BOOK REVIEW: NIGHTSHADE

Title: Nightshade: An Only in Tokyo Mystery by Jonelle Patrick
Pages: 390
Publisher: InterMix
Available: Amazon, Kindle
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Nightshade-Only-Tokyo-Mystery-InterMix-ebook/dp/B007TCDWPC

Rating: 5/5 

Blurb:
First in an all-new series of mysteries that could happen only in Tokyo...

Yumi Hata went to school in the U.S., but now—back in Tokyo, living with her parents and working as an English translator—she no longer fits in with the fiercely traditional Japanese. If not for her friend Rika, Yumi would feel completely isolated, so when Rika is found dead—suspected of jisatsu, taking part in a suicide pact—Yumi is devastated.


Fortunately, the police investigator in charge of Rika’s case is Yumi’s old schoolmate Kenji, who also wants to clear Rika’s name. As Yumi and Kenji dig up more evidence, they discover that Rika’s “suicide” is not what it seemed. Chasing Rika’s murderer, Yumi and Kenji encounter doll-faced Lolita fashionistas, trendy bars inhabited by the social elite, and the dark side of a suicide pact website. The clock is ticking as they race to find the killer before the next victim is targeted...
Includes more than two dozen photos of Japan!

Review:
This is the first novel in the Only In Tokyo Mystery Series and serves up the details of the characters and the lives they lead at first so you get used to them, then tells the real story about them rather than the one many people thought was their real one. There is one issue here that will intrigue readers as much as it will shock them; the jisatsu, or suicide pact. As the Japanese for centuries are well known for their using ritualistic suicide as a means of ending their lives as they thought they were hiding a family secret or shame, the jisatsu is one I had not come across before. As I said, the suicide pact is the rumour that is circulated among the local people, but the truth soon comes out after the incident is investigated. Rika's supposed suicide forms the basis for the whole story and the fact that she might have been murdered doesn't surface until later.

Japan is a country which has opposing views to what Westerners would consider taboo. One of these is the theme of suicide. Japan has a history of ritual suicide, mainly among men which stems from the samurai class of warriors trying desperately to maintain honour toward their superiors for a wrong they had committed, or out of respect for their families and loved ones. For me it did seem unusual for girls to be a part of a suicide pact, but as women in Japan have become more independent it wouldn't be strange for them to adopt rituals and ideas that the men originally held dear.

What I found interesting about this book was that it wasn't just a standard text novel I got as an eBook, it also contains several photographs of Japan that seemed relevant to the book in order to give readers the insight into the country that they needed. Kenji is the only one who doesn't believe Rika would commit suicide, and he is in the fortunate position of being able to prove it as he works alongside the police who are investigating the crime. Yumi is also fortunate in that she can see what has happened from two different viewpoints. She has been to school in the U.S., and worked in Japan as an English translator.

It is only later after more research into Rika's death that the police think they have a killer on their hands. The killer had previously used Japan's mysterious history of suicide rituals to his/her advantage by making the murder look like a suicide, which the police at first are only too happy to believe it is. When readers find out more about Rika's background, they would not feel as though she would kill herself. She had a good life, friends and something to live for later.

Throughout the novel, Patrick doesn't just draw us into Japan's day and night life, she throws in the culture, the traditions and the sort of pop culture we have come to know and admire; Gothic Lolitas, and any other Lolitas you can think of, music and on-line culture. If you want to read something about a country that shows plenty of heart, this one is part of a series I could easily get into for its well thought out characters, ease of reading and feeling of being culturally enlightened.


Verdict: I felt drawn into the tragedy, the love, hatred and intrigue of Japanese society and culture and can't wait to read more by Jonelle Patrick soon.