Keppan is an intriguing and well written murder mystery/procedural by Jayne Zehngut and Cynthia Salasovich. Released 6th Nov 2023, it's 338 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

The book is full of art, Japanese culture, intrigue and undertones of organized crime. A pair of detectives from the LAPD are assigned to investigate the death of a popular Japanese artist the day after a phenomenal exhibition opening. The characters are well delineated and the prose flows well. The book is full of tidbits about Japanese culture and art, and the authors have managed to include it without once being pedagogic or repetitive.

The characters are well wrought and three dimensional. The procedural mystery is less of a mystery, but flows well and resolves into a satisfying (melodramatic) denouement. It will be interesting to see if the authors revisit the characters in future.

Four stars. Worth a look for art mystery fans, and possibly for a buddy or bookclub read. There are lots of good discussion subjects included (art, culture, blood oaths, etc).

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

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This was an unexpected delight! A fantastic mystery with likeable characters and an intriguing storyline. Definitely recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ebook copy in exchange for my honest review.