Blood Hina
Authors: Naomi Hirahara
Praise for
Blood Hina
A Hot Picks Selection by the Hawaii State Public Library System
“Edgar-winner Hirahara once again provides a sensitive insider’s view of the Japanese American subculture in her fourth Mas Arai mystery.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“Written with heart and depth, and starring an Everyman for our time.”
—
Kirkus Reviews
“Mas Arai is a true original and one of my favorite characters in crime fiction. I love spending time in his world and I’m thrilled that he’s back—and at the top of his grumpy game.”
—S.J. R
OZAN
, Edgar-winning author of
The Shanghai Moon
“Naomi Hirahara has done it again! It’s wonderful to see reluctant detective Mas Arai back in action.”
—L
ISA
S
EE
,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
“Blood Hina
is even better than Hirahara’s Edgar Award-winning
Snakeskin Shamisen.”
—D
ENISE
H
AMILTON
, author of
Damage Control
and the Eve Diamond series
Praise for the Mas Arai Novels
STRAWBERRY YELLOW
“The complex interrelationships of this multigenerational Japanese American community and the fierce competition for control of the California strawberry industry make this a thoughtful and highly entertaining read.”
—
Library Journal
“Mas’s fifth case has both depth and an intricate whodunit.”
—
Kirkus Reviews
“His obdurance, his skill as a listener, and even his broken English are charming in a quirky, uncomplicated way.”
—
Booklist
“Hirahara again wisely makes her unusual lead—and most unlikely sleuth—the focus.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“Mas, less an amateur detective than a cranky, accidental one, is what makes the story work.”
—
Booklist
SNAKESKIN SHAMISEN
Winner of the 2007 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Paperback Original
“Hirahara’s complex and compassionate portrait of a contemporary American subculture enhances her mystery, and vice versa.”
—
Kirkus Reviews
“Hirahara’s well-plotted, wholesome whodunit offers a unique look at L.A.’s Japanese American community, with enough twists and local flavor to keep you guessing till the end.”
—
Entertainment Weekly
“In an age in which too many books are merely echoes of previous books, Naomi Hirahara has the distinction of writing a mystery series that is unlike any other. As her latest novel,
Snakeskin Shamisen
, proves, she is truly one of a kind.… Mas Arai is one of the freshest, most realistic and fascinating characters in the mystery genre. Every book featuring him is a joy to read.”
—D
AVID
J. M
ONTGOMERY
,
Chicago Sun-Times
“A shrewd sense of character and a formidable narrative engine.”
—D
ICK
A
DLER
,
Chicago Tribune
“Hirahara has created in Arai a protagonist who arguably is one of the most unique characters in contemporary mystery fiction.…A haunting and compelling work.”
—J
OE
H
ARTLAUB
,
Bookreporter.com
“The cadence of the book is all music and past rhythm; what will be in store for Mas next? I can’t wait.”
—S
ARAH
W
EINMAN
,
Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind
“A winning series.”
—
Seattle Times
GASA-GASA GIRL
“What makes this series unique is its flawed and honorable protagonist.…A fascinating insight into a complex and admirable man.”
—
Booklist
(starred review)
“The endearing, quietly dignified Mas, supported by a cast of spirited New Yorkers, as well as the distinctive Japanese-flavored prose, makes this a memorable read.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“[Hirahara] brings heart and elegance to a nifty whodunit.”
—
Kirkus Reviews
“A compelling grasp of the Japanese American subculture… absolutely fascinating.”
—
Asian American Press
SUMMER OF THE BIG BACHI
A
Publishers Weekly
“Best Books of 2004” pick Named one of “The Ten Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2004” by the
Chicago Tribune
“Hirahara has a keen eye for the telling detail and an assured sense of character.”
—
Los Angeles Times
“An intriguing mystery [whose] plot and characters are as fresh as a newly mown lawn.…A unique voice in a genre cluttered with copycats.”
—
Rocky Mountain News
“A seamless and shyly powerful first novel.…Peppered with pungent cultural details, crisp prose and credible, fresh descriptions…this perfectly balanced gem deserves a wide readership.”
—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
Learn more about author Naomi Hirahara at
www.naomihirahara.com
.
More Mas Arai Mysteries by Naomi Hirahara
Strawberry Yellow
Snakeskin Shamisen
Gasa-Gasa Girl
Summer of the Big Bachi
BLOOD HINA
N
AOMI
H
IRAHARA
PROSPECT
· PARK ·
BOOKS
Copyright © 2013 by Naomi Hirahara
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
| Published by Prospect Park Books |
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress. The following is for reference only:
Hirahara, Naomi, 1962—
Blood hina: a Mas Arai mystery / Naomi Hirahara. — paperback ed.
p.cm.
ISBN: 978-1-93884-920-6
1.
Japanese Americans—Fiction.
I.
Title.
Published originally in hardcover by Minotaur Books in 2010
Designed by Amy Inouye, Future Studio
Cover illustration by Ted Meyer
Contents
For Sonia and Joyce
Akari o tsukemasho bonbori ni
Ohana o agemasho momo no hana
Gonin bayashi no fue daiko
Kyowa tanoshii Hina Matsuri
Under the light of lanterns
Peach flowers are blossoming
Five musicians playing flutes, drums
Today is a joyful Hina Matsuri
— “Hina Matsuri Song,” first stanza
A
nd do you, Sutama Hayakawa, take this man to be your husband?” the minister asked, the third time that night.
Mas Arai, his hands shaking and wet, wasn’t going to miss his cue again. He pulled out the simple gold band from the pocket of his windbreaker and, pressing hard, as if he had captured a sand crab from a California beach, held it toward his best friend, Haruo Mukai. And then, before it could be successfully transferred to the groom, the ring slipped from his sweaty fingers and plopped into the fish pond below them.
“Ah,
oogoto!”
screamed an old Japanese woman holding a clipboard and standing on a concrete walkway on the other side of the pond. “I think that koi is going to swallow it!”
Before Mas could take any kind of action, Haruo’s grandchildren had jumped into the pond, followed immediately by the grandchildren of Sutama, who was better known as Spoon. Fish tails of milky white and neon orange thrashed through the water in between soaked pant legs. Would Haruo’s or Spoon’s side of the family take the prize?
Spoon, Haruo’s pear-shaped bride, whose bulky sweater was no benefit to her ample
oshiri
, held onto the railing of
the bamboo bridge, shell-shocked. Haruo, his skunk hair carefully arranged to cover the keloid scar on the left side of his face, tried to smile. “Howsu one more try, Mas?”
