Most literary critics label Hirahara a mystery writer and former journalist, but these descriptors fail to acknowledge her strengths as a social historian ... Characters are skillfully drawn, supported by vivid details of local businesses and social events ... While answers may come slowly, the revelations are wrapped up in a larger, and ultimately more satisfying, story of Japanese immigration.
Evocative and immersive ... Crown City is a measured coming-of-age novel in which a man ponders what must be preserved for the sake of one’s cultural identity.
What is most fascinating about this novel is seeing a young man raised by a respected artisan in Meiji Restoration Japan travel to America, learning about its culture and seeking his place in it. His observations and comparisons are eye-opening for those of us who know little beyond the bare bones of the Japanese American experience ... Crown City evokes a fertile collision of cultures at a moment in history, all wrapped up in a ripping good yarn.
The third entry in Hirahara’s series of Japantown mysteries is another deeply researched historical with a noir sensibility and a mystery that arises organically from the plot ... A fascinating glimpse of turn-of-the century California, with a mystery kicker.
