Shadow Family is a mystery story. Two people get murdered within a couple of days of each other, and seemingly unrelated. But thread from a striking blue parka left on both crime scenes soon prove to the police that things are more than meets the eye. Meeting dead end after dead end, one of the officers come up with a theory that could potentially make or break the mystery behind the curious deaths.

And it is here that the story finally starts to reveal itself.

One of the victims had, during the one year or so before his tragic death, been part of an online ‘family’. He called himself ‘Dad’, and his family consisted of ‘Mom’, ‘Minoru’, and ‘Kazumi’. A 4-member family. A typical family set-up, only that it was all virtual.

Upon finding out about this make-believe family, how does the real-life family respond? And how do these deaths reveal the truth behind all the pain, anger and loneliness?

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Personally, I feel that the mystery in this plot is not at all strong. In fact, I felt like I already knew who the culprit was half-way through the book. However, I also feel that the redeeming point of this book is how the story unfolds. The mystery of the plot itself may not have been its strongest virtue, but certainly the way the characters were introduced, and how certain things were thrown into light just when you least expect it… These make the plot feel less significant.

We’re made to think, exactly why does a man with his own family go in search for a virtual family on the Internet? What drives a person to such measures? Then we are given a chance to see things from the wife’s perspective. How would one feel if her husband were to find another ‘wife’ on the Internet? Does one feel lonely? Does one feel like a failure?

How about the people with whom this man forms a ‘family’ with? Why does one choose to be the virtual daughter of a stranger?

On the face of it, this is a mystery story. But underlying this story is the undeniable search for connection. Under the surface of it all, is the question of how each different person reacts to a given set of circumstances. How does one overcome feelings of loneliness and desperation?

At the end of it all, when family ties start to tangle up into a big mess, or maybe fray away at the ends, what is it that holds the family unit together? ( )

It's a mystery set on the fringe of Tokyo. A father has a family and he has a cyber-family. He likes his cyber-family more than his real family. Someone gets killed. Someone gets accused. They talk a lot and then they figure out who did it. Not very mysterious. Kind of a let down. This book was recommended to me by a Japanese bookseller in Kyoto. Last time I seek his advice. ( )

Ishizu returns!

In Miyabe's second English-translated police procedural (Crossfire being the first), we are reacquainted with Isizu Chikako, middle-aged policewoman. Demoted due to her "disobedience" in Crossfire, Ishizu now finds herself in the middle of a cat-and-mouse game involving two murders, a fictional family that exists solely online and a broken family falling apart offline.

For a short novel there's a relatively large cast of characters, and each is referred to by both family and first name. The police department members are also listed by rank, and a lot of names are multisyllabic and similar to one another, so a bit of memorization will be necessary. It's worth it. ( )

A man is found stabbed to death in a home under construction, and as they look into his life they find he has another "family" on the internet. This is an interesting look at the psychology behind internet relationships as the victim filled the role of "Dad" to a couple of teenagers, and a woman joined in in the role of "Mom". It later leads to tragedy and the methods the police use to solve the mystery are ingenious. Highly recommended. ( )

The first book I read solely on a Library Thing recommendation :). It was definitely something I wouldn't have searched out otherwise, so it was worthwhile. The plot premise itself is a little hokey, but it is very interesting to see how the details of police procedure and the relationships among the officers get played out in Japan. ( )