MYSTERY

Murder on Bamboo Lane: An Officer Ellie Rush Mystery

by Naomi Hirahara
Berkley Prime Crime. Apr. 2014. 292p. ISBN 9780425264959. pap. $7.99; ebk. ISBN 9781101609453. M
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Young LAPD bicycle cop Ellie Rush (who is half-white, half-Japanese American) aspires to be a detective; her aunt Cheryl, who is assistant police chief, is her professional idol. When a former college acquaintance, Jenny Nguyen, is murdered—and Ellie is one of the officers who find her in an alley—she is assigned to help investigate. While blame initially falls on Tuan Le, Jenny's former boyfriend, other aspects of Jenny's life come to the fore. Jenny was devastated by her mother's untimely death back in Vietnam, plus she was angry about something related to her work for the U.S. Census Bureau. (Apparently, she had dug up suspicious facts about local councilmen.) Ellie makes mistakes that almost let a killer get away, but the key word here is "almost."
VERDICT Scoop this one up! Known for her "Mas Arai" series (Summer of the Big Bachi), Hirahara's new series debut strikes just the right tone, neatly tuned into the twentysomething set. Her multiethnic cast promises a fascinating future for a cozy series tangling with serious topics.
Reviewed by Teresa L. Jacobsen , Apr 01, 2014
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