The Mask: A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel
By: Taylor Stevens
Rating: 5 of 5
I have read all of the stories in the Vanessa Michael Munroe series by Taylor Stevens. As a character, Munroe is a bit of a puzzle. She is a woman who has horribly abused in the past. It has taught her to strike before being struck. To kill before being killed. Both her body and her mind are covered in scars but she is trying to find her way to a life where she doesn’t have to be on guard at all times. She has become an expert with knives – a real killing machine. She has also picked up martial arts street fighting skills that put her at an advantage in most fights.
Munroe spends much of her time dressed as, and in the persona of a man, Michael, as that frees her to stalk those who are at odds with her. One of the interesting things about her character is that she is able to pick up languages within less than two months of being immersed in a culture. She can’t read or write in those languages but she can speak as a native.
In this story, Munroe has arrived in Osaka, Japan, to try once again to live a more “normal” life with the love of her life, Miles Bradford. He is a security specialist whose skills were honed in the military. Shortly after she arrives, Bradford is set up for a crime he did not commit. Because the social structure in Japanese culture prefers “solving” the crime to actually find out who is guilty, Vanessa has only days to find out who really committed the crime before Bradford is doomed to a lifetime at hard time in what amounts to a Japanese chain gang.
Munroe has to come to terms with what she feels was dishonesty and a setup by Bradford in order to help him. She is soon in a position to do just that, but it also comes with many attempts on her own life.
It is really interesting to see Japanese culture exposed for what it is – a politeness that covers centuries of brutality. We see that, for the modern Japanese, work is the center of their life and if something interferes with that, they can quickly bring shame to their family. I worked for years with Japanese men and at the heart of the working relationship, I always knew there was an inherent lack of respect for me as a woman in business. There is a very real and present sexism in their culture. Women are expected to get married, leave work, and tend to their husband first and their children second. Ms. Stevens brings that out in her story as well.
Ms. Stevens books have spanned the globe and it is always with great interest that I pick up her latest novel. I have enjoyed every one of them and “The Mask” is a wonderful edition to the series – perhaps the best one yet.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher.
I have read all of the stories in the Vanessa Michael Munroe series by Taylor Stevens. As a character, Munroe is a bit of a puzzle. She is a woman who has horribly abused in the past. It has taught her to strike before being struck. To kill before being killed. Both her body and her mind are covered in scars but she is trying to find her way to a life where she doesn’t have to be on guard at all times. She has become an expert with knives – a real killing machine. She has also picked up martial arts street fighting skills that put her at an advantage in most fights.