Clark and Division

By Naomi Hirahara
The first book in the Japantown Mystery series

It wasn’t really a mystery. Very little suspense. Loved the “Rose” character. Murder felt bland. Felt like a necessity instead of a tragedy–a plot device. Loved the setting but would have liked more details. Some awkward scenes describing body and sex.

I really related to this; we had neighbors who had been in the camps. The book downplayed the desolation of the camps and its impact. Not a lot of mystery. But a nice story with some cultural references. I did like the people.

Pace was a little Japanese–subtle. Maybe we think it didn’t go into enough detail because in the PNW we are very aware of the history of internment. I really enjoyed it. The mystery was about half the book. Could have been more.

Compelling. Fast read. I thought she did a good job sleuthing. But the mystery wasn’t the primary focus. Really enjoyed writing style and chapter development style.

Slow. Not much of a mystery. More historic fiction. Liked the cadence.

Not much of a mystery and it didn’t end well to me.