Iris Yamashita Follow

When I started reading Village in the Dark, I didn't know it was a sequel. Needless to say, I hadn't read the first book, so I went in blind. Thankfully, author Iris Yamashita gave me enough information about characters and circumstances that I was able to follow the story with no problem. Am I curious about that first book? After reading this one and meeting the characters, yes, I am, and I intend to satisfy that curiosity.
As for this book, it's very well written, and the pacing is equally good. It's the kind of pacing that, when combined with such a good storyline, you find yourself awake late into the night, one more chaptering it until the sun rises. The characters are so well developed that you'll feel like you've met them, and you'll want to know all their secrets - there are plenty of secrets.
Between what looks like a conspiracy to figuring out who's bad and who's not, the story steadily builds in intensity as it reveals its secrets. Some elements of the story seem a bit farfetched, but the characters feel so real that I barely noticed. I won't reveal those elements because I think every reader should learn them on their own as they follow these characters through each clue.
So, I'd have to say that I enjoyed this mystery by Iris Yamashita. The story pulled me in and held on through each clue the characters uncovered, and I loved how the author paints such vivid pictures with her words.