Comment 260 on “Zen Attitude”

1. KOMET says:

   at 9:23 AM

   An utterly satisfying, entertaining, and well crafted mystery novel set in late 1990s Japan Rei Shimura, Japanese American, a young, enterprising and adventurous antiques dealer and trader manages to acquire after considerable bargaining a tansu , an ancient type of chest from the Edo Period much prized and valued This proves to be a fateful decision, taking Rei down a path involving murder, theft, brushes with the police, and deceit.

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2. Melisande says:

   at 9:23 AM

   I love this author Her books are really interesting This is definitely a fun read if you like Mysteries and or Japanese culture.

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3. Bonnie says:

   at 9:23 AM

   Rei Shimura is half American and half Japanese and lives in Tokyo She was born in America and recently moved to Japan where she started out teaching English classes, but has recently started her own antique business She lives with her Scottish lawyer boyfriend in a deluxe apartment When Rei overpays for a beautiful chest of drawers for a client, she s in for the worst deal of her life The con man who sold her the tansu is found dead and Rei is headed for a Pandora s box of mystery, theft, and mu [...]

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4. Marie-Therese says:

   at 9:23 AM

   3.5 stars Much better than the first book in this series This volume is lively and well paced, with an interesting if somewhat improbable plot and nicely drawn characters Rei Shimura, the Japanese American antiques dealer protagonist, is so much engaging now that her obligatory back story is out of the way I m looking forward to watching her mature as a woman and a detective I m really glad I continued on with this series and am planning to jump right into volume 3.

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5. Cami says:

   at 9:23 AM

   A really fun read with interesting information on japanese antique furniture and scrolls as well as Zen temple worship.Rei gets herself into some real danger and doesn t know who to trust and her relationship with Hugh is hanging by a thread.

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6. Mari-Liis says:

   at 9:23 AM

   Tohutult p nev jaapani kriminull, mida ei saa k est ra panna Humoorikas ja ladusalt kirjutatud Pakub kindlasti huvi k igile, kellel soov jaapani kultuurist rohkem teada saada.

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7. Olivia Winter says:

   at 9:23 AM

   The author is a very good writer, but I stopped reading the book because I grew and annoyed with the protagonist.First off, she doesn t have even a hint of a sense of humor and is always whining and complaining about everything And though she herself is pretty young and in typical US West Coast fashion absolutely underdressed about 80% of the time, she is so ultra conservative that she can t deal at all with her boyfriend s visiting younger brother who is a little hippie and currently travelin [...]

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8. Elaine Roberson says:

   at 9:23 AM

   An interesting read I really enjoyed the insights into Japanese life, culture, and antiques.

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9. Ladiibbug says:

   at 9:23 AM

   2 Rei Shimura mystery seriesRei Shimura s antiques business in Tokyo now has many client Rei, a Japanese American woman raised in the U.S is living with Hugh, her Scottish lawyer boyfriend Rei is happy with the life she s worked so hard to build for herself in Tokyo.Rei locates a rare chest of drawers a tansu which a wealthy client wants badly Rei discovers later she has significantly overpaid for the piece worse yet, it may be a fake.The con man who sold Rei the piece is found murdered, and Rei [...]

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10. Kirsty Darbyshire says:

    at 9:23 AM

    Massey is well on her way to making a mark on my favourite author list This second mystery sees our heroine Rei struggling to keep her new Japanese antique buying business going after she discovers that a chest she has spent oodles of cash on for a client is a fake The plot is very competent with twists that have you saying I should have see that without making you feel cheated I got a better sense of Japan from this book than from the first, I don t know whether that s because settings like tem [...]

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11. Morgan Dhu says:

    at 9:23 AM

    A very interesting mystery this time from Sujata Massey, involving an antique chest with a secret history and a series of murders that seem to dog its previous owners Antiques dealer Rei Shimura finds herself in the middle of the investigation when she purchases the chest on behalf of a client only to discover that it has been tampered with and people are dying because of it.In addition to the basic mystery plot, there was just way too much ficus on rei s relationship with Scottish lawyer Huge G [...]

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12. Tocotin says:

    at 9:23 AM

    This is the best book in the series so far Rei isn t as selfish as usual, she is capable of friendship her relationship with old Mr Ikeda is quite touching if a bit unbelievable , and I liked the side story of the Iranian guy, refreshingly unstereotypical in this series which is practically built on stereotypes Plus, I enjoyed the details on Japanese antiques Rei s boyfriend Hugh was too attentive and too intense to be realistic but even he had some saving grace, namely his generosity towards hi [...]

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13. Anne says:

    at 9:23 AM

    This is the second in the Rei Shimura series this point, Rei has semi established herself as a high end antiques dealer in Toyko When she is sent to find a tansu cabinet for a wealthy client, she finds herself swindled by a fake The salesperson mysteriously dies, and Rei is once again simultaneously investigating a murder, and attempting to avoid her own demise Her relationship with the Scotsman, hits a rocky patch and I m hoping that it will be over and done with by the next installment, as I f [...]

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14. Alma Q says:

    at 9:23 AM

    It was quick and somewhat entertaining, somewhat irritating, and somewhat shallow read I guess I already have a pretty good idea about who the murderer will be after reading two Rei Shimura books view spoiler because Rei seems to regulary stand up for them the most hide spoiler Which shows that Rei is a saddeningly little developing character On the other hand, the descriptions of Japanese society and culture in general do still grab the interest of some, Western people and I may continue readin [...]

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15. Judith says:

    at 9:23 AM

    Rei Shimura, now working as an antiques dealer, is currently living in Japan with her boyfriend Hugh Glendenning Chaos enters when his wild younger brother comes to stay Add to that several killings, kidnappings, and priceless antiquities all in some way related to a bridal tansu Rei has just sold Shimura s books give insight into life and customs in Japan An added bonus this time is that much of the action and plot involve a Buddhist temple.

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16. Mary says:

    at 9:23 AM

    This series is really excellent and would be best read in order i unfortunately read the books out of order due to library availability I still loved the books and am very sad that there will be no books in this series Rei Shimura is the Japanese equivalent of Stephanie Plum for those who enjoy that series by Janet Evanovich.

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17. Beth Harper says:

    at 9:23 AM

    Never having been to Japan, I don t know how accurate its depiction of modern Japan is, but I love the depiction Very atmospheric, very interesting characters The Zen monastery where much of the story takes place is not what I expected of a Zen monastery, so that was very interesting I identify with Rei Shimura s need for independence.

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18. Wanda says:

    at 9:23 AM

    Really enjoyed this book It combined several different cultures and looked at many issues including dealing with loved ones relatives to traditional inheritance The main character, Rei, battled being a part of two different cultures along with trying to be a modern woman in a traditional arena.

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19. Noora says:

    at 9:23 AM

    Hyv dekkari, jonka luin yhteen putkeen pit m tt juurikaan taukoja Juoni oli aika kekseli s ja yll tt v ja piti otteessaan ihan loppuun asti Tosin Hughin veljen sekoittamisen mukaan olisi voinut j tt poiskin Se, mist pidin ensimm isess kin Shimura kirjassa, japanilaisen kulttuurin yhdist misest dekkarimaailmaan, on tallella Hyv kirja ja Rei on miellytt v tuttavuus henkil hahmona.

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20. Trixie Fontaine says:

    at 9:23 AM

    I thought this was an improvement over The Salaryman s Wife but there were some holes and some weird unresolved stuff and homophobic vibes that I really wanted to not be there, because the sporty daughter was such a great character in so many ways.

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21. Kassandra says:

    at 9:23 AM

    I had to read this for school, and thought meh, it something happening in Japan Well, i was really supprised that the plot was really intriguing and I actually read it happily It was, as I remember a detective story of some furniture company and there s also subplot of the maincharacters own private life.

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22. Bernye says:

    at 9:23 AM

    This series takes place in Japan, and if you are interested in Japanese antiques, this series is for you Rei the main character seems to attrack interesting situations where she becomes an investigator even though she has no real detective experience Following her through the streets and shops of Japan, I feel as though I have returned there.

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23. Megan says:

    at 9:23 AM

    The second installment of the Rei Shimura series was another enjoyable page turner Rei is starting out in the antique business living with Hugh The purchase of a tansu chest sets off a string of events that leads Rei to a Zen monastery and in danger The story moves along nicely and keeps you reading to find out if Rei will be able to get out of the latest predicament she finds herself in.

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24. Helen says:

    at 9:23 AM

    I liked this book, the second of Sujata Massey s Rei Shimura series It did not hold me as strongly as the first one, but it had many interesting moments, and I learned about the world of antiques in Japan.

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25. Peter Flom says:

    at 9:23 AM

    This is an early book in the Rei Shimura series Shimura is a Japanese American art dealer, living in Tokyo In this novel, she is hired to find a tansu a kind of chest She finds it or thinks she does but then lots of complcations ensue.

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26. aida sabri says:

    at 9:23 AM

    My first Sujata Massey book was The Salaryman s Wife I was completely hooked by the story and decided to take on the second book, Zen Attitude Not a surprise I was hooked too Now I am a Sujata Massey s fan and read all of her books

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27. Ronkeli says:

    at 9:23 AM

    Tutustuin ensimm ist kertaa Rei Shimuraan Oli kyll mukava piipahtaa Japanissa, mutta jos etsii oikein koukuttavaa murhamysteeri , pit etsi toisaalta Viihdytt v on ehk t t parhaiten kuvaava sana Suosittelisin kevyeksi lomalukemiseksi, joka ei mielt paina nukkumaanmenoaikaan.

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28. Susan Strickland says:

    at 9:23 AM

    I loved this one, too Books about tansu with false bottoms They don t get old Nor does Rei Shimura wearing disguises and lying to the police, her family, and her employers, in the name of justice Again, I had the killer pegged from early on, though I had my doubts at times.

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29. Antoinette says:

    at 9:23 AM

    I enjoy every adventure with Rei I am sad to learn that the series has ended I have kept the last one from myself, to prolong that reality Happy, easy reads, and I feel like I am learning a little bit about other cultures.

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30. Margaret says:

    at 9:23 AM

    Interesting info re Japan Generally well written Nice cast of characters but Hugh is a twit and relationship with Rsi does not quite click Few other interactions also a bit off Would read books by this author

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