The Kizuna Coast is the latest book in the Rei Shimura series.
From Goodreads:
"When an earthquake triggers a tsunami that floods Japan's northeast coast, amateur sleuth Rei Shimura is pushed into her most rugged adventure yet.
It starts with an SOS from Rei's beloved elderly friend, the antiques dealer Mr. Ishida, who's trapped among thousands on the ravaged Tohoku coast. Rei rushes from Hawaii to blacked-out Tokyo, where she discovers Ishida Antiques may have been burglarized and its cuddly watchdog, Hachiko, needs a caregiver.
Rei and Hachiko board a bus full of disaster volunteers headed to the damaged town of Sugihama. Once there, they learn about the disappearance during the tsunami of Mr. Ishida's antiques apprentice, Mayumi, a troubled young woman from a famous lacquer-making family.
Making use of her volunteer friends, as well as her knowledge of Japanese manners and antiques, Rei investigates Mayumi's suspicious disappearance. Complicating the situation is a police force overwhelmed by counting the dead, and a stalker who's set his or her own sights on Rei."
Making use of her volunteer friends, as well as her knowledge of Japanese manners and antiques, Rei investigates Mayumi's suspicious disappearance. Complicating the situation is a police force overwhelmed by counting the dead, and a stalker who's set his or her own sights on Rei."
Sujata Massey was done with Rei Shimura's character after Shimura trouble but when the tsunami hit Japan's coast she knew she had to bring Rei back. It's been years after the supposed end of the series but it feels like coming home. Still, this book feels different than it's predecessors, just in a good way. Eventhough there is a mystery to solve I feel like it focuses on the catasthropy itself a lot more and explores how it effected not just the country, but the people. It worked for me. I loved the new people we meet and get to know. I have missed Mr.Ishida though and I'm so happy he had quite a big part in the story.
I've read these books since a friend introduced me to them in the high school and I remember falling in love with Rei immediately, trying to borrow all Shimura books at once. I've been on this journey for over 10 years. With Kizuna Coast I realised my tastes have changed, I've changed.I used to love Rei's romancies because she wasn't definied by a man she was dating. Reading this though, I couldn't shake the feeling of being annoyed. As much as I love Rei and her husband, Michael, I feel weird when they express jealousy. I'm not sure if it's a cultural thing or if I just lack that trait but after reading the last two Shimura books I realised how big of a deal it can be. It causes situations where Michael acts possessively and Rei irrationally and it just makes me very uncomfortable. I wouldn't tolerate their actions for long personally.
Over all I really liked this book. It was a quick read as always since I just get sucked into the story , meaning I had a hard time putting the book down. For some it's probably not as good as the adventures before but I enjoyed the change of pace . Of course it has those moments where plot requires suspense of belief because things are solved with amazingly convenient events. I don't think anyone reads Rei Shimura for it's complicated and realistic plots but because of the characters, the ambiance and knowledge of new things the books share with us. Learning about antiques, history and customs have always been a draw for me when it comes to our lovely adventurer. I'm not sure if Sujata Massey has planned on continuing this story or if this was officially final book but either way I'm happy with how it ended. I think I'll look for her other works for now.
