R12: SS Team 11 - Eleventh Heaven

[Ann]

Let's Finish- I am going to Read Left Behind. It will be a quick Reread for me and we can finish strong. Thank you for rolling. Laurla I agree I don't think finishing out is disrespectful, in fact I think finishing it out honors Carmen.

[Natalie]

Spot: 101
The Salaryman's Wife (A Rei Shimura Novel, Book 1) by Sujata Massey
Publication Date: 5 April 20oo
432 pages
Qualification: First story in a series
Dates Read: Saturday, 5 December 2020 to Thursday, 10 December 2020
4½ - Stars

While this is the second of Ms. Massey’s books that I’ve read, I believe that this is her first novel. Although this is not as good as the The Widows of Malabar Hill, it is an excellent story. I will be adding Ms. Massey to my “Must Read Author” list.

The writing is not as tight or coherent as Widows… The writing seems to be modeled after Agatha Christie or Carolyn Keene (aka Edward Stratemeyer—also of Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Bobbsey Twins fame). The think that fans of mysteries of the past, will find this book enjoyable. It feels as though there is a concerted effort to “fuzzy up” the plot and not make the solution obvious. This book is more complicated than it has to be. The story suffers because of it.

Despite this, the story is still good. Some of the characterization seems trite and the plot seems complicated for complication’s sake, but it’s still a good story. Massey’s future voice and signature can be seen in different places. I can’t wait to read more of this author.