Keppan: An Artist's Blood Oath

by Jayne Zehngut, Cynthia Salasovich

A world-renowned Japanese artist has a unique style that can never be forged, since each piece of art is signed with a stamp dipped in his own blood. He is so popular, that at his first gallery opening in five years, he sold every piece. The day after the opening, however, he was found dead at the bottom of Topanga Canyon. Pushing against department politics, two LAPD detectives are assigned to the case. Hercuree Lewis comes from a family of accomplished female artists, and her younger partner, Toni Nicholas, is smart and tech savvy. Together they unravel a forgery plot that links a ransomware chat window with clues to the shadowy Yakuza underworld. Ultimately, this is the story of a brilliant artist who chooses his commitment to his craft over true love.

338 pages, Paperback

Published November 6, 2023

Reviews

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Keppan is an intriguing and well written murder mystery/procedural by Jayne Zehngut and Cynthia Salasovich. Released 6th Nov 2023, it's 338 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

The book is full of art, Japanese culture, intrigue and undertones of organized crime. A pair of detectives from the LAPD are assigned to investigate the death of a popular Japanese artist the day after a phenomenal exhibition opening. The characters are well delineated and the prose flows well. The book is full of tidbits about Japanese culture and art, and the authors have managed to include it without once being pedagogic or repetitive.

The characters are well wrought and three dimensional. The procedural mystery is less of a mystery, but flows well and resolves into a satisfying (melodramatic) denouement. It will be interesting to see if the authors revisit the characters in future.

Four stars. Worth a look for art mystery fans, and possibly for a buddy or bookclub read. There are lots of good discussion subjects included (art, culture, blood oaths, etc).

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

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[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the characters and story! The mystery was somewhat easy to figure out, but well thought out and made a lot of sense. Definitely an entertaining read.
Can't wait to see what is in store for Hercuree and Toni!

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent first mystery. Hope she writes more. Interesting info on the art world. Highly recommended.