Nice story about after the tsunami efforts but a little slow on the mystery. Tied up a little quick at the end. Hope she and Michael make it. ( )

Sujata Massey says

Because of the real framework of the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster, this book could probably qualify as a modern historical novel within the Rei mystery series.

As Rei Shimura ventures to the Tohoju coast in search of her mentor Ishida-san as a Helping Hand volunteer vivid description builds of the impact of the tsunami on coastal towns and villages, and of the way the Japanese community works together to rebuild lives. There is an authentic feel to the narrative which told me things about the tsunami that I had no way of knowing: the pervading smell of the rotting fish left behind as the water retreated, the stories of people who survived while those with them were washed away, the after shocks that continued for days, and so on.

Against this background Massey has woven the story of the search for Mayumi who disappeared after the earthquake, and then of Rei's search for justice.

It is always a delight to discover an author and enjoy your first read so much. It is like making a new friend. ( )

The Kizuna Coast is fiction but based on an actually event. I think it worth looking at the facts of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami to understand exactly what Rei Shimura faced when she arrived in Japan.
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tōhoku was a magnitude 9.0 (Mw) undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on Friday 11 March 2011. It was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded to have hit Japan, and the fourth most powerful earthquake in the world since modern record-keeping began in 1900. The earthquake triggered powerful tsunami waves that reached heights of up to 40.5 metres (133 feet) in Miyako in Tōhoku's Iwate Prefecture, and which, in the Sendai area, travelled up to 10 km (6 miles) inland.
On 10 February 2014, a Japanese National Police Agency report confirmed 15,889 deaths, 6,152 injured, and 2,601 people missing across twenty prefectures, as well as 127,290 buildings totally collapsed, with a further 272,788 buildings 'half collapsed', and another 747,989 buildings partially damaged. People are still living in emergency housing. The tsunami caused nuclear accidents, primarily the level 7 meltdowns at three reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant complex, and the associated evacuation zones affecting hundreds of thousands of residents.
Shimura is in Hawaii when she hears new of the Japanese disaster and this is followed by a call from her antique dealer mentor Yasushi Ishida who is in Tohoku, injured and confused. She immediately leaves for Japan and finds his Tokyo antique store and pet dog, Hachiko, deserted and his assistant, Mayumi Kimura missing. With Hachiko, who will play an important role in rescue work, she talks her way on to a bus of rescue volunteers going to the Tohoku area.
The mystery enters the story when she finds Mr. Ishida and learns Mayumi Kimura is in the same area but missing and he insists Rei find her. This leads her to the antique black market and corrupt dealers who will murder to save themselves.
The accounts of her rescue work set out the impact of the tsunami. Everything, walls, floors, the ground, is covered with mud brought in by the water and left along with thousands and thousands of dead fish covering the mud, stuck on walls. The smells of the mud, rotting fish, illness and death permeates the air. Few buildings are safe to enter and some are still falling down. People are crowded into very small personal areas defined by cardboard in any safe space that can be found. When not disappearing to follow another lead Rei prepares vegetables for endless varieties of a broth based soup.
Volunteers of all ages and experiences have come from all over Japan and do whatever needs to be done, including helping Rei in her search. Kizuna means bonds of loving kindness, and was used often right after the tsunami when referring to help people gave each other.
I like books that I can learn from as well as be entertained and The Kizuna Coast does that. Highly recommended! I think this will be the last in the series, a good read to close out Rei Shimura!

Information on the earthquake and tsunami provided by Wikipedia. ( )