Officer Shimada and the Disappearing Girl

 

I was privileged to receive a preview of Will Ferguson's latest novel Officer Shimada and the Disappearing Girl. Published by Goose Land Editions, the novel is a delightful twist on the buddy cop story. Superintendent Mamoru Kaito comes from Okinawa to Hateruma Island in extreme southern Japan to inspect the police operation of Officer Shimada. Mr. Ferguson describes the relationship between the younger Kaito and the nearing retirement Shimada layered with the cultural work life balance specific to Japan. The plot is driven by the search for the disappearing girl of the title who is the sister of Superintendent Kaito. 

Kaito's search for his sister Chloe is the motivation to meet Shimada and they soon set off on a "vacation" together first to Nagasaki City where she first disappeared. There are echos of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie to be heard, but my mind was drawn to Janwillem van de Wetering and his Amsterdam cops Detective-Adjutant Grijpstra and Sergeant de Gier. 

The tone of the book is wonderfully balanced, which can be a difficult task given a missing person story. I always like learning something while being entertained by a story and the descriptions of Japanese culture, police, and family dynamics really added to my knowledge of Japan. Officer Shimada and the Disappearing Girl gets my highest recommendation. 

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Seldom Seen Road

Seldom Seen Road by John Degen (Latitude 46 Press)

I just finished Seldom Seen Road, a new murder mystery by John Degen. This is Mr. Degen’s third novel and the first featuring Mark Roth as a widower amateur detective. 

The setting of rural Ontario north of Toronto allows Degen to use his detailed knowledge of the area to immerse the reader into Mark’s daily life. The local color, especially the diner where everyone knows your business (even if they don’t know your name), compliments the narrative. I appreciated the balance of detail and action; I rarely skipped ahead to get with the story. 

The murder of Paul Robichaud, a local environmental activist, is the hub of the wheel with excellent choices of spokes to support a complex but not too burdensome storyline. Mark Roth is assisted by his cousin Jeremy Roth who works as a constable and his daughter Stephanie, a criminologist in Thunder Bay. These characters serve as solid counterweights both in solving the murder and supporting Mark as he struggles to find his way after the unexpected death of his beloved wife. The plot has a nice proportion of lines including a uranium mine, aggressive real estate development, and an evolving marijuana trade. 

I really enjoyed reading this one. Not as much “can’t put it down” as “this was so engaging I didn’t want to”.

Curt Remarks

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Gambit by Rex Stout

I purchased a few vintage Nero Wolfe mysteries in hardcover recently from shopgoodwill.com, so thought I would take us back to the brownstone on West 35th Street in New York City. Nothing like an old hardcover, just a little musty, to make me realize that I'm holding an object that's older than I am.

Gambit has all the attributes of a Nero Wolfe story: Archie Goodwin, his confidential assistant is our narrator and protagonist, multiple parties attempt to hire Mr. Wolfe, the contentious relationship with the police, and of course great food prepared by Fritz. (I always wanted a Fritz)

The plot is a classic "almost closed door" murder, one of a chess prodigy Paul Jerin who is poisoned during a blindfolded chess match (against several opponents). Matthew Blount, who brought Jerin the poisoned hot chocolate is accused of murder, and his daughter hires Wolfe to find the actual killer. 

I love these types of cerebral mysteries. Wolfe gathers information through Goodwin's activities, and advises Archie, "Use your intuition guided by experience". The cast of suspects have hidden agendas, long simmering rivalries, and motives to harm each other as much as Jerin. The writing is elegant; Stout has an innate ability to pull the reader into the story through character development more than action. Written in 1954, Gambit is the 22nd (!) Nero Wolfe story and yet the
setting and plot seemed refreshing. 

If you haven't read Rex Stout, give his most famous creation Nero Wolfe a try. On a side note, a Rex Stout novel called Seed on the Wind will be published for the first time in more than 90 years in December. I'll give it a read and let you know by Christmas. 

Happy Thanksgiving,

Curtis