Rating: 
Summary: Charming story, excellent writing, fabulous atmosphere
Review: It's cherry blossom time in Tokyo, a time when the residents go slightly mad in a way Westerners may not totally understand. That is why we are fortunate to have antiques dealer/sleuth Rei Shimura guide us through the customs and traditions that make her adopted home of Japan so fascinating. The Flower Master, third in this award-winning series, presents the hothouse world of competitive flower arrangers, a growing movement of environmental terrorists, and put's Rei's aunt Norie right in the middle of a murder that may come pretty close to home.Now, I have no business reading anything since I've got a deadline looming, but I just couldn't resist. Sujata Massey's writing is so fluid, so clean, so right. I loved the charming details which illuminated the tyrannies, power-brokering, and jealousies found within Japan's foremost ikebana community. Massey creates each Tokyo neighborhood in such sensual detail, it's hard to come up for air and realize you're not living in Rei's Japan anymore. Sujata Massey is also brilliaint at finding the most enticingly exotic element in what, to others, might appear mundane daily life. As Rei gets deeper into her investigation, we learn everything from how to get our ailments diagnosed at a tea shop to what happens to a Range Rover in the narrow streets of Tokyo's older sections, to how to properly apologize, as Rei's aunt instructs both Rei and us on how to select the proper gift from the proper shop to show the proper respect. I loved this book. The Flower Master shows a superb series that is growing even stronger.
Rating: 
Summary: Another fun read
Review: Massey isn't Mosely, but her books are great in a different way. Massey books are just plain fun. Her books are perfect for plane rides, the beach, or anywhere you just want an entertaining, light read. (If Hollywood hasn't already optioned her books, they really should.) I discovered A Salaryman's Wife last year, and felt guilty about liking it so much. Zen Attitude lived up as a sequel, and her last book, The Flower Master, is just as good. I can't wait to read her next book...
Rating:
Summary: More mystery from Massey
Review: Massey scores another hit with me with this book. I was drawn to her first novel, "The Salaryman's Wife" when I was stationed in Bosnia. I was looking for something to read and why not a book whose character lives in Japan. I was once stationed in Japan and Massey's writing made me a little "homesick" for Japan. I can recall many of the places she writes about. Then when I found she wrote another Rei Shimura mystery ("Zen Attitude") I got online and ordered the book and devoured it too. And when this one came out--I snatched it up. Once again Massey has had me spellbound and recalling my days in Japan. It is refreshing to have a female character who is all too human but also smart. I look forward to reading "The Floating Girl" next.
Rating:
Summary: More mystery from Massey
Review: Massey scores another hit with me with this book. I was drawn to her first novel, "The Salaryman's Wife" when I was stationed in Bosnia. I was looking for something to read and why not a book whose character lives in Japan. I was once stationed in Japan and Massey's writing made me a little "homesick" for Japan. I can recall many of the places she writes about. Then when I found she wrote another Rei Shimura mystery ("Zen Attitude") I got online and ordered the book and devoured it too. And when this one came out--I snatched it up. Once again Massey has had me spellbound and recalling my days in Japan. It is refreshing to have a female character who is all too human but also smart. I look forward to reading "The Floating Girl" next.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterful Mystery.
Review: Rei is from California. She's bright, independent, and wears unacceptable athletic shoes. Her Japanese aunt works hard at putting the finishing touches on her wayward niece, including lessons in flower arranging. As Rei bows deeply and tries to follow the elaborate formal rituals of polite society, she gets deeper and deeper in trouble: a corpse, an unacceptable suitor, a philandering master teacher, and several attempted murders. It's the kind of wonderful setting in which the death threats are in haiku, the flower shears are gruesome weapons, and any one of the oh-so-polite Japanese has ample reason to have killed the victim. Rei is a thoroughly likeable protagonist, the setting is evocative and finely drawn, and the plot is filled with dark passion and unexpected twists and turns. I am delighted with this book, and will read more novels by Sujata Massey.
Rating:
Summary: Another hit for Sujata Massey
Review: Rei Shimura is growing up! It's a pleasure to see it. Gone are the petulent stances, the irrational moods. Not that Rei has gotten boring -far from it. But she is becoming more in tune with her Japanese heritage and her place in Japanese society. And that place in society, her antiques business, may be in jeopardy from the latest misadventure, when Rei's aunt is suspected in a flower master's murder. Massey's ability to create intriguing characters is fully in evidence here, especially the victim's son and daughter, young Japanese who, while rebelling against societal restrictions, are compelled, as Rei is (usually), to observe propriety. And that's the jist of Rei's story, too, which the author does a superb job of conveying. Rei's attempt to fit in and yet maintain her own, California-bred identity is superbly realized. And the mystery ain't bad either! You come away from this book with an increased appreciation of Rei's maturity and determination, during the murder investigation as well as "normal" life. The people who populate Sujata Massey's books are unique, vibrant characters, worthy of any reader's attention.
Rating:
Summary: How do you say "bravo" in Japanese?
Review: Sujata Massey keeps getting better! I thought ZEN ATTITUDE(#2 in the series) was a wonderful read, THE SALARYMAN'S WIFE (#1) less good, and this one, #3, is the best yet. She's got a great character in Rei Shimura, good company for touring the intricate customs of modern Japan.
Rating:
Summary: Another delightful adventure full of suspence and fun!
Review: Sujata Massey's third story in what I hope continues to be a long series has the reader enjoying another delightful adventure with Rei Shimura, an American who cannot live an ordinary day in Japan! The twists and turns are peppered with current commentary on Japanese society, and world fashion trends. A fun page-turner and a sure bet for entertaining reading!
Rating:
Summary: death among the flowers!
Review: The FLOWER MASTER is the very best so far in Sujata Massey's series featuring Rei Shimura. Rei has recently broken up with her boyfriend, so she's under the watchful eye of her Auntie Norie. Norie drags Rei to an ikebana (flower-arranging) class to give her some diversion from her failed romance, and to help mold her into a 'proper' young Japanese girl suitable for marrying. The ikebana school's director is found stabbed in the neck with a pair of ikebana scissors. (gruesome, but quite humourous touch here) Thus, Rei is drawn into all the politics and maneuverings surrounding the next-likely successor to run the family-owned school. There's plenty of murder and intrigue afoot, and Rei has another potential boyfriend. He happens to be a son of the family running the school, and he's an enviromentalist as well. Prestige and power await the next director, if he/she lives long enough to accept the job. Rei finds out there's more to the world of ikebana than scissors and beautiful flowers. Ms. Massey does a superb job of educating the reader on the intricacies of the art of ikebana, while spinning a great mystery. She's definitely developing a sure hand with her characters and the plotlines. Many congratulations on a job well done!
Rating: 
Summary: A PLEASER
Review: This is my first outing w/Ms. Massey, and I agree it is a fascinating look at Japanese customs. The outsider status of an American-Japanes person is deftly handled. I particularly liked the problems Rei had with reading Japanese. It is perfectly understandable that a girl educated in the US would not be adept with Japanese symbols, if you think about it. I just never did. This affects Rei's everyday life, and Ms. Massey never lets us forget it. Not only did Rei have to solve the crime, she had to run around and get someone to read the newspaper to her. When she went out to dinner, she couldn't read the menu. This gave the story an added bit of realism. The mystery was not as well done. It was diffused by the romance, the family, the shop-till-you-drop (dare I say airhead?) personality of Rei. She put forth some offbeat potential villains, but didn't put in the effort to make this a rousing whodunit. By the time Rei solves the mystery, I didn't much care, and I don't think she did either.
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