Crown City

The intriguing latest in Hiarhara’s Japantown series (after Evergreen) centers on Ryunosuke “Louie” Wada, an 18-year-old orphan who leaves Yokohama, Japan, for the immigrant hub of sunny Pasadena, Calif., at the turn of the 20th century. Louie was trained in carpentry by his father, a master craftsman who was killed in a work accident not long after Louie’s mother died of tuberculosis. After accepting a carpentry apprenticeship in Pasadena and surviving a turbulent ocean journey, Louie moves into a seedy boarding house, where he meets Jack, a mysterious photographer; the Boyles, a pair of rowdy Irish brothers; and Gigi, a beautiful Japanese seamstress. Louie’s hired to work the annual cherry blossom dinner at a nearby hotel, where a painting owned by the event’s host, Japanese American artist Toshio Aoki, is stolen. Louie and Jack volunteer to locate the thieves, fancying themselves budding PIs, and Gigi also asks them to track down a man who owes her money. From there, the friends plunge into a vividly rendered, bygone Pasadena, full of opium dens, political corruption, and anti-Asian sentiment. Their adventures are delightfully escapist if a bit thinly plotted. Hirahara’s done better, but this is still an immersive treat. Agent: Susan Cohen, PearlCo Literary. (Feb.)