Sayonara Slam
A Mas Arai Mystery
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
The Japanese American detective’s most engaging mystery yet delves into baseball, WWII, and the complex history between Japan and Korea: “Hard to put down” (Kirkus Reviews).
At Dodger Stadium, Japan is playing Korea in the World Baseball Classic, but before the first pitch is thrown, Mas Arai finds himself investigating a murder. Mystery, history, and cultural conflict form a dangerous web in this riveting chapter in the Edgar Award–winning series featuring the most unlikely of sleuths—an aging, taciturn Japanese American gardener from Altadena, California.
Who is that unusual woman throwing knuckleball pitches to warm up the Japanese team? Who sent thugs to threaten Mas and accuse him of treason? What were in the deleted files on the murdered sportswriter’s computer—and did they hold secrets that led to his death? These questions draw Mas into an increasingly dangerous situation—including the danger of losing the affection of the woman he might someday admit he loves.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Edgar-winner Hirahara's sixth Mas Arai mystery (after 2013's Strawberry Yellow) is as likable as its septuagenarian hero, who was born in America and survived the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Now a semiretired gardener settled in Southern California, the reticent Mas is forced into action when a sleazy Japanese reporter is murdered during the 2009 World Baseball Classic series between Japan and South Korea at Dodger Stadium. Yukikazu Kimura, a brash young journalist, persuades Mas to help him investigate the crime, using as leverage the fact that he's the grandson of a woman who once was close to Mas. The pair uncover disturbing information concerning the Japanese government's involvement in forcing women into prostitution during WWII. Mas must also face his fear that his deepening relationship with UCLA professor Genessee is a betrayal of his late wife, Chizuko. The past won't stay dead for these characters, and though the action is mild, the characterization is quietly convincing.
