The Kizuna Coast: A Rei Shimura Mystery - Hardcover

Massey, Sujata

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0983661065 ISBN 13: 9780983661061

Publisher: Ikat Press, 2015

Synopsis

When a devastating earthquake rocks Japan's northeast coast, a tsunami follows and Rei Shimura is swept into her most rugged adventure yet. The mystery begins with an SOS from Rei's friend, the antiques dealer Mr. Ishida, trapped among thousands of displaced and dead on the Tohoku Coast. Rei rushes to Tokyo, where she discovers Ishida Antiques may have been burglarized. Rei takes Mr. Ishida's abandoned dog, Hachiko, on a volunteer bus to the ravaged town of Sugihama. But Mr. Ishida's got more work for her, since he lost sight of his antiques apprentice Mayumi and is frantic with worry. He won't leave Sugihama without knowing the fate of the troubled 19-year-old girl from a famous lacquer-making family. Calling on disaster survivors and volunteers--as well as her knowledge of Japanese manners and history--Rei investigates the suspicious disappearance. From Tohoku's muddy shops and shelters to the buzzing bars and bathhouses of Tokyo, it's a suspenseful journey. But as Rei draws closer to the truth, she realizes that she's being stalked. What is following her--and can she survive the wave of danger she never saw coming? THE KIZUNA COAST is the latest novel in a sexy, smart and humorous mystery series that has won the Agatha and Macavity mystery awards and been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony, and Mary Higgins Clark prizes. It's bound to intrigue new readers and satisfy longtime Rei Shimura fans.

About this title

From the Author:

I wrote The Kizuna Coast, the eleventh Rei Shimura mystery, with a number of questions in mind. What was the situation really like on Japan's Tohoku coast after the 2011 tsunami? Cameras could catch images of the massive wave and crushed buildings but not tell every human story. I was so concerned that I wrote a fictional accounting about a village with characteristics of several of the hardest-hit real places. 
Here's the set-up: It's March 2011, and the news of the tsunami has spread worldwide. My protagonist Rei Shimura rushes into this devastated area looking for one elderly person but quickly finds herself involved in searching for others. As hard as the work is, she feels duty-bound to continue. When a body is found under suspicious circumstances, a new question arises for her: why is this one death worth investigating among thousands? The police are overstretched and unable to help. Will knowing the truth bring closure...or put Rei's own life in jeopardy? Readers have asked about the significance of the book title. "Kizuna" became a popular word in Japanese right after the disaster. it means "bonds of loving kindness," and was used to describe selfless behavior of people helping each other survive the tragedy. I think it fits this book very well.  

From the Inside Flap:

After a devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan in 2011, Rei Shimura's beloved mentor, Yasushi Ishida, sends an SOS. Rei immediately takes off from her historic cottage in Hawaii to find him. But the search is complicated by the disappearance of Ishida-san's apprentice Mayumi, a troubled 19-year-old from a famous lacquer dynasty. As Rei wades through wreckage, and her husband Michael heads to Fukushima to battle a spiraling nuclear disaster, the couple's caught in a massive wave of danger they never anticipated.

About this edition

• Publisher: Ikat Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0983661065
• ISBN 13: 9780983661061
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 392