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Masao Masuto #1
Samantha
A Japanese detective with the Beverly Hills police department, Masao Masuto is called in to investigate the murder of film producer Al Greenberg, the first in a series of a violent killings linked to the gang rape of an innocent young actress named Samantha on a Hollywood set eleven years earlier. Reprint.
- GenresMystery
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
About the author
E.V. Cunningham
32 books10 followersEV Cunningham is a pseudonym used by author: Howard Fast, and under that name he wrote 21 mystery novels plus two others, one under his own name and one using another pseudonym Walter Ericson.
He was educated at George Washington High School, graduating in 1931. He attended the National Academy of Design in New York before serving with the Office of War Information between 1942 and 1943 and the Army Film Project in 1944.
He became war correspondent in the Far East for 'Esquire' and 'Coronet' magazines in 1945. And after the war he taught at Indiana University, Bloomington, in the summer of 1947, a year in which he was imprisoned for contempt of Congress, concerning his communistic views.
He became the owner of the Blue Heron Press in New York in 1952, a position he held until 1957. And he was the founder of the World Peace Movement and a member of the World Peace Council from 1950 to 1955 and was later a member of the Fellowship for Reconciliation. In 1952 he was an American Labour Party candidate for Congress for the 23rd District of New York.
He received a great many awards between 1933 and 1967.
He married Bette Cohen in 1937 and they had one son and one daughter.
Under his own name he wrote 35 works of fiction plus a variety of history and critical works, short stories, plays and a screenplay, 'The Hessian' (1971) plus a book of verse with William Gropper.
He died died at his home in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, on 12 March 2003.
Gerry Wolstenholme
March 2022
He was educated at George Washington High School, graduating in 1931. He attended the National Academy of Design in New York before serving with the Office of War Information between 1942 and 1943 and the Army Film Project in 1944.
He became war correspondent in the Far East for 'Esquire' and 'Coronet' magazines in 1945. And after the war he taught at Indiana University, Bloomington, in the summer of 1947, a year in which he was imprisoned for contempt of Congress, concerning his communistic views.
He became the owner of the Blue Heron Press in New York in 1952, a position he held until 1957. And he was the founder of the World Peace Movement and a member of the World Peace Council from 1950 to 1955 and was later a member of the Fellowship for Reconciliation. In 1952 he was an American Labour Party candidate for Congress for the 23rd District of New York.
He received a great many awards between 1933 and 1967.
He married Bette Cohen in 1937 and they had one son and one daughter.
Under his own name he wrote 35 works of fiction plus a variety of history and critical works, short stories, plays and a screenplay, 'The Hessian' (1971) plus a book of verse with William Gropper.
He died died at his home in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, on 12 March 2003.
Gerry Wolstenholme
March 2022
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 19, 2020
A bit dated (especially in its portrayal of the protagonist) but I liked it. The climax came out of nowhere but it works, and I fucking loved it.
August 19, 2020
By the end, I just wanted the story to be over. I'm chalking it up to a gaggle of unlikeable characters, so will consider another book in the series, but not soon. Audio narration excellent.
November 27, 2020
Like many of the women in Cunningham's book, I fell a little bit in love with Masao Masuto, the protagonist.
The character is very consciously designed to be intriguing, but how can a reader complain if the intent was successfully executed ? The writing and the story were secondary to me: I was interested in the character of Cunningham's detective and the mid-Century Beverly Hills setting. As a resident of Southern California, it is fun for me to read any novel that populates a space that I enjoy learning about.
The fact that this is the first novel in a series also appeals to me because I will have other opportunities to get to know Masao Masuto.
The character is very consciously designed to be intriguing, but how can a reader complain if the intent was successfully executed ? The writing and the story were secondary to me: I was interested in the character of Cunningham's detective and the mid-Century Beverly Hills setting. As a resident of Southern California, it is fun for me to read any novel that populates a space that I enjoy learning about.
The fact that this is the first novel in a series also appeals to me because I will have other opportunities to get to know Masao Masuto.
July 30, 2020
I read these books in the 80s and loved them at the time. I love the fact that this one took place in the early 60s, a long time before political correctness came into play. The book probably couldn't be written today without people screaming about something. The only downside to the book for me is that there were too many suspects. Nine in all and it was a bit confusing but that's probably because of my own brain, not the fault of the author. I look forward to re-visiting the rest of the books in the series.
October 16, 2020
This book was written in the sixties and the protagonist is a Nissei, person of Japanese descent, but born in America. A lot of the book revolves around that, and it's set in Beverley Hills and Hollywood and most of the characters are involved in the movie business, from the business side, or would be actresses. In short, it's a microcosm of racial prejudices and sexism, more than any book I've read in years. Hard to find offensive because it's so...silly? It was the first of a series, though, so may try just one more to see if any progress is made.
January 22, 2025
I’m glad I made the mistake and started this series with a newer book in the series. I probably would have stopped after this one. The main character is not as well developed and the other players are not likable. The writing is pretty poor at times. But there are two books in my paperback and I’m on vacation with nothing else to read so will read the next book, which will by my 4th from the series. I hope it’s better. Not enough clues to lead one to even guess the outcome. The solution appears out of nowhere.
December 30, 2018
It was a quick and entertaining read, if you don't mind the one-dimensional stereotypical characters and a somewhat hilarious .
September 15, 2021
A very enjoyable and slightly dated mystery - reminds me very much of the Perry Mason series for some reason. The story is engaging, and the main character has a charm and interest that I like. Nothing too deep, but a great read for traveling - I plan on reading all of the series.
November 17, 2025
Seemed to have been written in 1938 (although it wasn’t).
December 19, 2012
This tale of murder among the movie moguls of Beverly Hills is certainly serviceable as a fair-play mystery. That it's well written is no surprise since "E.V. Cunningham" is really "Spartacus" author Howard Fast. And it captures very well the sort of craziness we expect in Hollywood, from a casting couch "gangshag" to the final confrontation with the murderer in a shark costume. But what keeps the story from rising above its material is the thick vein of racism that runs through it, especially now, nearly fifty years after it was written. The Japanese who came to America have been thoroughly obscured by later Asian immigrants, except, perhaps in places like Little Tokyo in Los Angeles. The Japanese detective laments he is only a Nisei (second generation Japanese) when people comment upon his Asian background, and the pure Japanese (Issei) he meets never let him forget he is second class to them, even though he is a homicide detective and they are gardeners and servants. The Japanese who arrived prior to WW2 were very prejudiced against those not born in the Homeland, and that certainly carries over into the 1960s, the setting of the novel. Modern readers confronting prejudice they do not understand, among an ethnic group that has faded into the background, might not feel immersed into the story, but if they can either put that aside or read the story with a sense of history, they will discover a murder mystery that is entertaining and engaging.
October 9, 2022
This is the first of the seven Masao Masuto mysteries--but the second one I read. It introduces the detective's uncanny abilities with a bang: in this case, it's not even clear that a murder has been committed, let alone who did it or why it might have happened. A man dies of a heart attack at a small dinner party. His own doctor and the L.A. County medical examiner both agree that there's no hint of foul play. But one of the other guests tells Beverly Hills homicide squad detective Masuto that he overheard something that indicates otherwise.
And so Masuto, a Nisei (Japanese-American) policeman, pursues the case. He's a Zen Buddhist and that practice informs his approach to solving crime. He relies on his deeply insightful intuition and his carefully honed deductive abilities to piece together the solution to a novel locked room-style mystery.
I enjoyed this book very much. Masuto's methods are fascinating to observe. The cast of characters is believable and the plot is ingenious. A great introduction to a series I have come to love.
And so Masuto, a Nisei (Japanese-American) policeman, pursues the case. He's a Zen Buddhist and that practice informs his approach to solving crime. He relies on his deeply insightful intuition and his carefully honed deductive abilities to piece together the solution to a novel locked room-style mystery.
I enjoyed this book very much. Masuto's methods are fascinating to observe. The cast of characters is believable and the plot is ingenious. A great introduction to a series I have come to love.
February 21, 2013
I did like this book, but if I could give half star ratings, I would make it 3.5 stars. I suspect later books in this series are better.
Plot and characterization are the two main things that I look for in a novel. This book has a fast-paced interesting plot. The mystery here centers around the death, possibly a murder, of a Hollywood producer. He died during a dinner party at his house, which four other couples attended, in addition to himself and his wife. All of the men in attendance share a history with a young actress named Samantha.
Where this novel was lacking was in the characterization. All of the characters, including Masuto, are stereotypes. I did find a lot to like about Masuto, but there was little depth to any of the other characters. The women were all young and beautiful, and most were married to their husbands for the money. Some of the women suspects eventually move from the one-dimensional portrayal to show their strengths to a certain extent.
Plot and characterization are the two main things that I look for in a novel. This book has a fast-paced interesting plot. The mystery here centers around the death, possibly a murder, of a Hollywood producer. He died during a dinner party at his house, which four other couples attended, in addition to himself and his wife. All of the men in attendance share a history with a young actress named Samantha.
Where this novel was lacking was in the characterization. All of the characters, including Masuto, are stereotypes. I did find a lot to like about Masuto, but there was little depth to any of the other characters. The women were all young and beautiful, and most were married to their husbands for the money. Some of the women suspects eventually move from the one-dimensional portrayal to show their strengths to a certain extent.
Want to Read
December 9, 2009E. V. Cunningham is the pen name of Howard Fast.
Read
June 21, 2012Passed on to me by Mom.
October 1, 2016
RATING: 3.0
September 24, 2020
Good Read
Enjoyed the story build, especially being set in LA, but disappointed with the ending, which was a bit sloppy and
Enjoyed the story build, especially being set in LA, but disappointed with the ending, which was a bit sloppy and
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews