Tokyo Heist by Diana Renn

Violet is spending the summer with her dad in Seattle. A whole summer away from her mother who will be working on a fellowship in Rome. After some serious "irresponsible dad" antics, she finds her way to his art show. Some "awkward dad" introductions occur, and then she meets the Yamadas. They are big fans of her father's work, and have the pocketbook to back it up. They are owners of a large corporation in Japan, and tell Violet of the tragic art theft that has befallen them: the loss of three van Gogh sketches.

She's hooked. This smells like a mystery! Next, the Yamadas invite both Violet and her father to spend the summer in Japan! He will be working on a commissioned mural, and she will be helping in the museum. Can this really be happening? The first thing Violet wants to do is share the news with her best friend/ crush Edge. Since she can't do that, she takes a page from her manga-in-progress heroine Kimono Girl, and starts looking for clues. So far the suspects include her dad's girlfriend Skye, the gallery owner Margo, and her assistant Julian. They all knew about the art and the theft.

Edge and Violet are on the case. They follow Skye around one day, filming her for evidence. While they eventually come to realize she's not a real suspect, they do get footage of some real creeps (also following her). Not to mention the broken glass at her dad's place. She just knows they are related. Then she has a fight with Edge, and it seems like things between them are just as broken. How can she keep her feelings for him a secret, but still be his friend?

Violet puts her energy into Japan instead. An attack on Julian makes everything more complicated. The FBI is on the case, and it seems the yakuza (read Japanese mafia) are making threats on the Yamada family. They want the painting created from the sketches, the one Mr. Yamada's brother hid before he died. This is way bigger than just a case of stolen art. It seems hopeless, but Violet reunites with her bestie Reika (also summering in Japan), and they resolve to find the lost painting.

She stumbles on more clues while working for the Yamadas in their gallery archives. She and Reika are getting closer and closer to discovering what really happened all those years ago. This mystery with unfolds with twists and turns, and a bit of international flair. Fans of anime, manga, and Japanese culture will be especially entertained. Highly recommended!

"'There might be a clue,' I say. 'Kenji mentioned something about a picture of ayu. That's a river trout, I think.'
'Right.' Reika nods. 'A freshwater delicacy. They're popular to eat in the summer.'
'Okay, so Tomonori Yamada was an amateur artist, and when they found his body on the tracks, the only thing in his briefcase was a drawing he did, showing two ayu. They thought it was a clue as to why he killed himself, like he couldn't live because he couldn't be an artist. But you know what? I don't think he really killed himself. Someone could have pushed him off that platform, and taken his shoes and socks off to make it look like a suicide," (Renn pg. 145, 2012).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:

Heist Society  by Ally Carter (Heist Society, Book 1)
The Grimm Legacy by Polly Schulman
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett

Renn, Diana. (2012). Tokyo Heist. New York: Viking.