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A Japanese Thriller: Kanae Minato’s Penance

2 Oct

The death of a child is always tragic, even more so if the child is murdered and their killer remains free for fifteen years with no clue as to who the killer might be and the only witnesses to the crime all claim that they can’t remember his face. In Kanae Minato’s Penance, these are the circumstances that befall four young girls when one of their friends is brutally murdered and her mother vows vengeance against the girls unless the killer is caught before the statute of limitations is up. 

Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the characters, Sae, Maki, Akiko, and Yuko and what each of them did the day of the murder and what life for each of them was like going forward. 

The connecting threads between the four and the murder of their friend all connect to each other in unique ways, each one of them having to face an aftermath for what happened the night of their friend’s murder. 

Minato’s prose are gripping, giving each character a unique voice while still keeping the mystery going as to who the killer could possibly be, with each character providing a unique clue until the final chapter with the girl’s mother, where all the puzzle pieces fit together and we are left with an ending that is both ambiguous and satisfying at the same time. It’s easy to see why Minato’s considered to be one of Japan’s most influential thriller and mystery novelists today. 

Penance is an excellent read that many mystery readers will enjoy and a great introduction to Kanae Minato’s work. 

Written by:
Lauren Lapinski
Library Assistant

Marvelous Mysteries: The Examiner & Death and Croissants

11 Sep

The Examiner
by Janice Hallett
The Examiner is one of those books that you can’t put down. Told through an online chat network modeled after discord or slack, email addresses, and texts, The Examiner is an epistolary novel for our modern era. The novel begins with the characters taking an experimental masters degree program that attempts to create a learning experience that will not just have them creating beautiful art, but also give them marketable skills for working in the real world. I like that Hallett is able to make the early texts and chats mundane enough that they seem realistic and grounding for the novel, but gossipy enough that they keep the reader hooked. There is also a sense of gothic in the novel looming that something negative has happened, but we at first are unsure what and then to whom. There were several interesting twists which were well balanced in that I didn’t see fully coming, but were built up enough that they didn’t feel as if they came out of nowhere. None of the characters are who they at first seem. The novel will appeal to those who like mysteries and thrillers. Those who work in academics should find Hallett’s satirical takes on the field amusing; I found as someone with an MFA in writing some of the situations very relatable despite the very dramatic ending. If you enjoy this whodunit, you can also check out The Appeal, The Twyford Code and The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels.

Death and Croissants
by Ian Moore
In Death and Croissants, Richard is a middle aged, British expat, French B&B owner on the verge of divorce. He wants nothing more than to ensure his guests have a relaxing vacation and leave him some four star reviews, but that seems unlikely when a bloody hand print shows up on the wall and an elderly guest who lived in a nearby village goes missing. Valerie a recently widowed, stylish French woman with a small pocketbook pooch, Passepartout always in tow, believes they can solve the mystery, but his cynical housekeeper, Madame Tablier, is pessimistic as usual. But when Richard’s beloved hen, Ava Gardner, is murdered, he becomes a man driven to get to bottom of the funny business occurring in the Loire Valley. Although a more traditionally written novel than The Examiner, it shares a similar quirky sense of humor, engaging characters, who are also much more than they seem, and a quick moving plot. This a cozy with a lot of heart and chuckles. The fact that the book is so funny is probably partially due to Moore’s career as a stand-up comic in the UK, as well as being an author. I’m looking forward to reading the other’s in the series.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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