By Naomi Hirahara.
Fans of Hirahara's reluctant detective Mas Arai, (Summer of Bachi and Gasa-Gasa Girl) may have wondered whether he had settled into permanent retirement, but as luck would have it, Mas Arai, Japanese gardener, Hiroshima survivor, and private investigator, is back in Snakeskin Shamisen, the third book in the series. The novel opens with Mas Arai thinking about his favorite pastime—gambling. "Sonofagun," he mutters, as he reads a story in a Los Angeles Japanese newspaper about a friend of Mas’s pal, G.I. Hasuike, winning a $500,000 jackpot in Las Vegas. On a spam slot machine no less! When the jackpot winner, Randy Yamashiro, throws a party for G.I., his "good luck charm," Arai attends out of a sense of obligation to his long-time friend. Soon enough, Arai finds himself entangled in yet another investigation when Randy Yamashiro is found dead in the restaurant's parking lot on the night of the party. The only clue is a broken snakeskin shamisen, a Japanese instrument shaped like a banjo, found by the side of the victim.
Paper: 272 pp.
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