sujata massey the widows of malabar hill

In book five, The Bride’s Kimono, Rei, now in charge of several priceless kimonos, finds herself in Washington DC for an exhibition on kimonos. In the Shimura mysteries that follow her first book, history plays an important shaping factor. She has also lived in Japan for several years with her husband. She is mainly based in Baltimore, where she worked for some years as a journalist.

Of Indian origin, Massey was born in England and moved to the US as a child. Massey’s own background explains much of the cross-cultural references in her books. Here, business – the involvement of the Japanese mafia – and politics – US-Japan relations in the post-World War II period – are strangely interlinked. It’s the beginning of a mystery where Rei, increasingly intrigued, pieces together clues, at some point impersonating a bargirl, to infiltrate a sleazy, uxorious world. Rei’s ease with English is a help to the police in the tourist-crowded town. Torn between independence and a return to financial security to California where her parents live, Rei, on a visit to the town of Shiroyama, site of a historic battle in the 1870s, comes across the body of a woman later identified as the wife of an influential businessman. Rei made her first appearance in The Salaryman’s Wife (1997) as a poorly-paid tutor (“kyoushi”) in Tokyo.

The standard, yet not clichéd, motifs that define Japan to a reader elsewhere in the world are fused in what become in Massey’s telling and Rei’s solving, a series of intense and engaging crime novels. In her first series as a crime fiction writer, Sujata Massey created Rei Shimura, who, born of a Japanese father and a white American mother is, for the most part, an antiques expert.

Interview with coach Janneke Schopman: What next for the Indian women’s hockey team?.

In Haryana’s wrestling belt, budding female athletes rethink their careers.

Modi government failed to show commitment to transparency, integrity, equity: Lancet editorial.

‘Saas, Bahu aur Flamingo’ review: Drug trade-themed show is low on highs.

Top Manipur violence updates: At least 56 dead, including three in firing by security forces.

IPL 2023: Virat Kohli becomes first batter to cross 7,000 runs in tournament – ‘Full of gratitude’.

In Imphal, two families recount two days of horror that ended in death.

On the Pulwama terror attack, India deserves answers – and the truth.

When it comes to minority rights, why is Pakistan a ‘country of particular concern’, but not India?.

Why is Punjab, a land of sublime classical music, known only for bhangra?.

Times Now reporter arrested by Punjab Police ‘blatant attack’ on media freedom, say press bodies.

IPL 2023, CSK vs MI: Rohit Sharma’s poor run of form continues, sets record for most ducks in IPL.

Sujata massey the widows of malabar hill