3.5/5 ( )

Great description of a small area in Japan where suspicious deaths of high school students occur. All deaths believed to be suicides until one American teacher digs deeper into occurrences leading to a dramatic conclusion. Very good read! ( )

Murder mystery book that takes place in Japan at a high school, the main character is Jordan, an American teaching English at the school. Several students are thought to of committed suicide, but it is discovered that they were poisoned. Jordan does her own investigation and talks about her findings and theories with a Japanese cop that is very by the book. The characters are pretty one dimensional and the chapters move from action to action scene. I would of liked to see more introspective or daily life build up within the story. I liked that the characteristics of the characters clashed and caused some issues due to cultural differences. Overall Red Tea kept me interested to read it to the end and would be enjoyed by people who like straight mysteries. ( )

An enjoyable mystery, set in a high school in Japan and featuring a young woman who is an exchange teacher from the United States.

Like Jordan, the main character in Red Tea, Meg Mezeske is a young American woman who spent a year teaching in a high school in rural Japan. Although not autobiographical, Mezeske’s experiences provided her with the experiences and knowledge to create her novel.

When Jordan arrives at the Japanese school, rumors are swirling about the deaths of students. She quickly gets involved with detective work to identify the killer, and with the police detective leading the investigations. The plot develops quickly, putting her in danger before the murderer is identified. Conflicting values around sex and gender are treated calmly and sympathetically. Characters are distinctly drawn, but they all seemed very young to me.

Red Tea is somewhat like Gina in the Floating World, both featuring young American women coming of age in Japan. (See my review.) The difference between them is sharp, however, reflecting the difference between a conventional high school and the traditional Japanese “floating world” with its deeper sense of fluidity, rejection of responsibility, and shifting identities. Perhaps young adult readers would be the ones most likely to appreciate Red Tea. The book is light and well written and I recommend it particularly to young adults. ( )

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from LibraryThing in return for an honest review.

Jordan Howard is an American exchange teacher of English in Japan. When her students begin dying, Jordan knows something is off. Everyone says the deaths are a result of a suicide pact but Jordan thinks they might be murders. With the help of police officer, Toshihiko Sakurai, Jordan seeks to solve the mystery surrounding her student's deaths.

This book was a quick read and full of twists and turns. I did feel that it dragged at certain points and some plot points were unbelievable. But overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery. ( )