Japanese-American Rei Shimura is a 27-year-old English teacher living in one of Tokyo's seediest neighborhoods. She doesn't make much money, but she wouldn't go back home to California even if she had a free ticket (which, thanks to her parents, she does.) Her independence is threatened however, when a getaway to an ancient castle town is marred by murder. Rei is the first to find the beautiful wife of a high-powered businessman, dead in the snow. Taking charge, as usual, Rei searches for clues by crashing a funeral, posing as a bar-girl, and somehow ending up pursued by police and paparazzi alike. In the meantime, she manages to piece together a strange, ever-changing puzzle-one that is built on lies and held together by years of sex and deception.
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"Sujata Massey blasts her way into fiction with "The Salaryman's Wife, " a cross-cultural mystery of manners with a decidedly sexy edge."-- Janet Evanonich"A witty, perceptive take on how contemporary society clashed with traditional culture in modern Japan."-- Laura John Rowland"This book is a magic carpet to the Japanese Alps, and serves up murder as well. Great reading!"-- Barbara D'Amato"A terrific debut, crafted with surprising twists and turns, and steeped in the flavor of contemporary Japan."-- Jonnie Jacobs
From the Author
The story behind The Salaryman's Wife
I wrote my first mystery novel while working as an English teacher in the Yokohama area. I had the time of my life hanging out with wonderfully funny, kind Japanese friends and diverse gaijin who gave me the perfect motivation for...murder!
I wrote my first mystery novel while working as an English teacher in the Yokohama area. I had the time of my life hanging out with wonderfully funny, kind Japanese friends and diverse gaijin who gave me the perfect motivation for...murder!
I live in the US now, but the best thing about writing a mystery series set in Japan is I can visit annually to research everything from police procedure to the rising cost of my and Rei's favorite canned drink, Pocari Sweat. Rei will be back in July 1998 in a sequel called ZEN ATTITUDE.
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First Sentence
I suppose there are worse places to spend New Year's Eve than a crowded train with a stranger's hand inching up your thigh. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
I suppose there are worse places to spend New Year's Eve than a crowded train with a stranger's hand inching up your thigh. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Sujata Massey's "The Salaryman's Wife" is a wonderfully witty and insightful suspense novel which looks into the cross-cultural differences between Japan and the West. It does so by comparing the ancient and isolated Japan to the ultra modern and commercial Japan, a distance which is not only measured by time, but to the extent that beyond the highrises of Tokyo not all that much has changed. The eyes of the reader are those of Rei Shimura, an American teaching English in Tokyo. What makes Rei a more creditable witness to the events of this thriller is that she is more than "gaijin" (Japanese word for foreigner), she is "konketsujin" (Japanese word for one who is half Japanese and half foreigner). The basic plot as explained by the synopsis above is correct. Rei Shimura finds herself inadvertantly involved in a murder mystery by accidentally discovering the corpse of a woman staying at the same inn that she is staying at for the holidays. By way of misunderstandings and mistrust she is lumped into the murder investigation and by use of her western upbringing she doubts the outcome of the initial findings of the police. The plot twists on from this point and the reader is ensnared in the escapades that Rei Shimura finds herself involved in to prove that more exists to the death of "the salaryman's wife".
As a foreigner living in Japan, I have to say that the characters of Rei, her gay roommate, her love interest, the foreigners shown in Tokyo and Yokosuka, the Japanese outside of Tokyo and in smaller more isolated areas of Japan, and locations are depicted by an intimate acquaintance.
... Read more ›5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The Salaryman's Wife is an unusual book--a universal appeal murder mystery with a distinctly Asian American feel. Sujata Massey's hip, female, Asian American, 20-something protagonist spins the story from Japan's mountain ranges to the backstreets of Tokyo in a riveting, page-turning style that will make readers late for work.
First-time writer Massey's protagonist, Rei Shimura, grew up in the States and is ekeing out a meager existence as a salaryperson in a crappy neighborhood in Tokyo. Her accented Japanese gives her away as a foreigner, and her parents have reserved her a plane ticket back to the States, but she's determined to stick it out in Japan--even when she winds up in the middle of a murder mystery.
Massey weaves a clever plot, told in a witty style and graced with turns and twists. The characters are well-developed and artfully rendered, and the dialogue is authentic. And though the salaryman's wife gets top billing, the book's true star is Rei. She's the perfect accidental private-eye: a quick, tough, fast-talker. The reader is treated to an unusual look at Japan--as seen through the eyes of a no-nonsense Asian American female who drops references to Trainspotting, has her own theme song by the Lemonheads and collects antiques on the side. Kudos to Sujata Massey for a good book, and a main character worthy of an A. Magazine Cover.
A. Magazine Oct/Nov 1997
First-time writer Massey's protagonist, Rei Shimura, grew up in the States and is ekeing out a meager existence as a salaryperson in a crappy neighborhood in Tokyo. Her accented Japanese gives her away as a foreigner, and her parents have reserved her a plane ticket back to the States, but she's determined to stick it out in Japan--even when she winds up in the middle of a murder mystery.
Massey weaves a clever plot, told in a witty style and graced with turns and twists. The characters are well-developed and artfully rendered, and the dialogue is authentic. And though the salaryman's wife gets top billing, the book's true star is Rei. She's the perfect accidental private-eye: a quick, tough, fast-talker. The reader is treated to an unusual look at Japan--as seen through the eyes of a no-nonsense Asian American female who drops references to Trainspotting, has her own theme song by the Lemonheads and collects antiques on the side. Kudos to Sujata Massey for a good book, and a main character worthy of an A. Magazine Cover.
A. Magazine Oct/Nov 1997
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This strong first novel is narrated by Rei Shimura, a young half-Japanese woman teaching English in Tokyo, who becomes unwittingly involved in the investigation into someone's death. The whodunnit aspects of the tale are handled well, and the characterization is strong -- after all, it's hard to make the plot interesting if the reader doesn't care about the people to whom the plot happens. Rei Shimura, although initally a little prickly -- ultimately proves a very engaging guide to a side of modern Japan that most tourists or movie-goers will never see. Massey has spent quite a bit of time in Japan, and the book is filled with details of setting and culture that give it a different flavor than anything else i've ever read. The sense of place very strong.
What really sets The Salaryman's Wife apart from most genre fiction is that it also works on a thematic level. Without giving too much away, i think it's safe to say that the conflicts in the novel stem primarily from the clashes of Eastern and Western culture. In one scene, Shimura asks a lover whether he thinks of her as American or Japanese. "Both" he replies, which ticks her off -- but he's more right than he knows. Rei Shimura is a combination of the two cultures, and represents, perhaps, a potential solution to the conflict. Fiercely independent, she refuses to bow as expected to the men who dominate the culture, instead acting in ways that, ultimately, force them to respect her. Yet at the same time, her knowledge of Japanese language and manners allows her to function much more effectively in the society than a gaijin. Shimura herself realizes this only gradually -- she does quite a bit of growing up in the course of events -- and this added depth gives the novel a resonance which makes it even more satisfying.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I really enjoyed this book, but I never did warm to the main character.
I loved the fact that it was set in Japan, and I learned a lot about Japanese culture, and about how the Japanese think. This was actually the main reason I bought the book, as I enjoy novels set in foreign cultures. This author appears to be Japanese-American herself, and did an excellent job of showing the two cultures, and how a mixed person living in Japan would feel, and be treated.
The only reason I am rating the book four stars is that I didn't like Rei (although I did like her adventures).
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3.9 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
First in the Rei Shimura series
So I finally read the first first book in the series in which we meet Rei, Hugh and a host of other characters who accompany the reader in the following books. Read more
Published on 10 Dec 2010 by Ally Bally G
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, but not perfect
I like this book, but it reads like a guide book to Japanese manners and the like.
I've read quite a few Japanese mystery and crime novels by female Japanese writers... Read more
I've read quite a few Japanese mystery and crime novels by female Japanese writers... Read more
Published on 18 Aug 2009 by Iain McClumpha
4.0 out of 5 stars
Inside look at Japanese culture
I loved this contemporary mystery novel set in Japan with a feisty, independant Japanese/American protagonist. Read more
Published on 23 April 1999
2.0 out of 5 stars
My first experience reading a suspense novel....
In the beginning as the mystery sets up, I was interested in the plot. There were many characters that were introduced, which made me pay attention to the story. Read more
Published on 24 Nov 1998
4.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent read!
I had the pleasure of reading the Salaryman's Wife will on the Bullet Train in Japan. This neat little mystery added flavor to my trips between the Japanese cities of Kyoto,... Read more
Published on 1 Sep 1998
4.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent debut
Congratulations to Ms. Massey on a great first novel! What I liked best about this novel was seeing Japan--its culture and traditions--from the point of view of a young... Read more
Published on 29 Aug 1998
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good writing, but not much of a mystery.
This book is well written, but "whodunnit" is very obvious. A mystery is more fun if it keeps you thinking and guessing. The setting for the book is great. Read more
Published on 9 Jun 1998
5.0 out of 5 stars
AGATHA AWARD WINNER IS FIRST RATE
Sujata Massey's maiden effort (and 1998 winner of the Agatha Award for Best First Novel) is a fast paced look at morals and murder in modern-day Japan. Read more
Published on 13 May 1998
4.0 out of 5 stars
I'd say enjoyable, not compelling reading.
I liked the presentation of contemporary Japan and some of the social nuances. Rei and Richard's characters are pretty well drawn and fun; but the other characters in the book... Read more
Published on 7 May 1998
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absorbing, fast-paced mystery with fun main character
I liked this book a lot. I have read many mysteries and this "domestic" variety is my favorite kind. Read more
Published on 29 Dec 1997
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