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Mas Arai #3
Snakeskin Shamisen
From Summer of the Big Bachi to Gasa-Gasa Girl, Naomi Hirahara’s acclaimed novels have featured one of mystery fiction’s most unique heroes: Mas Arai, a curmudgeonly L.A. gardener, Hiroshima survivor, and inveterate gambler.
Few things get Mas more excited than gambling, so when he hears about a $500,000 win–from a novelty slot machine!–he’s torn between admiration and derision. But the stakes are quickly raised when the winner, a friend of Mas’s pal G. I. Hasuike, is found stabbed to death just days later. The last thing Mas wants to do is stick his nose in someone else’s business, but at G.I.’s prodding he reluctantly agrees to follow the trail of a battered snakeskin shamisen (a traditional Okinawan musical instrument) left at the scene of the crime…and suddenly finds himself caught up in a dark mystery that reaches from the islands of Okinawa to the streets of L.A.–a world of heartbreaking memories, deception, and murder.
Few things get Mas more excited than gambling, so when he hears about a $500,000 win–from a novelty slot machine!–he’s torn between admiration and derision. But the stakes are quickly raised when the winner, a friend of Mas’s pal G. I. Hasuike, is found stabbed to death just days later. The last thing Mas wants to do is stick his nose in someone else’s business, but at G.I.’s prodding he reluctantly agrees to follow the trail of a battered snakeskin shamisen (a traditional Okinawan musical instrument) left at the scene of the crime…and suddenly finds himself caught up in a dark mystery that reaches from the islands of Okinawa to the streets of L.A.–a world of heartbreaking memories, deception, and murder.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
38 people are currently reading
369 people want to read
About the author
Naomi Hirahara
58 books757 followersNaomi Hirahara is the USA Today-bestselling and award-winning author of multiple mystery series, noir short stories, nonfiction history books and one middle-grade novel. Her Edgar Award-winning Mas Arai series features a Los Angeles gardener and Hiroshima survivor. Her first historical mystery, CLARK AND DIVISION, which follows a Japanese American family from Manzanar to Chicago in 1944, won a Mary Higgins Clark Award in 2022. Her two other series star a young mixed race female LAPD bicycle cop, Ellie Rush, and a Filipina-Japanese American woman in Kaua'i, Lellani Santiago. She also has written a middle-grade book, 1001 CRANES. In 2025, the history book she co-wrote with Geraldine Knatz, TERMINAL ISLAND: LOST COMMUNITIES ON AMERICA'S EDGE, won a California Book Award gold medal. She, her husband and their rat terrier live happily in her birthplace of Pasadena, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
December 3, 2018
The series just keeps getting better. I think I preferred the second one plot wise, as this one was a bit convoluted, but we learn so much more about Mas and his world and there is even a love interest in this one, which is pretty impressive since our hero is 72. I've been lIstening to the Mas Arai mysteries audiobooks in order to catch up to the fifth one, Strawberry Yellow, which for some reason I listened to first, but it doesn't really matter. Do yourself a favour and get into his world.
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Download my starter library for free here - http://eepurl.com/bFkt0X - and receive my monthly newsletter with an original painting, and book recommendations galore for the Japanophile, crime-fiction-lover in all of us.
March 15, 2012
Japanese Americans are a very unique group. As far as I know they are the only people who have names for the different generations with in their group. The SOB (Straight off the boat) are the Issei, their children the second generation are the Nisei and their grandchildren or third generation are the Sansei. In addition to this they are one of the most resilient people who suffered great indignities and hardships in the course off their history in the Western Hemisphere. It was not until the 1950's that they were allowed to become naturalized American Citizens. Despite being interned during the war, losing the property and more they elected to look to the future rather than to the past.
There is a subgroup the Kibei Nisei who were born in America and raised in Japan. Mas Arai is one of these young men who eventually found himself deep in a subterranean train station in Hiroshima during 1945 and it had naturally marked his life in very significant ways. He is now a 70 year old part time gardener who is getting a reputation for solving murders and he gets involved in the death of a recent lottery winner. The situation is complex and reaches back to Okinowa and WWII, to the red scare in the 50's and brings up some of the bad things men do for what they think are good reasons.
There are a lot of characters to keep straight and convoluted motives but you won't regret reading this book, both for the history and the mystery.
There is a subgroup the Kibei Nisei who were born in America and raised in Japan. Mas Arai is one of these young men who eventually found himself deep in a subterranean train station in Hiroshima during 1945 and it had naturally marked his life in very significant ways. He is now a 70 year old part time gardener who is getting a reputation for solving murders and he gets involved in the death of a recent lottery winner. The situation is complex and reaches back to Okinowa and WWII, to the red scare in the 50's and brings up some of the bad things men do for what they think are good reasons.
There are a lot of characters to keep straight and convoluted motives but you won't regret reading this book, both for the history and the mystery.
February 7, 2017
3.5 stars. I rounded up because the writing is so good, but the hero's life seemed a bit grim, so that somewhat muted my enjoyment. (Tough grader here, plus my grading is a mix of personal enjoyment and writing, with sometimes one sometimes the other weighing more heavily in the grading.)
This is one of my favorite types of mysteries, one that opens a lens into a different place, time, or culture than my own. Mas Arai is a Kibei, an American of Japanese descent who was born in America, but then went back to Japan and was there during World War II (in Mas Arai's case, in Hiroshima), who is a gardener in LA and, naturally, solves murders that he finds himself enmeshed in (don't we all?). When an Okinawan-American acquaintance of his is murdered in the parking lot of the restaurant where a party is being held in the acquaintance's honor, Mas Arai is asked to help solve the murder by a friend to whom he owes a favor.
I am looking forward to finding the first two books in this series and getting better acquainted with Mas Arai and his world.
This is one of my favorite types of mysteries, one that opens a lens into a different place, time, or culture than my own. Mas Arai is a Kibei, an American of Japanese descent who was born in America, but then went back to Japan and was there during World War II (in Mas Arai's case, in Hiroshima), who is a gardener in LA and, naturally, solves murders that he finds himself enmeshed in (don't we all?). When an Okinawan-American acquaintance of his is murdered in the parking lot of the restaurant where a party is being held in the acquaintance's honor, Mas Arai is asked to help solve the murder by a friend to whom he owes a favor.
I am looking forward to finding the first two books in this series and getting better acquainted with Mas Arai and his world.
September 3, 2019
The story started out rather slowly, with several characters whose name I didn't remember right away. I noticed too late it was the third book in a series I'd never heard about.
I liked the idea of a grumpy gardener being a reluctant detective. Mas is a man of a few words - he even pretends he doesn't speak English when it suits him.
I wasn't much interested in the story to begin with, just happy to sit back and read about this Japanese community in the United States, with all their différences, vocabulary, history and quirks. The story grew on me when it turned historical and was about Okinawa in the second world war and the particularities of the Okinawaïan people. The slow pace began to pick up and I even laughed when Wishbone was trying to catch his crook : pretending he was watching birds to the worried security agent and running after the guy with his crutch ! Beware of old men with crutches, they're not as harmless as they seem !
To sum it up : I liked Mas's character, the depiction of Japanese people, it was interesting, and the story finally grew on me. I'll see if I can catch the two previous volumes.
I liked the idea of a grumpy gardener being a reluctant detective. Mas is a man of a few words - he even pretends he doesn't speak English when it suits him.
I wasn't much interested in the story to begin with, just happy to sit back and read about this Japanese community in the United States, with all their différences, vocabulary, history and quirks. The story grew on me when it turned historical and was about Okinawa in the second world war and the particularities of the Okinawaïan people. The slow pace began to pick up and I even laughed when Wishbone was trying to catch his crook : pretending he was watching birds to the worried security agent and running after the guy with his crutch ! Beware of old men with crutches, they're not as harmless as they seem !
To sum it up : I liked Mas's character, the depiction of Japanese people, it was interesting, and the story finally grew on me. I'll see if I can catch the two previous volumes.
April 18, 2023
I am hooked on this series. If you are an Angeleno you too will find yourself on the streets of LA, enjoying the surroundings of a different view point. Great story and great backdrop.
March 27, 2011
#3 Mas Arai mystery set in LA. Mas, a seventy-something-year-old Japanese-American gardener who is also a Hiroshima bomb survivor, gets sucked into another mystery when a party he's coerced into attending by his friend GI Hasuike to celebrate the Vegas jackpot GI's friend Randy won sports an interesting ending--Randy being murdered in the parking lot, next to him a broken antique shamisen--an Okinawan musical instrument.
Once again, history plays a role in the case, which Mas works on with Juanita Gushiken, a licensed PI and GI's girlfriend. As he begins to trace the shamisen, he finds out some interesting details about Randy that even GI didn't know, and the murder could tie into the disappearance of a Japanese national some fifty years previously. Mas must set aside his naturally reticent nature to go knocking on doors and be persistent about asking questions.
I always learn something when I read this series and this book was no exception. Although the story can be a little difficult to follow at times, with the use of some Japanese terms as well as the strange sort of combination English-Japanese speech that many of Mas's generation use, I've gotten somewhat used to it now by this third book. I really like Mas and look forward to reading his next adventure.
Once again, history plays a role in the case, which Mas works on with Juanita Gushiken, a licensed PI and GI's girlfriend. As he begins to trace the shamisen, he finds out some interesting details about Randy that even GI didn't know, and the murder could tie into the disappearance of a Japanese national some fifty years previously. Mas must set aside his naturally reticent nature to go knocking on doors and be persistent about asking questions.
I always learn something when I read this series and this book was no exception. Although the story can be a little difficult to follow at times, with the use of some Japanese terms as well as the strange sort of combination English-Japanese speech that many of Mas's generation use, I've gotten somewhat used to it now by this third book. I really like Mas and look forward to reading his next adventure.
August 13, 2017
My delight with the Mas Arai series and my admiration for the skill of author Naomi Hirahara has grown with each of the three books thus far. In this superbly crafted mystery, we learn, along with Mas, about some aspects of the Japanese-American experience unique to that contingent from Okinawa – learning of its history within the Japanese Empire and the cultural ramifications in the Japanese-American community.
At the conclusion of this book I wanted to give Mas a big congratulatory hug, though knowing he would never tolerate such a gesture. One must be discretely respectful in appreciating his humble finesse and a wisdom that comes from his unique experiences, acute observational skills, and ever-churning mind. What a wonderful vehicle the author has created for effectively touching on numerous social issues – both past and present – without beating you on the head. And once again the inspiring reminder that the negative consequences of difficult decisions made long ago can be possibly mitigated.
At the conclusion of this book I wanted to give Mas a big congratulatory hug, though knowing he would never tolerate such a gesture. One must be discretely respectful in appreciating his humble finesse and a wisdom that comes from his unique experiences, acute observational skills, and ever-churning mind. What a wonderful vehicle the author has created for effectively touching on numerous social issues – both past and present – without beating you on the head. And once again the inspiring reminder that the negative consequences of difficult decisions made long ago can be possibly mitigated.
March 30, 2018
When I went to the "Hello Kitty Friendship Festival" a couple of years ago I stopped by the "Spam Sushi" booth and wondered if anyone really ate those. Neatly contained, with Hello Kitty's face prominently displayed, I was tempted to learn how to make one and sample it. Later, when I was hungry, I went to the lobby any bought a "Pink's" hot dog instead. I guess I wasn't brave enough. In "Snakeskin Shamisen" by Naomi Hirahara, her lead character, an old Japanese gardener Mas Arai, isn't only courageous enough to eat "Spam Sushi" he's got the stones to help solve a murder too.
Quirky, and spry for his age, Arai doesn't let his limited English skills, decrepit transportation, or lack of knowledge about a mysterious snakeskin shamisen slow him down. The aspect of the book I loved the most was the way the instrument was tied into the case and how Hirahara further explained about Arai's Japanese heritage and life in Southern California. Inclusive, witty and relevant to our multicultural and inter-generational society "Snakeskin Shamisen" is a thriller I enjoyed on many levels.
Quirky, and spry for his age, Arai doesn't let his limited English skills, decrepit transportation, or lack of knowledge about a mysterious snakeskin shamisen slow him down. The aspect of the book I loved the most was the way the instrument was tied into the case and how Hirahara further explained about Arai's Japanese heritage and life in Southern California. Inclusive, witty and relevant to our multicultural and inter-generational society "Snakeskin Shamisen" is a thriller I enjoyed on many levels.
April 26, 2014
Hirahara's protag, Mas Ari is a bit of a curmudgeon, but is really lovely, and loyal to his friends and his community. Humble and dissembling, Mas is observant and often funny without artifice. He's the perfect investigator. In this work, Hirahara addresses the wrongs done to the Okinawan people in WWII, the loss of property and esteem as Japanese-Americans were placed into US internment camps, and the heroism of those who forgave but do not forget. Wonderful imagery of 1950s Los Angeles too through Mas' eyes.
I'll read every one of Hirahara's Mas Arai mysteries - just love them.
-- Ashland Mystery
I'll read every one of Hirahara's Mas Arai mysteries - just love them.
-- Ashland Mystery
March 22, 2008
This Mas Arai mystery was "cute" in that I could totally envision the cuisine the author starts off describing in the book and the venue especially if you are a resident of torrance, CA. Gives you an educational glimpse into the world of Okinawan culture.
I really liked all three Mas Arai mystery as each one was unique and didn't seem at all recycled or cliched.
Looking forward to the next one.
I really liked all three Mas Arai mystery as each one was unique and didn't seem at all recycled or cliched.
Looking forward to the next one.
March 2, 2013
The dialect spoken by Mas Arai, the unlikely detective in this novel and series, made me cringe--I never have liked any author's use of dialect, and in this case Arai is a striking enough character not to need the distinguishing feature of accented English. Apart from that, this is a fascinating novel made more meaningful for me by a week long visit to Okinawa two years ago, which gave me a little more context for the events Hirahara narrates in her Los Angeles setting.
September 16, 2012
Very touching story to me as I have known people from this generation and people who were in the "camps". Wile a good mystery, Ms Hirahara really captures the cultural feel of the people. Of the 3 I've read, this one was more than a mystery, I enjoyed the story of a time and the lives of those who experienced it.
June 5, 2018
A friend of a friend is murdered after winning $500,000 on the slots, and a battered antique shamisen is found by the body. Mas gets involved, along with the Juanita, his friend G.I.'s girlfriend, and the investigation leads him deep into the local Okinawan community -- including Genessee Howard, the African Okinawan American professor who will become very important to him in later books.
March 25, 2018
The Mas Arai series is so evocative of a unique world and culture, with some fantastically fleshed-out characters.
October 28, 2019
Lots of flavor and atmosphere of the Okinawan-American community in LA. From the detailed descriptions of the foods, textures, and furnishings you can almost be there with Mas as he investigates murder. From the descriptions of his clothing and self-care habits (like his dentures) you can almost touch and smell Mas. From the dialogue you can almost feel that you are part of his conversations with the many Japanese and Okinawans that he meets along the way.
The plot itself traces back to the 1950s when communist fears along with the insecure status of the Japanese American population made it difficult to survive. Somehow the Japanese and Okinawans made it, but mistrust and fear of the white majority persist until today.
If you are not familiar with Japan and Okinawa (the people consider themselves separate), you may have difficulty understanding the interactions and dialogue in the story line (disclosure, I am Okinawan-American sansei). During my childhood in Hawaii the adults spoke like Mas, ate the foods described, and did the same activities (a lot of gambling), so this book was somewhat like a homecoming.
The plot itself traces back to the 1950s when communist fears along with the insecure status of the Japanese American population made it difficult to survive. Somehow the Japanese and Okinawans made it, but mistrust and fear of the white majority persist until today.
If you are not familiar with Japan and Okinawa (the people consider themselves separate), you may have difficulty understanding the interactions and dialogue in the story line (disclosure, I am Okinawan-American sansei). During my childhood in Hawaii the adults spoke like Mas, ate the foods described, and did the same activities (a lot of gambling), so this book was somewhat like a homecoming.
October 12, 2021
About a third of the way into this book, I made the decision to read all of the remaining Mas Arai books. Mas Arai and his friends are really interesting, compelling characters, and it's always nice to see them return in each of these novels. Hirahara's topic of choice for this particular mystery is particularly compelling in my opinion, and I think she really gets to the core of the Japanese American identity while also having an exciting mystery for Arai to solve. I have honestly learned a lot from her writing about how life was like for nisei like my grandparents. I also like how she weaves together aspects of living in Los Angeles, and growing up there myself, it's definitely fun to watch Arai and his friends go to familiar places.
If you're new to the Mas Arai series, I would definitely recommend reading the other two books first as there are some plot points that carry over from previous books. Overall, if you're a fan of mysteries or are interested in the Japanese American experience in southern California, definitely check out this book!
If you're new to the Mas Arai series, I would definitely recommend reading the other two books first as there are some plot points that carry over from previous books. Overall, if you're a fan of mysteries or are interested in the Japanese American experience in southern California, definitely check out this book!
December 12, 2024
Mas Aria, widower, senior citizen, semi-retired gardener, and Japanese-American survivor of Hiroshima, is caught up in a tangled web that has him darting all over the LA basin when he'd rather be loafing, trimming a few leaves, and being left alone. When a friend of a friend is murdered after a party, Mas, with his reputation for solving thorny problems, is prevailed upon to help find out what happened. Reluctantly, he agrees only to encounter the theft of a valuable musical instrument from Okinawa, a ponzi scheme involving men he knows, spiteful accusations of political agitations, and two 50 year-old murders.
In his pursuit of answers, free meals, and a good night's sleep, the reader is given a glimpse into the lives of Japanese-Americans in post-war America and Southern California in particular. The relationships within the families, between friends, acquaintances, neighbors, authorities, and the cultural nuances that influence them are finely handled.
In his pursuit of answers, free meals, and a good night's sleep, the reader is given a glimpse into the lives of Japanese-Americans in post-war America and Southern California in particular. The relationships within the families, between friends, acquaintances, neighbors, authorities, and the cultural nuances that influence them are finely handled.
September 8, 2019
So I thought the book was fun and really showcased several aspects of Japanese culture that I am not as familiar with. My main objection to the book was the dialog/accent that the main character is saddled with. None of the other characters talk like him, even though some are from a similar background, and it makes him sound stupid, when he’s so obviously not. I don’t mind some regional accents in a book, but I felt like the author went a little overboard in emphasizing Mas’ accent. It reminds me of the way African American speech was treated in older books, and it makes me cringe.
November 7, 2021
This is a very good mystery story interwoven with interesting elements of the Japanese Okinawan diaspora. Mas Arai, a curmudgeonly Los Angeles gardener, is the unlikely and unwilling investigator of the murder of a friend of a friend. This is the third book in a series but the second one I read. I'm glad I did read it because I liked this better than The Big Bachi. On to Gasa Gasa Girl.
November 30, 2022
This is a decent series, mostly for the historical and cultural insights the Japanese American community during and after WWII. Mas Arai is a is a good character, but has been aged so quickly that it’s starting to require too large a suspension of disbelief. It’s wonderful to have a senior sleuth, but follow in the model of Mrs Marple and don’t age him so quickly.
January 18, 2024
I like how Hirahara describes the characters, such simple stuff that brings them to life as just regular people. I also like the bits of history about Japanese Americans and in this book, Okinawans. Mas Arai = smart and unassuming!
January 27, 2024
Hirahara really hit her stride with this - great character development, interesting plot (although I honestly am not sure I know who killed the many dead bodies....). I can't wait to read the next Mas Arai novel.
November 1, 2017
Mas Arai a 5'2". Japanese American gardener is an unlikely detective.
April 1, 2019
Mas Arai's chaos attractor is working overtime when he is dragged into a mess(a crow?) of murders. While not hard-boiled, it certainly has the frenetic pace of the old pulps, a fun read.
Want to read
November 26, 2019Synopsis: curmudgeonly LA gardener, Hiroshima survivor, and inveterate gambler, Mas Arai, follows the trail of a murdered gambling friend.
January 7, 2022
Fun read - elderly Japanese gardener who becomes embroiled in solving a murder.
December 2, 2022
Another choice of my Mystery Book Group. Well written and thoroughly entertaining story of murder and mystery and cultural differences. Highly recommended.
October 15, 2023
lots of characters
The ending was ok, but so many characters and so many incidental japanese words it was hard to keep everything straight.
The ending was ok, but so many characters and so many incidental japanese words it was hard to keep everything straight.
February 10, 2024
Always some interesting subjects in Hirahara’s books. I learned about the Shamisen and about the Okinawa community. Sending me down some rabbit holes.
February 25, 2024
Interesting to read about the Japanese American community, but didn’t quite work as a thriller
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews