Sayonara Slam

Edgar-winner Hirahara’s sixth Mas Arai mystery (after 2013’s Strawberry Yellow) is as likable as its septuagenarian hero, who was born in America and survived the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Now a semiretired gardener settled in Southern California, the reticent Mas is forced into action when a sleazy Japanese reporter is murdered during the 2009 World Baseball Classic series between Japan and South Korea at Dodger Stadium. Yukikazu Kimura, a brash young journalist, persuades Mas to help him investigate the crime, using as leverage the fact that he’s the grandson of a woman who once was close to Mas. The pair uncover disturbing information concerning the Japanese government’s involvement in forcing women into prostitution during WWII. Mas must also face his fear that his deepening relationship with UCLA professor Genessee is a betrayal of his late wife, Chizuko. The past won’t stay dead for these characters, and though the action is mild, the characterization is quietly convincing. Agent: Allison Cohen, Gersh Agency. (May)