Inspector Morimoto and the Diamond Pendants : A Detective Story set in Japan

Rating:
Summary: A real writing talent!
Review: Timothy Hemion has a real writing talent. I love his writing. He knows what he wants to tell you, and he tells it to you. It's to the point. It's good scientific writing, but colorful too - with a nice dry sense of humor. I started this book as soon as I finished the first book in the series. Morimoto and Suzuki are going to be classics of detective fiction. I agree wholeheartedly with all the other 5 star reviews.

Rating:
Summary: Employs the Hercule Poirot method of solving cases
Review: Timothy Hemion is a Ph.D. in Mathematics, born and educated in England. His area of expertise is probability and statistics. He has published a college textbook in his area, numerous articles, and three Inspector Morimoto mysteries.

This is Inspector Morimoto's second appearance as an Inspector from Okayama, Japan, a medium city situated on the bullet train line, which is readily accessible to Osaka and Hiroshima. Inspector Morimoto and his assistant, Officer Suzuki employ the Hercule Poirot method of solving cases. They formulate theories and then act to prove or disprove them. In this case two large diamond pendants have been stolen using a similar modus operandi, by blowing home safes. Interestingly enough, the victims are competing kimono shop owners whose wives greatly value displaying their diamond pendants. The case involves a young bank manager, Mr. Izumi, who is hit by a car and ends up in the hospital. A diamond pendant is discovered in his briefcase by the hospital, and the case begins:

"'Exactly,' Mrs. Akikawa said curtly. 'It looks like a diamond to me, and a diamond of that size must be worth a great deal of money. It's no business of this hospital whether or not Mr. Izumi carries large diamonds around in his briefcase, and it would be quite inappropriate for us to discuss the matter with his wife or with his bank-not unless he gave us his permission, that is.'"

Timothy Hemion's style of writing is concise and well...mathematical. The first two-thirds of the book is dialogue driven, as Morimoto and Suzuki employ their brains to formulate their theories as to what exactly happened. The setting is Japan, and its culture is reflected in their conversations, as the wives of the two kimono salesmen are considered part of the upper crust of Japanese society. Morimoto is under pressure not only from his chief, who doesn't quite understand his methods, but also from the insurance company, who luckily sends a rather young representative who Morimoto can convince to join in the investigation.

INSPECTOR MORIMOTO AND THE DIAMOND PENDANTS is a tale about symmetry, as the considerable talents of Morimoto and Suzuki are ideally suited to unravel the tangle.

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer