deeply and tries to follow the elaborate formal rituals of polite society, she gets deeper and deeper in trouble: a corpse, an unacceptable suitor, a philandering master teacher, and several attempted murders. It's the kind of wonderful setting in which the death threats are in haiku, the flower shears are gruesome weapons, and any one of the oh-so-polite Japanese has ample reason to have killed the victim. Rei is a thoroughly likeable protagonist, the setting is evocative and finely drawn, and the plot is filled with dark passion and unexpected twists and turns. I am delighted with this book, and will read more novels by Sujata Massey.

It's cherry blossom time in Tokyo, a time when the residents go slightly mad in a way Westerners may not totally understand. That is why we are fortunate to have antiques dealer/sleuth Rei Shimura guide us through the customs and traditions that make her adopted home of Japan so fascinating. The Flower Master, third in this award-winning series, presents the hothouse world of competitive flower arrangers, a growing movement of environmental terrorists, and put's Rei's aunt Norie right in the middle of a murder that may come pretty close to home.Now, I have no business reading anything since I've got a deadline looming, but I just couldn't resist. Sujata Massey's writing is so fluid, so clean, so right. I loved the charming details which illuminated the tyrannies, power-brokering, and jealousies found within Japan's foremost ikebana community. Massey creates each Tokyo neighborhood in such sensual detail, it's hard to come up for air and realize you're not living in Rei's Japan anymore. Sujata Massey is also brilliaint at finding the most enticingly exotic element in what, to others, might appear mundane daily life. As Rei gets deeper into her investigation, we learn everything from how to get our ailments diagnosed at a tea shop to what happens to a Range Rover in the narrow streets of Tokyo's older sections, to how to properly apologize, as Rei's aunt instructs both Rei and us on how to select the proper gift from the proper shop to show the proper respect. I loved this book. The Flower Master shows a superb series that is growing even stronger.

Half Japanese and half American, Rei Shimina grew up in California, but now calls Japan home. Though she struggles to adapt to the culture of her father's relatives, she has carved out a profession as a successful antiques' buyer. Without asking, her Aunt Norrie enrolls Rei in the prestigious Kayama School to study ikebana (flower arranging). To show respect to her aunt, Rei attends the classes. At school, Rei quickly learns that the powerful Sakira Sato loathes Norrie. Not too long after classes start, Norrie finds a dead Sakira, an apparent victim of a pair of ikebana scissors. The police suspect Norrie. She found the body, shared a known grudge with the victim, and owned the murderer weapon. Rei begins to investigate who actually killed Sakira. Masterful storyteller Sujata Massey paints a vivid portrait of modern Japan that brings to life the people and the clashing cultures. The story line flows rapidly along a journey in which anything can and does occur. Rei is an extremely likable protagonist whose trek for self awareness has traveled much afar from where she was in her previous tale. THE FLOWER MASTER is a master of a tale that fans of Japanes mysteries will relish until the next book in the series appears.Harriet Klausner