Blood Hina

Mas Arai's best friend, Haruo, is getting married, and he has grudgingly agreed to serve as best man. But when an ancient Japanese doll display of Haruo's fiance goes missing, the wedding is called off with fingers pointed at Haruo. To solve the mystery and to save Haruo's life, Mas must untangle a web of secrecy, heartbreaking memories, and murder.

©2013 Naomi Hirahara (P)2015 Audible Inc.

What a great book

Mas Arai is an 80-year-old Japanese-American gardener who drives an ancient Ford truck, lives by himself, sees everything while saying nothing, and tends to be overlooked and dismissed in the hectic world that is Los Angeles (which is just what I did before I picked up the first Mas Arai book - I believe it's "Big Bachi"). "Blood Hina" is my favorite, but I've thought that about each of the seven Mas Arai books at one time or another. This one begins at his best friend's wedding rehearsal, moves into a search for missing Japanese dolls, and heads out into the hot, dry and dangerous Imperial Valley to solve a long-ago mystery. Hirahara creates the world according to Mas, and it's unique, ingenious and delightful.