6 November 2014

Review #62: The Cherry Blossom Murder by Fran Pickering




My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A medley of Takarazuka Revue and an enthralling treasure of a Japanese dynasty spurs a murder of a young woman-- Intriguing and really very captivating!

Before beginning my review, I'd like to mention about Takarazuka Revue, since The Cherry Blossom Murder by Fran Pickering revolves around the world of Takarazuka Revue in Japan. Don't worry; it's similar like Broadway, except the actresses only take part in those lavish and gorgeous plays. In Takarazuka Revue, women form fan club of particular actresses who are hired under contract with so many clauses like no Takarazuka Revue actress can get married while they are serving under the contract period, etc.

Synopsis:
Josie Clark, an English woman, leaves behind her home in England for a job in Japan. But that was few years ago, now Josie has a bff, Keiko, works in an insurance company, AZT, and spends their hobby of attending Tammy's shows at Takarazuka Revue. But on one such show in Takarazuka Revue, a young girl, named, Mai-Chan ends up dead under a Cherry Blossom tree just right outside Takarazuka Revue. Feeling betrayed by the police for not doing Mai-Chan's murder investigation, she dons the hat of a sleuth and rolls up her sleeves to start a proper investigation with her boss, Mr. Tanaka. She comes up across so many suspects from Takarazuka Revue's manager, Ms. Kato to the actress, Tammy to Mai-Chan's childhood bestie, Sumiko. And also she comes across a deadly and a very gorgeous treasure at Takarazuka Revue which belong to a long-forgotten dynasty of Japan and vows to protect the treasure with all her heart and mind. It's the day of Annual Fireworks Display day at Japan, and things are getting little out of control for Josie in the basement of Takarazuka Revue. Who is killer? What is the killer's motive? Is it the treasure or some personal grudge? Read this book, to unlock these mysteries.


Japan- an exotic and precious little island and the English author, who used to live in Japan, just like Josie Clark, has vividly captured the beauty and aura of Japan in her book, The Cherry Blossom Murder. What I can say about this mystery, it's unraveling, and I bet it's surely going to blow your brain out. The author has kept the mystery under wraps from the very beginning and how she, not even for single second, lets us guesses the killer. Yeah it did shock my guts out! This book is so edgy and the Josie's investigation is going to keep you on the loops till the very end. The character, especially, the author’s primary character, Josie Clark, is a shy but a really determined woman. Yes, she has been shown as lonely and homesick, most of the time, but she managed to hide those feelings under Japanese food and culture. She even develops a love interest on her co-worker, named Ken. Together they used to hit a lot of unique restaurants. But when her ex-boyfriend, Dave from England shows up, things get messy and she finds herself on the crossroads of her feelings between Ken, a Japanese guy and Dave, her only English lover. Josie's curiosity got better off her and thus jumping into the dangerous valley of investigating a murder.

From exotic Japanese cuisines like the clam soup, sushi, pork dishes, noodles and buying Bento lunch boxes and drinking up sake, to visiting the traditional Japanese plays to visiting a hot spring, Japan have never been felt so better and beautiful. I could almost smell up those sweet cheery in the air, due to the Cherry Blossoms covering up almost all the parks of Japan. I even like how the author described Tokyo like a woman's sprawled out jewelry box, from Dave's apartment's window, comparing the city lights below like the ruby and pearls scattered irregularly.

Verdict: Read this book for sure, since you'll learn a lot about Japan's culture, taste and language and superstitions too which are wrapped around a nerve-wracking mystery.

Courtesy: I'd like to take a moment to thank the author, Fran Pickering, for giving me this opportunity to read and review her book. 
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Author Info:
Fran Pickering is a London-based murder mystery writer who's traveled extensively in Japan. Her experiences there provide the inspiration for the Josie Clark in Japan mystery series. When not in Japan she's usually out dancing. She writes about London art and events with a Japanese connection on her blog.

Visit her here

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