The Flower Master

Life in modern Tokyo for transplanted California girl Rei Shimura is always a challenge, but when her Aunt Norie enrolls her in an uppity flower arranging school, life gets very complicated. The class turns into a stage for murder, and Rei must keep her aunt out of jail, decipher mysterious poetry and decide whether she can trust Takeo, the school's next headmaster. Flower people, poets, and political protesters make this a cherry blossom season she will never forget. This book, originally published by HarperCollins in 2000, is the third novel in the Rei Shimura mystery series. It won the Macavity Award for Best Traditional Mystery of 2000 and was an Agatha Award nominee and remains one of the most popular books with readers in the series.