The Ninja Daughter

There are many reasons that an investigator in fiction gets involved in a case. Perhaps they are a Detective, and it is their job, or they are a Private Investigator getting paid. You may stumble across a body and suddenly find yourself drawn into a mystery. All these paths lead to a different motivation and style of investigation, but there is one more. The vigilante, the character who sees themselves as a hero out to protect others. Their motivations may be pure, but their actions can be grimy. Lily Wong lives to protect others in Tori Eldridge’s The Ninja Daughter. 

Lily Wong’s life took a very different direction when her sister was murdered. Rather than finish College, Lily returned home to LA to grieve. Her grief took the form of vengeance, not just against her sister's killer, but against anyone who would harm an innocent. Taking her martial arts training further, Lily trained as a Ninja and now fights from the shadows to protect the likes of a mother and child trying to escape an abusive relationship, or the hostess shamed for naming an attacker, only for the courts to disbelieve her. Lily must balance these cases against dealing with her complicated life and family. 

Ninja feels like a very LA story, you can tell that Eldridge has spent a lot of years living there and it informs the story in the mood of the piece, but also in simple elements like the way that Lily unusually uses bikes and car hires to get around. It mixes all elements of the city from the rich families that Lily comes from to the poor. The melting pot of cultures is present in the story, but also in Lily herself. Her culture includes American, Norwegian, Chinese, and a fascination with Japan. The book certainly has a cool appeal. 

Lily is a PI, but who does not get paid and who is motivated by herself. She chooses the cases and how they are investigated. This makes the book more adhoc than your normal crime novel. There is no procedure, but gut instinct and often luck. Lily is able to solve the crimes, but hapenstance plays a role. As the book progresses you start to realise that there is more to it. Capitalism and greed come into play. That classic LA story once more. Suddenly, you get a flavour of late 80s/early 90s films like Beverley Hills Cop or Lethal Weapon as the ultra-violence of gangs meets the slick suits of capitalism. 

The crime element is fun LA Noir, but it is only half the story. This is also a rich character piece. You spend a lot of time with Lily and her thoughts that can be complex. Her relationship with her parents begins to be played out, as are her feelings to for her murdered sister. Her family and her past play a huge role in who she is now, and you are told a lot about them all. For those that like deeper character studies, it makes Lily a more rounded character than most noir creations.  

Ninja is part of a series of novels featuring Lily Wong that are all being re-released and you can see how they work as a set. There is plenty of character development to continue with and LA is the type of city that never sleeps. At the centre, Ninja is honest crime fiction, but it is the character and setting that make it stand out. Crime fans will enjoy the book, especially if they like their noir sun kissed.