Description: "Pasadena, 1903: Eighteen-year-old Ryunosuke "Ryui" Wada staggers off the boat from Yokohama, Japan, ready to reinvent himself after the untimely deaths of his parents. Though battling loneliness and culture shock, Ryui does his best to settle into his work as an art dealer's apprentice while adjusting to his new home. From his enigmatic photographer roommate, Jack, to the beautiful seamstress living downstairs, Ryui finds himself surrounded by colorful characters and unbelievable opportunities and is soon utterly swept up in all "Crown City" has to offer. But tensions are seething under Pasadena's bustling prosperity. Ryui is the victim of an anti-Japanese attack, and a painting is stolen from the studio of Toshio Aoki, Pasadena's most successful Japanese artist, who then hires Ryui and Jack to investigate. It's not long before their sleuthing leads them into real danger. Ryui is a naive young man in a foreign country-has he bitten off more than he can chew? In this fish-out-of-water mystery, studded with cameos by real historical figures, Edgar Award-winner Naomi Hirahara brings to life a fascinating slice of California history"-- Provided by publisher.
Review Quotes: Praise for Crown City
A Vroman's Bookstore Bestseller "Engrossing.''--Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal "The language is evocative and immersive, lending weight to Ryui's observations, and real people and events add historical credence and narrative depth to the mystery. Crown City is a measured coming-of-age novel in which a man ponders what must be preserved for the sake of one's cultural identity."
--Foreword Reviews "Poignant, marvellously well imagined, and deeply moving, this latest from Hirahara is sure to engage fans of historical fiction."
--First Clue Reviews
"A fascinating glimpse of turn-of-the century California, with a mystery kicker."
--Kirkus Reviews "An immersive treat."
--Publishers Weekly "Crown City evokes a fertile collision of cultures at a moment in history, all wrapped up in a ripping good yarn."
--Crime Fiction Review "The author's personal knowledge of Pasadena, its history, culture, and the Japanese community that grew and flourished alongside this beautiful city, combined with her extensive research, enhances the reading pleasure of this fine, must-read mystery."
--BookTrib
"Crown City is a welcome addition to the series of Japantown mysteries that Hirahara is building, and I hope she continues to bring her research and insights to other neglected and richly fascinating aspects of Japanese American history."
--International Examiner "As in her earlier Edgar Award-winning work, Hirahara narrates with both insight to and acceptance of the confusion of America for people who have deeply longed to bring the nation their treasured strengths and talents."
--Historical Novels Review "Most literary critics label Hirahara a mystery writer and former journalist, but these descriptors fail to acknowledge her strengths as a social historian. . . Taken as a series, Hirahara's Japantown books brilliantly underscore how the Itos, Wadas, and others contribute to an interconnected narrative of Japanese American trauma, resilience, and survivorship, while leaving open what fascinating historical chapter the author will explore next."
--Paula Woods, Alta Journal Praise for the Japantown Mysteries Winner of the Lefty Award for Best Historical Mystery Novel
Winner of the Mary Higgins Clark Award
A New York Times Best Mystery Novel of the Year
A Parade Magazine 101 Best Mystery Books of All Time "Hirahara humanizes the struggles of Japanese Americans rebuilding their lives from scratch. Her evocation of Little Tokyo haunts will bring a flood of memories for some Angelenos while introducing a new generation of readers to a pivotal period in L.A. history."
--The Los Angeles Times "Hirahara shows us a corrupt LA whose most endemic corruptions come steeped in racism. But she doesn't wallow in the self-indulgent cosmic nihilism that defines too much noir."
--NPR's Fresh Air "Absorbing . . . Vividly brings to life the experience of being Japanese American during World War II."
--The Seattle Times