Publisher's Weekly Review
In Agatha-winner Massey's engaging 10th mystery to feature antiques dealer and part-time spy Rei Shimura (after 2006's Girl in a Box), Rei and her father, who's recovering from a stroke, travel from California to Hawaii for a family celebration with previously unknown Shimura relatives, who turn out to be involved in a legal battle to recover land stolen from them during WWII. After Michael Hendricks, Rei's CIA colleague and current love interest, arrives in Honolulu, he helps Rei access classified information that may help to resolve the land issue, but something more sinister thickens the plot. Wildfires have been plaguing the leeward side of Oahu, where Rei and her relatives have rented a house. When Rei's newfound nephew, Braden, is arrested for arson, Rei joins Michael in a risky ploy to get evidence exonerating Braden. An appealing protagonist and memorable supporting characters blend smoothly with lessons in Hawaiian and Japanese history in a tale sure to win new readers for the series. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
San Francisco undercover agent Rei Shimura has plenty on her plate. Her father, Toshiro, is recovering from a stroke, her long-denied feelings for fellow agent Michael Hendricks keep her love life in turmoil, and she and her father have been invited to a birthday celebration in Hawaii for the patriarch of a branch of the Shimura family that they didn't know existed. They decide to go to Hawaii to meet the other Shimuras. Once there, it's clear that the long-lost relations have a different agenda: reclaim land they maintain was given to the family decades earlier by a plantation owner. The story gets steadily more complicated, as a mysterious fire, a dead body, a troubled teen, and the Hawaiian mafia all play roles in what turns out to be a story of hidden secrets and deadly consequences. A bit of a departure for this series, both in setting and tone (a little less frenetic than usual), the novel makes the most of its Hawaiian setting, adding a heftier dose of romance to go with the suspense and humor.--Melton, Emily Copyright 2008 Booklist
Kirkus Review
Even on vacation, hyper-curious Rei Shimura can't resist probing a dangerous old mystery. When elderly Toshiro Shimura survives a stroke, his daughter Rei fulfills a personal commitment to take care of him. Her promise puts a strain on her two part-time careers as an antiques dealer and undercover spy. And when Toshira receives an invitation from a long-lost relative named Edwin inviting him to a family reunion in Hawaii, Rei can't bear to be the party pooper, even though she's slightly suspicious of this overly friendly newfound cousin. Nevertheless, after telling her boss and sometime lover, commitment-phobic Michael Hendricks, what she'll be doing, Rei dives into the three-week odyssey with typical verve. It doesn't take long to learn that Edwin has an ulterior motive. He wants Toshiro's help in recovering a piece of property he believes was stolen from him during World War II. At a coffee bar called Aloha Morning, Rei flirts with owner Kainoa Stevens and learns more about Josiah Pierce, the alleged disreputable land baron. A little research uncovers the curious fact that all the landowners whose property passed to Pierce Holdings were women. The case soon reaches a boiling point. Luckily, both Michael and ex-lover Hugh join Kainoa on the scene, so that it's raining men. Rei's tenth adventure (Girl in a Box, 2006, etc.) meanders a bit, but the upbeat narrative and resourceful heroine make for an appealing read. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
During a family reunion in Hawaii, Japanese American undercover spy Rei Shimura must clear her cousin of arson charges. The tenth entry (after Girl in a Box) in Massey's multicultural series; Massey lives in Minneapolis. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
