[sufue]

Open Road titles don't often go on sale in the UK, so I post them when I see them, unlike in the US, where they tend to go on sale a lot. So here's an omnibus of three Masao Masuto books (# 5-7) on sale at Kindle UK for £2.39, which is a great price if you need all three, and still darn good if you just need two. And it's also on sale for $2.99 in the US, and is discountable at Kobo...where Partners22 is still good for 40% off...

As I've mentioned before, this was one of the first series I read back when just branching out from Agatha Christie and Rex Stout, and I quite enjoyed it at the time. It is interesting in that it tackled some of the ethnic/racial issues of the time, but still can be a little jarring in some of the type-casting if you don't keep in mind the era in which the series was written. It reminds me a little of John Ball's Virgil Tibbs titles in that way. So just be forewarned if the anachronism might bother you. But the mysteries/cases themselves are really good police procedurals. I reread The Case of the Sliding Pool, which is one of the books in this omnibus, not too long ago, and still enjoyed it.

Oh yeah, and the author is EV Cunningham, which is a pen name for Howard Fast. Also, all three of these were free individually back in the Open Road freebie-thon in Dec, 2016, so check carefully before you buy.

The Masao Masuto Mysteries Volume Two: The Case of the Sliding Pool, The Case of the Kidnapped Angel, and The Case of the Murdered Mackenzie
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L8VZYK5
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the...ies-volume-two
Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07L8VZYK5

Spoiler:

A collection of thrilling murder mysteries featuring “an unusually interesting detective” from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Spartacus (The Washington Star).

Japanese-American Beverly Hills homicide detective Masao Masuto is a karate expert, a devotee of roses, and a Zen Buddhist. He does his job with a cool, caustic wit—and with surprising force when necessary. He possesses a singular sense of justice, taking action on his own and occasionally pushing the boundaries of the law . . .

The Case of the Sliding Pool: After a decades-old hidden grave is uncovered by a rainstorm, Detective Masuto must look into the distant past to find a murderer who was very good at his job—and who is about to come out of retirement.

“An interesting conception.” —The New York Times

The Case of the Kidnapped Angel: The wife of one of Hollywood’s biggest movie stars has been kidnapped for ransom—one that is willingly paid. But Masuto doesn’t believe the worried husband’s performance. He suspects the payoff was for something deadly . . .

“A talent for all times.” —The Moscow News

The Case of the Murdered McKenzie: When a faded movie beauty is accused of killing her rich husband, it seems like an open-and-shut case—until Masuto investigates. And it soon appears that murder is only the beginning of an even more shocking conspiracy.

“One of the best in the series.” —The New York Times

As witty as he is wise, Detective Masuto is the brilliant creation of “one of the 20th century’s busiest writers” known for “creating stories that even his critics admired as page-turners (The New York Times).