The Salaryman's Wife

A few years back I ran across a used copy of this book, and bought it because I like Japan and I like mysteries. I was immediately enthralled, and enjoyed the book well enough to eagerly track down the entire rest of the series immediately. I gobbled the first 9 within a couple of months, and then paced my room until the 10th volume (Shimura Trouble) came out.

I really like this whole series. The protagonist is a very real person, adorable, likeable, funny, charming, etc. And her environment is quite real. Having lived in Tokyo, I've personally been to several of the locations mentioned in the books, and that always tickles me. One great thing about this series is that the books are chronological and follow the protagonist's life through show more a few years in a coherent and consistent way, with recurring characters, etc. It's almost like one big novel in 10 volumes -- which is actually a remarkable achievement. After I raved about the set, my wife got hooked, too. show less

The Salaryman's Wife is an entertaining first novel by Sujata Massey. The mystery is set in Japan and narrated through the character of Rei Shimura, a Japanese-American woman, born and raised in America but now teaching English in Tokyo and pursuing her passion for collecting Japanese antiques. Rei, shopping for antique folk art in the Japanese Alps, discovers the body of a woman in the snow behind the inn where she is staying. The local police enlist her services as a translator for the western guests staying at the inn, involving her in the investigation of the woman's death, a job that Rei continues to pursue on her own as the police settle for the quickest and easiest conclusions.

What follows are exposés of Japanese-American show more relations reaching back to the 1950s, of the Japanese Mafia, life on the streets and in the bordellos of Tokyo and of the difficulties facing a foreigner in Japan. Rei tries to fit in and behave, but is, by nature, more assertive than the typical Japanese woman. This behavior offers her opportunities as well as involving her in dire situations. This all adds up to an entertaining and educational experience for the reader who enjoys light mysteries with a strong ethnic slant.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. show less

Working as an English teacher in Tokyo, Rei Shimura, the daughter of a Japanese father and American mother, is strong, independent and beautiful. She is also the perfect character to help readers understand Japanese culture. Her vacation to the mountains is cut short when another guest is found murdered. Rei knows the Japanese policy of accusing foreigners in these situations so she does some sleuthing, getting herself into some tight spots, and meeting some attractive and not-so nice characters.

Fun read but about 1/3 too long.

I thought this was one of the worst books I've ever read in the mystery genre. The writing is terrible, the dialogue worse, the characters one dimensional and uninteresting, the plotting full of inconsistencies. the sex scenes are so pathetic--so edgy and self-conscious--that it left me feeling sorry for the sex lives of the twentysomethings and thirtysomethings represented in the book if this is at all representative. How Massey won an Agatha is beyond me. All I can think of is how much worse the rest of the field must have been that year. the only thing that the book has going for it is the locale, which seems authentic enough to someone like me who has never been there, and her evocation of contemporary Japanese culture.

The strength of using a first person point of view is voice, personality. Unfortunately, for me the voice of Rei Shimura, a 27-year-old American living in Japan, grates on me. She might be called prickly if I were being kind, and I found her a rather unamiable presence to filter this story through, and aspects of the style clunky. Which is a shame, because as an American what does fascinate about this story is the look at Japanese culture and how it differs from that in America in everything from subtle class distinctions, nuances of language, details of art, cuisine, etc. However, there were major plot holes, so I didn't think this succeeded as a mystery, and the romance element left me cold--not much chemistry between the pair.

The Salaryman's Wife by Sujata Massey is the first book in the Rei Shimuara series, featuring a San Francisco born Japanese American living in Tokyo. Oddly though the series opens with (in anime terms) an onsen episode.

Rei is on a business trip with her boyfriend and other coworkers. Their conference is at a hot springs resort. Unfortunately one of the other guests there, the wife of one of another of the businessmen (or salaryman) is found dead outside the baths.

The facts and timing of the woman's death hinges on the signage on the door to the baths. There are three possible options: men only, women only, and families. The problem though is that the local police don't want to think about the oddities of the scene. They want a simple, show more cut and dry solution. It's up to Rei, therefore, to figure out what really happened.

The main problem with this debut mystery is that the solution is rather obvious. I figured out the murderer and the motivation behind the murder pages and pages before Rei did. show less

If you're looking for real mysteries, this series isn't for you. The mystery aspect is light. However, I found the heroine very engaging and the situation of a Japanese-American in Japan interesting.