The Bride's Kimono

Rei Shimura #5

by Sujata Massey

Antiques dealer Rei Shimura has managed to snag one of the most lucrative and prestigious freelance jobs of her transporting a packet of exquisitely embroidered nineteenth-century kimonos from Tokyo to Washington, D.C., for an exhibit, and to give a lecture on them. It's been years since Rei has set foot in the land of her birth, and in that time, she's become estranged from it. On the other hand, she does not exactly fit in with the band of Japanese office ladies she's accompanied, who have traveled to the United States for a week's worth of shopping. Still, everything seems to be going well enough, until one of the kimonos is stolen from her hotel room and Rei's passport shows up in a Dumpster behind a shopping mall -- on the dead body of one of the office ladies. In the middle of this, Rei's ex-boyfriend, Hugh Glendinning, inexplicably arrives in town. The Bride's Kimono takes us on an utterly absorbing ride as Rei tries to find the stolen kimono, uncover its significance in an ancient Japanese love triangle, decide between two men, and unmask a murderer. The Bride's Kimono is Sujata Massey's strongest novel yet -- sexy and suspenseful, deftly balancing mystery, murder, romance, and culture shock with an alluring historical subplot involving priceless kimonos.

Genres: Mystery, Japan, Fiction, Crime, Asia, Mystery Thriller, Romance

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Sujata Massey is the author of historical and mystery fiction set in Asia. She is best known for the Perveen Mistry series published in the United States by Soho Press and in India by Penguin Random House India. In June, 2021, THE BOMBAY PRINCE, third book in the series, releases in the US/Canada and Australia/New Zealand; it will be published by Penguin India later the same month.

THE WIDOWS OF MALABAR HILL, the first Perveen novel, was named a Best Mystery/Thriller of 2018 and also an Amazon Best Mystery/Thriller of 2018. Additionally, the book won the Bruce Alexander Best Historical Mystery Award, the Agatha Award for Best Historical Mystery and the Mary Higgins Clark Award, all in 2019.

The second Perveen novel, THE SATAPUR MOONSTONE, won the Bruce Alexander Best Historical Mystery Award in 2020.

Sujata's other works include THE SLEEPING DICTIONARY (2013) and eleven Rei Shimura mysteries published from 1997-2014. For more about Sujata's books and a full events schedule, subscribe to her newsletter, http://sujatamassey.com/newsletter

Sujata lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with her family and two dogs. In addition to writing, she loves to travel, read, cook, garden and walk.

Reviews

[Josephine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Coming back to this several years after I first read it...no. No. And I repeat, no.

I will be the first to admit that this series is pretty firmly in the 'mind candy' grouping, the early entries in the series were at least enjoyable in much the same way that Agatha Christie's books are--fluffy fast reads that give us a glimpse, though limited, into another culture/time.

However...this one has enough plot holes that I have to wonder whether the developmental editors fell asleep on the job. I'll stop at just one: the Last Minute Kimono. Our Protagonist is hired to transport a predetermined number of kimono from Japanese (Textile) Museum to American (Textile) Museum. At the last minute, Japanese Museum decides to substitute a sturdier kimono for one which they deem too fragile to be displayed. At no point does the Japanese Museum contact the American Museum to notify them of the change, but merely send Our Protagonist off with the kimono. Not Surprisingly, American Museum refuses to display said kimono, as they don't have any authorization to do so.

Now, this is a $50,o00 kimono, of some considerable historical value. Would it not make sense to store the [bleep] thing in a reasonably secure location until it can be transported back to Japan with the kimono which will be displayed, at the end of said display? (to wit, in the American Museum's own vaults) Does American Museum do so? No. Rather than contacting the Japanese Museum directly/promptly to straighten things out--and the book makes it clear that technology like fax machines and email, not to mention lovely things like telephones, are available to both museums--American Museum sends Our Protagonist trotting post-haste back to her cheapjack motel with said kimono. This kimono promptly gets stolen. Duh.

I know, I know. If the museums had followed something approximating professional protocol, we wouldn't have a plot at all. But then readers of Goodreads wouldn't have had to put up with my fulminations. Just be glad I picked ONE JUST ONE of the giant honking plot holes in this one.....

[Ladiibbug · Rating 4 out of 5]

#5 Rei Shimura series - Mystery

Another winning mystery. Rei Shimura is half American, half Japanese. Born in California, she relocated to Tokyo to open her own antiques business and explore Japanese culture.

Rei is invited by a highly regarded Tokyo museum to travel to Washington, DC with many of their highly valuable kimono (the plural being "kimono") for an exclusive exhibit. Rei jumps at the chance to expand her knowledge of the history and art of the kimono and share her knowledge with other lovers of Japanese culture.

The author in every book focuses on one main Japanese aspect of culture, the history, the meaning, and importance in Japanese life. One book, for example The Flower Master, was a wonderful look at ikebana, the art of Japanese flower arranging.

Rei's hope for an outstanding lecture, Q&A, reception and kimono exhibition which would be another professional feather in her cap turn sour very quickly. Multi-layered mysteries, a murder, events too confusing to begin to turn things around paralyze Rei. Not knowing who to trust or where to turn get worse when a big surprise occurs.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

In spite of the fact that no museum would EVER perpetrate the professional and legal blunders made in this novel, I suspended belief , sat back and enjoyed the adventure here.

[Gateway_to_Wonderland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Olen kyllä masokisti! Rei Shimura on ajoittain on niin raivostuttava, liian kiltti, nössö ja nyhvääjä, mutta silti tykkään näistä kirjoista! Siis mitä ihmettä? Nämä ovat kuin joku kielletty pikku pahe, jonka seurassa nauttii vaikka välillä ketuttaa kuin pientä eläintä 😂 Ehkä olen vain omituinen 💁🏻‍♀️

Mutta siis periaatteessa näissä kirjoissa lukijalle avataan japanilaista kulttuuria. Tällä kertaa, nimensä mukaan, pääkohteena ovat kimonot. Näissä myös aina on mukana jokin rikos, useimmiten murha, joka tapahtuu joskus 100 sivun jälkeen. Lisäksi Rein ihmissuhteet ovat suuressa osassa kuten myös japanilainen tapakulttuuri. Sinänsä ihan mielenkiintoinen paketti, mutta ajoittain juoni tai henkilökemiat ontuvat, mutta jostain syystä annan ne anteeksi vaikka välillä ärsyttää todella paljon. En tosin ymmärrä miksi annan sen anteeksi, mutta näillä mennään.

Itse Rei on outo hahmo. Jostain syystä pidän hänestä vaikka hän saa minut ajoittain ärsyytymään. Ehkä japanilainen tapakulttuuri tässä kohde osuu hermooni, sillä ilmesesti konfliktien välttely, kasvojen menettämisen pelko ja, varsinkin nuoren naisen, holhoaminen naapureiden, sukulaisten ja yleensäkin täti- sekä setä-ihmisten toimesta on todella rasittavaa. Toisaalta ymmärrän, että maassa maan tavalla, mutta silti ajoittain ottaa pattiin.

Ja silti luen näitä.
Ja tulen lukemaan seuraavankin 😅

Mutta jos kiinnostaa, niin suosittelen lukemaan näitä ilmestymisjärjestyksessä. Taustalla on jatkuva juonikuvio ja muutenkin näistä saa enemmän irti silloin. Nämä ovat pääasiassa cosy crimea, jossa hipaus romantiikkaa sekä ihmissuhdekoukeroita.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a Japanese American Washingtonian, I was thrilled to pick up this book, which not only involves a half Japanese character, but also takes place in Washington, DC. Maybe I was overly critical because this is familiar territory...

The author seems to think that Smithsonian Institution is in plural, that northwest DC is actually northeast, and that Washingtonians are racist assholes who slash your tires and knock you upside the head with rugby balls for no good reason. It also bothered me that she'd insert Japanese words that clearly have English translations (e.g. tansu) and sometimes end sentences with "ne?" That's a major pet peeve with me. If I wanted random Japanese words sprinkled into a book, I want it to be done naturally. Otherwise, I'd much rather just read a book in Japanese.

Other than that, the story was somewhat interesting, and it was a quick read. I wish the ending wasn't so rushed. It was lazy writing, like she just came up with the culprit at the last minute so she could end the novel.

[CatBookMom · Rating 1 out of 5]

After I checked this out again 1/2/18, I realized I'd tried to read it before. Hence the listing as DNF, to remind me to skip this series.

[Lilith1323 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

[Susan Chapek]

Sujata Massey's suspense/mystery stories always enthrall.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading the series totally out of order, so sometimes they get confusing. Rei Shimura, Japanes/American who has multi talents. Loves to live in Japan, speaks the language well, however, her education was not completed, whereas she can read it. All the way through the series she struggles with the reading. Not easy to find these books, in my haste to order, two hard back copies came in of this title this week! As always, they will be passed on. Suggest readers start at the beginning of the series.

Was not as crazy about this book as the others, in this story Rei is with boyfriend Takeo Kayama in Japan, their relationship has not gotten to where he has said he loves her, or wants to marry her. Hugh, the love of her life, who dumped her in America, and run off to Scotland to help with the new Government and got engaged to someone else, has been out of the picture. In this book, he turns up again, and it is a complex of off again on again, as Rei loves to men, and they both love her, only one will say he will marry her. But Rei has not wanted to get married.

Rei is offered a trip back to the USA to talk about Kimonos at a Museum, a lot of wishey washey stuff goes on, a Kimono goes missing from Rei's room, along with other items. A Japanese girl goes missing who is found dead with Reis stolen ticket and passport, and the police think Rei is a professional call girl! Can things get worse, yes and they do, and in the end...it all comes out fine in the wash! Or does it? On to my next Rei adventure. I always like it when the author gives the reader a cast of characters. Some in this series have these pages, some do not.

[Kirsty Darbyshire]

My initial impressions of this book weren't good. The story takes Rei away from Japan, the country she chooses to live in and the setting that makes the books a really interesting read for me. As well as going to what I thought would be a more mundane location I thought there were several bits of unrealistic plot happenings early in the book. Rei, still fairly new to the antiquities business is entrusted with taking a shipment of valuable old kimono from a museum in Tokyo to a museum in Washington DC and the whole setup and incompetence of the two museums didn't ring true for me.

Of course I should have trusted the author more as most of the things that bugged me in the beginning turned out to be plot devices rather than plot holes by the end of the book. And the transition to the United States worked pretty well too. Rei is half American and grew up in California and the inclusion of her parents in this book definitely furthered the personal side of the series. There was also a lot of things where we saw America through the eyes of Japanese tourists and so the setting wasn't as run of the mill as I'd been expecting but actually worked pretty well.

In the end the plot wasn't as good as it could have been but the side of the story dealing with Rei's relationships really developed very well in this book and I like it as an episode in the series though I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who wasn't following the series. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what Massey does with the characters next.

[Viva · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my 5th Rei Shimura book, read out of order. I'm not sure why I'm reading these books out of order but it does seem to make the series a little bit less predictable for me.

All my reviews of the Rei Shimura books are gonna be pretty similar. I think Sujata Massey is an excellent writer. The writing flows well and I really enjoy the exploits of Rei, the description of Japan (when she's there), Japanese culture, her love life, etc. As far as this being a spy or mystery book, it's only so-so. But I keep being drawn in every time I finish another book. It's the book version of binge watching a TV show, I just can't stop!

In this book, she is hired to Washington D.C. where she is to do a presentation of historical kimonos for a couple of weeks as well as courier the kimonos to DC from Japan by air. She goes there as part of a tour group to save money. But once she is there, two rather unpleasant things happen. As usual, I'm not a great fan of Massey's detective writing. There is no real build up of suspense, the action is disjointed and the reveal is unsatisfying. But as I have said, I'm addicted to the series and I will continue to read it as I enjoy the life and drama of the protagonist.

I strongly recommend that any new readers read this series in order!

[Bernye · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far my favorite of the series. Rei is always facing challenges between her Japanese heritage and her American birth. This conflict continually comes through as Rei tries to do the right thing. Her love of Japanese antiques and in this case antique kimono fabrics has taken her to Washington DC to bring an exhibit to a museum. Her Japanese boyfriend sends her off with his favorite good luck travel charm; however, no proposal. While at the museum, Hugh comes back into her life, a kimono from her exhibit disappears, and one of her travel companions is found dead. Rei finally solves the mysteries and reunites with Hugh. Looking forward to the next in the series.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had a Maltese Falcon feel to it.

It's the fifth in the Rei Shimura series but it stands alone just fine. Shimura goes to Washington DC with a selection of priceless kimono on loan to a museum. One of them goes missing and is tied up with the murder of a young Japanese tourist. I managed to sort of figure out the plot but there were still enough surprises to keep me entertained all the way to the end.

http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/...

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a random book picked up at the library I enjoyed it. Has a good blend of mystery, tidbits about Asian culture, and "female pop fiction." I also enjoyed the heroine enough to consider reading another book with her (this book did fine reading by itself, though it did refer briefly to events from earlier books).

[Katheyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Bride’s Kimono”, Rei Shimura’s fifth mystery, takes place in Washington D.C, the very first times in the series we get to see Rei Shimura in an American setting. Rei has secured the most prestigious job in her career, to personally bring some valuables kimono for the Museum upcoming exhibition and give a lecture on the matter. Things seem finally look up for Rei, she will able to show her knowledge (after all she is an art academic). Hardly arrived in the city, Rei experiences the first backlash, one the valuable kimono is stolen, and her passport is found on the body of a murdered tourist. To avoid ending up in jail, Rei takes a direct approach to the investigation, but things get much more complicated when not only her parents but her ex-boyfriend also appear on scene, and did I mention the actual boyfriend? Well, Rei being Rei will get them all sorted out, at least if she ever wants to be able to return home, that is back to Japan.

Sujata Massey’s “Rei Shimura” is a mystery series featuring the eponymous character, an American Japanese woman in her late twenties (at the start of the series) who relocates to Tokyo to reembrace her Japanese roots and start an antiquities business. The books mix classical sleuth mystery, with Japanese cultural observation and biographical bits, into a nice, easy to read and fully enjoyable series. Some mysteries remind the classical clean mysteries of old, while other (especially on the later books) deal with very serious historical events, but in each case the stories remain easy-to-read mysteries with Japanese flavour. While an in-depth study into Japanese culture, should not be expected, the books offer a very credible insight into Japanese everyday life, from the point of view of American foreigner with the added bonus of having a real Japanese heritage, that allows her to blend in and navigate the country with credible ease. Every book in the series can be read as a stand-alone from the mystery point of view, as the arc-story only pertains to Rei Shimura chronological development.

Massey, a London born, who has herself a mixed Indian-German heritage and has expended (due to her own husband work) several year in Japan, excels by interweave her own biographical data with fictional bit into one of the most original and interesting series in the genre. Rei Shimura’s character development and her reflections on the country evolve organically with the experiences in the country. Sujata Massey succeeds in showing the changes in Rei’s personality and reflections to the environment. A must-read for all fans of female slaughtering and/or ‘light’ Japanese culture.

[Sanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tässä kirjassa ehdottomasti kiinnostavinta oli runsas tieto kimonoista, niiden historiasta, ulkonäöstä, ja muutenkin kaikki museotyöhön liittyvät asiat. Itsessään teos oli mielestäni tylsä, aivan liian pitkä ja puuduttavaa luettavaa.
Rein ja Takeon suhde vaikuttaa kuivalta, umpitylsältä ja kuivalta, joten ratkaisu mihin Rei miestensä suhteen päätyy, oli mielestäni oikea ja hyvä. Hugh on ollut Rein suhteista kiinnostavin, ja he kaksi ovat sopineet toisilleen erilaisuuksistaan huolimatta.

Itse juoni on epäuskottava ja välillä naurettavakin. Rein kokemus antiikista on toki mittava, mutta silti hänen työkomennuksensa kuulostaa omituiselta, ottaen huomioon kuka kimonoja oli lähdössä toimittamaan ensisijaisesti. Ja sen toki huomaakin kun sitten käy miten käy. Jälleen kerran Rei puhuu muista naisista, varsinkin nuorista, ala-arvoisesti ja vähättelevästi. Varsinkin Hana Matsurasta ja Jamiesta. Hän kohtelee muita naisia ylimielisesti, ja kun häntä itseään sitten kohdellaan vähemmän asiallisesti, hänen reaktionsa on varsin naurettava ottaen huomioon miten hän itse puhuu muista. Ainoa nainen jota Rei (ja itse kirjailija) ylistää, Rein itsensä lisäksi, on hänen äitinsä. Joka saa myös äidin kuulostamaan enkelimäiseltä supersankarilta, vaikka mielestäni Catherine Shimura kuulostaa snobilta ikuisen nuoruuden tavoittelijalta.

Kirjan mysteeri on kiehtovampi ja uskottavampi kuin mitä monessa aiemmassa. Rei Shimura-kirjojen parasta antia onkin aina ollut kaikki Japaniin liittyvä, mutta monesti tuntuu siltä että kaikki muu onkin sitten hätäisesti keksitty ja raavittu kasaan. Rei Shimura on hahmo, josta haluaisin valtavasti pitää, mutta se on vaikeaa, kun hänen hahmonsa muuttuu kirja kirjalta ylimielisemmäksi ja epäuskottavammaksi.
Kirja kannattaa lukea mikäli Japani kiinnostaa yhtään.

[Alton Motobu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four stars for the interesting story line and characters, but minus a star for the overdone rival boyfriends angle. Rei is much more independent than in the previous four in the series, but why does she keep secrets from her friends, family, employers and the police? She gets into more trouble by hiding things than coming clean, but then this would have simplified the story line and made things boring. Many loopholes unexplained or ignored, the biggest one being that Rei's overprotective mother forgets to give a starving Rei a croissant for breakfast - why did the author even mention this?

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I live in Tokyo as an American so devour all sorts of interesting and entertaining reads about the country and its culture and art. I love kimono fabric and great art institues. Very familiar settings and great cross-cultural insights. Love sassy Rei, her friends and San Fran + Yokohama family... I read the book in a few sittings. A tame, easy breezy whodunnit set mostly in DC and Northern VA in the museum world with a diverse, colorful cast of Japanese and local characters that was super fun to read. Boyfriend woes too in the mix. Left me wanting more! I have consumed several in the series!

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was better than the Pearl Diver. It had some twists and turns that I really did not expect! Much of it was a surprise and made me want to keep reading. Also I like that she tries to sneak in Japanese cultural tidbits into the writing. She also places real places and areas in the book to make it seem real. I did not like the explicit sex scenes in the book. They went on to long and were to graphic for my taste, but I could and did skip over them. The writing also seems a little simplistic, otherwise I would give this a 5 star.

[Lauriina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jälleen yksi Rei Shimura -kirja. Nämä ovat aina mainoita, mukaansatempaavia tarinoita. Eivät ehkä loistavia, mutta tarpeeksi jännittäviä ja kiinnostavia. Parasta ovat kulttuuriset yksityiskohdat ja tiedot, joita Massey kertoo juonen lomassa. Kirjoissa on aina paljon tietoa Japanin historiasta ja kulttuurista, joista kerrotaan myös länsimaalaisen näkökulma huomioiden. Tässä osassa oli tietysti runsaasti tietoa kimonoista.

[Jaclyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dated (in one scene, the Japanese-American heroine Rei hears some Japanese tourists say "Rough Roaring", and concludes they must be referring to Ralph Lauren, which I think would rightly be decried as racist today) - it was published in 2001.

Otherwise, the plot was quick and entertaining. The big reveal seemed kinda random (like how could the villain even had the time to plot the situation that led to the theft?!), but still, it was a fun and fairly light mystery.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many of the locales in DC I was familiar with since I now live in No. Va and worked at Reagan
airport for ten years for DHS. My Japanese experience rang true with Rei and her family.
The story plodded along until the girl Hana went missing then it picked up and I raced to
the end of the novel. A funny ending with the two suitors standing side by side, which one does Rei choose? I won’t tell…!

[Hereswhatsgoingon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mystery, neither cozy nor dark

I generally enjoy Sujata Massey's books. Reí is something between a pulled together, more polite Stephanie Plum, or a friendlier, more accessible Kinsey Milhone. In this book. Reí is entrusted with transporting some valuable kimono (the plural has no s, in case you were wondering) from Japan to Washington DC. Naturally it ends up being a job that has some complications. Definitely an enjoyable read

[Judy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm halfway through the book and don't think I can go any further. The story has failed to keep me interested. It just doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I've read some books lately where I wanted to quit into the book but kept going and was happy I finished. I don't get the feeling this is going to get much more suspenseful than it is (isn't!).

[Doreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The topic for this round is kimono! I like this one the most thus far because there is more development on rei's love life. I cannot help but to compare to her to my favourite accidental sleuth - lady georgina of the her royal spyness series. Both of them seem to get themselves into spots of mystery.

[Elizabeth Uwe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book. It had a bit of a slow start and got better after a few chapters. I liked the fact that it wasn’t a predictable murder. The love triangle between Hugh, Rei and Takeo was exciting at first. I loved how Takeo could feel the extent at which Hugh loves Rei. Overall it was a good read.

[chats · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh Rei. I actually liked this one more than the previous one plot wise but the DC geography / coded social commentary stuff was grating. Also I want more explanation of people’s motives! Why did Shima not just go himself in the first place! The murder made no sense! Nice to see Hugh and Takeo getting along though.

[Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written pre-9/11, pre-Memoirs of a Geisha, and in the early days of Starbucks ubiquity and eBay--and all of that showed.
Aside from some of the dated references, I enjoyed The Bride's Kimono a lot! And as a Washington D.C. resident, I appreciated the sense of place in this book, particularly the long-haul of getting out to Dulles airport.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think these books are fairly easy to read, and culturally somewhat interesting, but, dang, does the protagonist irritate me sometimes. The premise of this particularly installment relies on a series of questionable actions, which is always frustrating.

The discussions of the kimono and history, on the other hand, are fantastic.

[Tesha L.McKinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel. It provided a rich description of Japanese culture. What I appreciate about Massey's books are the cast of characters she provides in each novel. I especially like the character Rei Shimura, she has an easygoing personality and is a very good sleuth 🕵