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series Reading Order

Rei Shimura Books in Order

15 Books
3 Reading orders
1997 – 2014 Published
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Reading order

Recommended Reading Path: Chronological and Publication Order

The narrative arc of the Rei Shimura series directly mirrors its publication timeline. Rei’s personal growth, career shifts, and complex relationships evolve chronologically with each book. For the best experience, we recommend following the order below, which integrates the full-length novels and the digital short story collection.

  1. The Salaryman's Wife (1997) - The award-winning debut where Rei, working as an English teacher in Japan, stumbles upon a murder in a mountain resort town.
  2. Zen Attitude (1998) - Rei shifts careers to antiques dealing and finds herself entangled in a case involving a Zen temple and valuable antiquities.
  3. The Flower Master (1999) - Set in the prestigious and competitive world of flower arranging (ikebana), where Rei must clear her mentor's name of murder.
  4. The Floating Girl (2000) - Rei explores the subculture of manga and anime in Tokyo, investigating the death of a young comic book artist.
  5. The Bride's Kimono (2001) - Rei travels to Washington, D.C., to display a collection of rare bridal kimonos, only for a theft and murder to follow her stateside.
  6. The Samurai's Daughter (2003) - Back in Japan, Rei delves into historical wartime secrets and corporate espionage surrounding a prominent family.
  7. The Pearl Diver (2004) - Now living in San Francisco, Rei helps design a Japanese restaurant, only for the head chef's cousin to vanish.
  8. The Typhoon Lover (2005) - Rei returns to Tokyo under cover to locate a missing national treasure, caught between old flames and new dangers.
  9. Girl in a Box (2006) - Working undercover as an English teacher in a department store, Rei investigates corporate secrets and security threats.
  10. Shimura Trouble (2008) - A family emergency pulls Rei to Hawaii, where she uncovers dark secrets regarding her family's land and heritage.
  11. Convenience Boy and Other Stories of Japan (2011) - A digital collection of three short stories ("The Convenience Boy", "Junior High Samurai", and "The Deepest Blue") that takes place before the events of the eleventh novel.
  12. The Kizuna Coast (2014) - Rei returns to Japan to help after the devastating 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, only to be swept into a missing-persons mystery.

Where to Start

You should start with the first novel, The Salaryman's Wife. Unlike some procedural cozy mystery series where the protagonist remains static, Rei Shimura undergoes significant life changes, relocations, career transitions, and romantic shifts. Reading the books out of order will spoil major developments in her personal life and her relationship with Scottish lawyer Hugh Glendinning.

What to Know Before You Start

Author Sujata Massey drew heavily from her own experiences living in Japan as an expatriate in the early 1990s to create the series. The novels are highly regarded for their rich, respectful detail of traditional Japanese cultural practices (such as the tea ceremony, flower arranging, kimono weaving, and woodblock prints) while tackling contemporary issues like expatriate life, xenophobia, gender expectations, and post-war historical tensions. The tone blends lighthearted, cozy amateur detective work with deeper cultural explorations, making it as much an educational journey into Japan as it is a set of mysteries.

Understanding the Short Stories and Collections

In 2011, Massey published Convenience Boy and Other Stories of Japan, a digital collection containing three short stories featuring Rei. While they are not essential to understanding the main plot of the novels, they offer excellent snapshots of various subcultures and themes within Japanese society:

  • "The Convenience Boy" explores modern dating culture and rituals.
  • "Junior High Samurai" features Rei teaching at a school and addressing issues of bullying and cultural prejudice.
  • "The Deepest Blue" focuses on the traditional indigo-dyeing craft on the island of Shikoku and a mystery involving family legacy.

These stories are best enjoyed after Shimura Trouble and before diving into The Kizuna Coast.

Frequently Asked

QWhat is the best starting point for the Rei Shimura series?

The ideal starting point is the first novel, The Salaryman's Wife. It establishes Rei's background, her arrival in Japan, and her key relationships.

QCan the Rei Shimura books be read as standalones?

While the mystery in each book is resolved by the end, the overarching character development, career paths, and romance build from book to book, so reading them in order is strongly recommended.

QWhere does the short story collection fit in the reading order?

The collection Convenience Boy and Other Stories of Japan fits best between book 10, Shimura Trouble, and book 11, The Kizuna Coast.

QAre there any spin-offs or co-authored books in the series?

No. The Rei Shimura series is entirely written by Sujata Massey and has no official spin-offs or co-authored installments.

QIs the Rei Shimura series finished?

While there has been no official cancellation, Sujata Massey has focused on her historical mystery series featuring Perveen Mistry since publishing The Kizuna Coast in 2014. No new Rei Shimura books are currently scheduled.