Fallen Angel: An Only in Tokyo Mystery by Jonelle Patrick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I do not usually like mysteries. That said, I love this series, Only in Tokyo, by Jonelle Patrick. There are so many layers to the stories, plots and sub-plots. In fact, she writes similarly to the wooden locks found in the story. I love the characters: Yumi and Kenji. Not just them, Ms. Patrick manages to build believable support characters and antagonists.
Murder and blood, though part of every day news, are topics I find hard to look at. In reading, I am usually into books as far away from reality as I can. But the way Jonelle treats that part of the story is gentle. She just presents the characters’ reactions to the deed. I nearly tagged this as a cozy mystery, but it didn’t feel very warm and safe. It felt more like Castle than CSI if that helps the future buyer. It doesn’t have the humor of Castle but the warmth is there.
Romance is a driving force in the series, but it isn’t angsty or squishy like chic-fic. It is more a growing relationship of school friends who find themselves in a sort of working relationship.
The most fun for me is learning about the Japanese culture. Tokyo becomes a character unto itself. Thank you, Jonelle, for letting me read your book!
Visit Jonelle’s Website at: http://jonellepatrick.me/
Darswords 
Thank you for the super nice review! ^^;; I saw this first thing this morning, and you really made my day. I hear all kinds of things from my readers, but it’s especially wonderful to read that the mix of suspense and characters hit you just right. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this!
I call ’em as I see ’em. It was really good, and I look forward to the next in the line up. 🙂