Helpful Score: 3
I loved this book. Japanese fiction is not so different from American or British fiction, but there is enough cultural difference to set this apart from most mystery. The translation was exquisite. It is hard to believe such flowing prose is a translation at all. I am hoping to find more English versions of Miyabe's work.
Helpful Score: 1
Japanese mystery about a police detective currently on medical leave and a private investigation he undertakes for his nephew, whose fiancee has disappeared after an argument they had. The investigation leads Honma into the murky world of excessive credit card debt, bankruptcy, identity theft and murder. Very enjoyable read--I always like getting immersed in the culture of a different country and enjoy the authenticity that an author who is a native of that country provides. The mystery was also very intriguing, and I liked the main character a lot. Unfortunately, I believe the author doesn't write series books, just stand-alones, but I enjoyed this enough to seek out more by the same author even though I probably won't be meeting the main character again.
This book was a bit slow for me, when I read this genre I like something more fast paced. I really hated the ending too.
I loved the suspense in this book. It was thick enough to cut with a knife. I did not like the ending. It was no horrible but it definitely could have been better. I have had this problem with other Japanese thrillers
A detective must find a missing fiancee. He negotiates a seemingly never-ending maze of outrageous Japanese paperwork such as the credit system, family registries, and insurance. Is the woman a runaway, a murder victim, or is she the mastermind of a extravagant identity theft? Set in Japan in the 1990's, the author does a great job narrating the Japanese names, places, and social systems without losing the reader. The story draws you in, and keeps you until the end of the book because only then, on the second to last page, do you really know what happened to the woman and her worth.
I was not blown away by this book. I read it shortly after reading Natsuo Kirino's Out, which has maybe influenced my opinion.
All She Was Worth was an easy read, taking me about four days worth of work breaks to finish. At parts I felt like I was sitting in on a lecture on Japan's Economy rather than reading a crime novel, and the ending was largely unsatisfactory. Still, I did like the way it unraveled, and there were twists that I was unprepared for. Worth a swap credit, but I'm glad I didn't buy it.
All She Was Worth was an easy read, taking me about four days worth of work breaks to finish. At parts I felt like I was sitting in on a lecture on Japan's Economy rather than reading a crime novel, and the ending was largely unsatisfactory. Still, I did like the way it unraveled, and there were twists that I was unprepared for. Worth a swap credit, but I'm glad I didn't buy it.
Japanese mysteries have an atmosphere all their own. I found this book very involving, even though I did not think the mystery itself was all that intriguing. The reader gets caught up in the cultural and life style pressures, different, but in some ways still similar to those of us in the west. It was a good read!
This books relays to us life in another country - a part we know little about. Adequately written to hold the reader throughout, however, the ending was abrupt, anti-climactic, even. My only thought was "Is there a sequel?"
All She was Worth is a mystery set in early 1990s Japan. Homna is a Tokyo detective on medical leave who is asked by a relative to find his fiancée. This informal missing-persons case quickly morphs into a more complicated mystery which has Homna sifting out clues in multiple cities. This story is a good introduction to another culture and a platform for anti-consumerism commentary, but the translation is a bit uneven. For example, there are strange colloquialisms and phrases like "God only knows" in a predominantly non-monotheistic society. Nonetheless, I was gripped by the story until I realized there weren't enough pages left to provide a full explanation.
