Apr 9, 2015

Book Review: Grave on Grand Avenue by Naomi Hirahara

The Friday 56: *Grab a book, any book. *Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader  *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you. *Post it. *Add your (url) post in Linky at Freda's Voice. Also visit Book Beginnings at Rose City Reader.
Grave on Grand Avenue: An Officer Ellie Rush Mystery by Naomi Hirahara
Published April 7, 2015; Berkley
Book beginning: 
The Green Mile is gone. Not everyone will be bummed about it. After all, it's a green boat-sized 1960 Buick Skylark, no air bags and only twelve miles to a gallon. My best friend, Nay Pram, call it sick, but not the good kind of sick. She means puke, or at least its color. But I'm devastated. There is something about that car I love. The Green Mile makes a statement. A statement that I'm not your average LA girl. Or your average cop. 
 page 56:
Cece is speaking loudly in what sounds like Chinese to someone obscured by a parking column. I must have been spotted, because she immediately lowers her voice.
Ellie Rush, an LAPD bicycle cop, has a lot to handle all at once. She discovers a friendly gardener has been pushed down stairs to his death near the Walt Disney Concert Hall. She tries to discover what the father of a famous Chinese cellist has to do, if anything, with this death. At the same time, she is regretting the theft of her favorite though old green car, the Green Mile, and the appearance of a Portuguese man who looks like a derelict but claims to be her long lost grandfather.

On both the professional and family fronts, we follow Ellie trying to piece and hold things together at the same time. I enjoyed learning about the various ethnic peoples and neighborhoods in Los Angeles and their interactions with each other. This series does a good job of putting you right into the center of things.

There are two story lines at the same time but this only helps to add interest to the book as a whole. An enjoyable read for those who know and those who are curious about the inner city of LA! Ellis Rush, the main character, is a bit of a hothead and reacts strongly to situations at times, but that makes her even more of a realistic and likable character.

Objective rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy of this book.

18 comments:

  1. I'm liking her already! Heading over to check this out now. It'll be a fun summer read.
    My 56 - http://fuonlyknew.com/2015/04/10/the-friday-56-57-warpath-by-richard-blomberg/

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    1. Glad my comments reached out to you, Laura, lol. Happy reading.

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  2. I'm liking the sound of this strong female character and I'm curious to see if she gets her car back. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. I love that this book is about a female bicycle cop!

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  4. This book sounds interesting, I especially like that the main character has a different profession from the ones I normally read about. Thanks for sharing about this book. :)

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    1. Breana, first mystery novel I've read with a bike cop, and a female one at that.

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  5. I had a car like the Green Mile. Mine was named Haley, after the comet. Friday Quotes

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  6. This sounds interesting. I'm not sure I've come across a bicycle cop before and I love the sound of this mystery. I'll definitely have to give this a try!

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    1. Hope you'll share your comments, Katherine!

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  7. I'm intrigued by the snippets and it being based around LA. Never been there myself but it is a city on my bucket list. Great review and snippets!
    Happy weekend!

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  8. Hi Harvee,

    I have relatives who emigrated from the UK to the LA suburbs, way back in the 1960's, although I have never had the opportunity to visit them. It would be good to read about the City, from the interesting perspective of a bicycle cop, although I'm not sure that the storyline is sufficiently strong enough to capture my attention, but thanks for sharing your lines and the great review!

    Have a good weekend :)

    Yvonne

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    1. I didn't tell all about the plot, Yvonne, as I hate to write spoilers, but check out the amazon book description for more details!

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  9. Sounds like an interesting read. So glad you enjoyed it!

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I appreciate your comments and thoughts...

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