I loved this book. Japanese fiction is not so different from American or British fiction, but there is enough cultural difference to set this apart from most mystery. The translation was exquisite. It is hard to believe such flowing prose is a translation at all. I am hoping to find more English versions of Miyabe's work.

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Japanese mystery about a police detective currently on medical leave and a private investigation he undertakes for his nephew, whose fiancee has disappeared after an argument they had. The investigation leads Honma into the murky world of excessive credit card debt, bankruptcy, identity theft and murder. Very enjoyable read--I always like getting immersed in the culture of a different country and enjoy the authenticity that an author who is a native of that country provides. The mystery was also very intriguing, and I liked the main character a lot. Unfortunately, I believe the author doesn't write series books, just stand-alones, but I enjoyed this enough to seek out more by the same author even though I probably won't be meeting the main character again.

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I was not blown away by this book. I read it shortly after reading Natsuo Kirino's Out, which has maybe influenced my opinion.

All She Was Worth was an easy read, taking me about four days worth of work breaks to finish. At parts I felt like I was sitting in on a lecture on Japan's Economy rather than reading a crime novel, and the ending was largely unsatisfactory. Still, I did like the way it unraveled, and there were twists that I was unprepared for. Worth a swap credit, but I'm glad I didn't buy it.

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This books relays to us life in another country - a part we know little about. Adequately written to hold the reader throughout, however, the ending was abrupt, anti-climactic, even. My only thought was "Is there a sequel?"

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Japanese mysteries have an atmosphere all their own. I found this book very involving, even though I did not think the mystery itself was all that intriguing. The reader gets caught up in the cultural and life style pressures, different, but in some ways still similar to those of us in the west. It was a good read!

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