With her sleek bob, manicured nails and healthy appetite for good alcohol, Mami Suzuki cuts a sophisticated and determined figure in Simon Rowe’s new book, “Mami Suzuki: Private Eye.” Underneath this stylish exterior, however, is a harried single mom who works for a meager income as a receptionist at a busy hotel in Kobe. Mami moonlights as a private eye mainly to better provide for her preschooler and elderly mother.
The straight-talking sleuth first appeared as a character in the title story of Rowe’s short fiction collection, ”Pearl City: Stories from Japan and Elsewhere” (2020). Encouraged by the positive reception from readers, Rowe elevated Mami to a starring role in his latest book, which consists of four self-contained mysteries (including “Pearl City”). Cases come to the investigator via word-of-mouth, with troubled people seeking her help in solving matters that the Kobe police won’t touch — or her clients prefer to keep under wraps.
Mami Suzuki: Private Eye, by Simon Rowe. 203 pages, PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE SEA, Fiction.
Mami solves her cases through a combination of intuition and common sense, but it is her acute understanding of the human condition as much as her sleuthing that makes her such a compelling and likable character. Rowe showcases his skill in creating a vivid sense of place as he takes Mami all over Kobe as well as down to Shimane Prefecture and two islands in Okinawa and Okayama prefectures.
My favorite among the novel’s four stories is “Sounds of the Tide,” which takes place on the island of Ishigaki. In this story, a client who has become suspicious of the circumstances surrounding her brother’s drowning talks a reluctant Mami into combining business with pleasure for a family beach vacation. This setup gives readers a chance to get better-acquainted with the private eye’s young daughter and rather forgetful mom, who provides some moments of levity. Moreover, this particular case plays out closest to the classic detective fiction trope, allowing the reader to test their own power of deduction alongside Mami.
Even in this day and age, Japanese women are often at the mercy of the men around them, and Mami is no exception, whether dealing with a lecherous creep who overestimates his chances or an officious boss who undermines her at work. However, an appealing supporting male character appears in the form of Teizo, a former Japan Self-Defense Forces member who now spends his days fishing off Kobe’s wharves and his evenings propping up the city’s bars with Mami.
Teizo acts as a sounding board for Mami and offers suggestions when asked yet avoids the condescending and controlling behavior exhibited by other male characters in the book. Some years older than Mami and with an expansive general knowledge, Teizo is a mentor and confidant for the private eye, but unspoken expectations simmer beneath the surface of their good-natured banter.
Rowe has left the door open for further developments in Mami and Teizo’s relationship, and many readers will surely join me in hoping for more adventures with Kobe’s stylish, hardworking private eye.
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