Evergreen

 

The second installment of the Edgar award winning Japantown mystery series by Naomi Hirahara showcases not so much mystery, but the beautiful, fractured, and resilience of a Californian Japanese community. The second World War has just ended and people are finally making their way back to their homes after being detained in Japanese Internment camps. Aki, her recently returned veteran husband, and her parents rent a new home in their old community. When she stumbles across Babe, the best man at her wedding, and his father at the hospital she works at, Aki has questions. Did Babe beat his father? How did he get so many broken bones and bruises? Babe seems evasive and unwilling to talk and when his father is later found dead in his Little Tokyo apartment, Babe is nowhere to be found. Aki is determined to find out what happened before their connections with Babe drag them along in the scandal. Excellently narrated by Allison Hiroto, whose charm and wit shines through. This fantastic historical mystery is a must read, Aki Ito will win over readers with her sweet demeanor and quick wit. - Erin Cataldi