Masuto Investigates

Masao Masuto #1-2

by Howard Fast

Masao Masuto is a Nisei detective on the Beverly Hills police force -- a cultured stranger in an even stranger land of traffic-clogged freeways, artery-clogging fast food...and brutal murders. Here, collected for the first time, are the two adventures that launched the popular crime-fiction series created by Howard Fast: In Samantha, a Hollywood film producer has been murdered -- the first in a series of violent deaths perpetrated by a killer calling herself "Samantha." Masuto must race the clock to stop her before more blood is shed. In The Case of the One-Penny Orange, a noted stamp dealer and his assistant are murdered, and the one clue that could bring a killer to justice is an 1847 postage stamp from the island of Mauritius -- one of the rarest, most famous stamps in the world.

Genres: Mystery

Paperback

First published December 1, 2000

About the author

Howard Fast was one of the most prolific American writers of the twentieth century. He was a bestselling author of more than eighty works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and screenplays. The son of immigrants, Fast grew up in New York City and published his first novel upon finishing high school in 1933. In 1950, his refusal to provide the United States Congress with a list of possible Communist associates earned him a three-month prison sentence. During his incarceration, Fast wrote one of his best-known novels, Spartacus (1951). Throughout his long career, Fast matched his commitment to championing social justice in his writing with a deft, lively storytelling style.

Pseudonyms: Walter Ericson, E.V. Cunningham

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

If only I had a dime for every time someone said dame.... The best thing about the two stories is the now-vintage description of Beverly Hills in the late 1960s/early 1970s. The white author's portrayal of the main character as a second-generation Japanese immigrant (Nisei) seems ham-fisted at best but serves as an opportunity to provide a more distanced look at white Beverly Hills culture. Masuto is a Zen Buddhist and that characterization seemed a bit thin but I suppose gave some sort of ethical base for the character. The portrayal of Masuto's timid Nisei wife whose main purpose is to draw hot baths and worry is annoying. Yet somehow, Masuto falls in love with a woman during every case - no wonder Masuto's wife Kati worries every time he leaves the door -- guns AND dames!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun escape.

[Colleen]

2 stories both flawed a bit by 70,s era dialogue but with interesting plotting

[John Hanscom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe less. Good, but not as good as I hoped.