Fiction — murderprose

Fictional Publications

Fiction titles include the four Dr. Yoko mysteries, Eye Sleuth, Eye Witness co-authored with Dennis Berry), Eye Sleuth's Ghostly Vacations and Eyes on the Past. (You'll find recipes, tried and true, at the end of three of the mysteries.) Optometrist Dr. Yoko is fictitious, but her workplace, The College of Optometry, State University of New York, exists in New York as a brick-and-mortar building that is home to students, faculty and clinics. Dr. Yoko’s mentor, Dr. C. Forkiotis, was indeed a real optometrist. His practice was in Connecticut and he was nationally recognized as an Expert Witness on Vision and was called to give evidence in many cases around the U.S. For decades, he and Dr. E. Bertolli lectured on vision at the Connecticut State Police Academy.

Eye Sleuth

Meet intrepid behavioral optometrist and sleuth, Dr. Yoko Kamura, in Hazel’s first mystery, Eye Sleuth. It is a cozy read of murder and mayhem set in New York City. Dr. Yoko is in a killer's cross hairs after a stranger warns Dr. Yoko of danger and is shot to death. The very next day, catastrophe at the iconic National Arts Club leaves Yoko's godmother a coma after a vicious attack. The chase is on in and around the Gramercy Park area, sometimes at No. 34, New York's first co-op building, sometimes at the abandoned Quaker Meeting House. Travel with Dr. Yoko to a prestigious conference 3,000 miles away in England's coastal city of Bournemouth and visit Christchurch's 11th-century Priory where danger lurks.

Reviews

"Optometrist and epicurean Dr. Yoko Kamimura is a likeable heroine who fights with her head and occasionally with her fists. ...[be amazed by] Yoko's sleuthing exploits in the Big Apple and England."
Naomi Hirahara, Edgar winner and Author of the Mas Arai series.

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“Eye Sleuth (A Yoko Kamimura Mystery) is a well written and professionally edited mystery. It's also an interesting, educational, and fun read. The characters come through as real people. The descriptions and history of the New York Gramercy Park area combined with the lovely ink drawn illustrations topping each chapter added value to the story. The explanations of Vision Therapy, Behavioral Optometry, and TBI fit into the story perfectly, are interesting, well done in layman's terms and accurate. (I was intrigued enough to do a web search after reading the book.) Oh, there's also a couple of yummy recipes included.
I recommend this book and have already started the second book Eye Wit .”
Verified Amazon Reader

Eye Witness

The second mystery, Eye Witness, opens on the rooftop archery range of the sumptuous Gramercy Park Home of Marco Fellini. The famed art dealer, philanthropist and archer extraordinaire, is found murdered. The NYPD makes a bold move, civilian consultant Dr. Yoko Kamimura, optometrist-turned-sleuth, is teamed with the lead detectives on the case: brilliantly obsessive-compulsive Zoran Zeissing and Dam Riley, Yoko's on-again, off-again lover. Who killed Fellini? One of his assistants? His wife? The Romani hot-air balloonist from Switzerland? And why?The hunt for the murderer(s) take the unusual trio on dizzying chases over and under Manhattan's streets.

Reviews

“I have reviewed Eye Witness and as a Romani person and also an author, I find the story enthralling and the characters believable. I was especially impressed with the authors’ efforts to present Hans, the principal Romani character, in a way that portrayed him so that the reader understands his vendetta and the reasons behind it. Like their Jewish co-victims, the Romani people also suffered during the Holocaust and while estimates of the victims vary, at least a million-and-a-half Romanies were murdered by the Nazis and their willing accomplices in the occupied countries and their allied fascist states. Not one war criminal was ever tried or convicted for the murder of Romanies during the Nazi regime. All in all, I would highly recommend this novel, both as an engrossing mystery in itself and as an excellent portrayal of its characters, including those of Romani ethnicity.”
Ronald Lee, Professor, Musician, Activist, Author, The Living Fire and A Romani Dictionary

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“Fascinating story line that weaves together the modern day world of art collecting and the dismal past of the effects of war on proper authentication. This was my first introduction to the use of behavioral optometry in solving a murder case. I especially liked the photos of story-related scenes in NY City and in Europe included in this second edition. I'm looking forward to more cases solved by Dr. Kamimura.”
Carol

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“This mystery authentically portrays the plight of the many Romani people who lost their lives at the hands of the Nazis during WWII. This affects modern day Hans, a Romani and a descendant of one of those families when he makes a remarkable discovery. Lots of twists and turns and innovative detective work on the part of Dr. Yoko and her colleagues. The story is fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat. I look forward to Ms. Dawkin's next book in the series.”
Dorothy McIver

Eye Sleuth's Ghostly Vacations by Hazel Dawkins

Eye Sleuth’s - Ghostly Vacations - A Dr Yoko Mystery

The third Dr. Yoko mystery, Eye Sleuth’s Ghostly Vacations, roams from Old Deerfield, Massachusetts, to Pemaquid, Maine. Does Yoko see a ghost at the Deerfield Inn? "It's a dream," scoffs Detective Dan. What does he know, called back to the NYPD, Dan wasn't in the bedroom. Many moons later, in Maine at Pemaquid Point, Yoko and Dan come face-to-face with murder and the ethereal Lavender Lady. Astral entities mingle with daring crime and mystery. Your bonus? Photos by F. D. Kindness and Astral Art by Gilles de Vericourt. The Hotel Pemaquid is a delightful place to stay and Author Dawkins can vouch for the various Maine eateries mentioned—all offer delicious meals. The one fictitious place is the B&B where Yoko and Dan saw the Lavender Lady. The descriptions of the paranormal in this mystery come from the author’s research. In actual fact, the Lavender Lady can be found in Staunton, Virginia. The author used writer’s license to move the Lavender Lady to Maine. The Deerfield Inn has more than one ghost and visitors do ask for rooms where ghosts are known to appear.

Reviews

“A gracefully written story about holidays at two charming New England inns, both appropriately outfitted with colorful ghosts to enliven the atmosphere and promote the romance. Yoko and Dan, whom I met in earlier mysteries, keep the reader intrigued with the application of their unusual backgrounds to the secrets’ unraveling.”
Joan Joshi

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“Each book in the series about Dr. Yoko Kamimura reveals more of the intrepid behavioral optometrist's life as a vision therapy researcher at SUNY's College of Optometry and on-call consultant to the NYPD's 13th Precinct. ...a heady mix that makes a helluva read. Highly recommended.”
Dennis Berry, Author, Mommie Dearest

Eyes on the Past - A Yoko Kamimura Mystery

In the fourth Dr. Yoko mystery, Eyes on the Past, readers follow the tragic journey of the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans. It opens with death. Is it murder? Medical Examiner Dante Nicosian, New York's leading coroner, can't be sure. Once again, Yoko teams with Dan Riley and Zoran Zeissing to uncover the truth. As the case unfolds, Yoko is shocked to learn about her family's WWII incarceration. Allies and alibis abound while Yoko searches for facts and unravels the darkest mystery of all, one with the power to deceive and destroy.

Reviews

Just finished Hazel Dawkins' latest book, Eyes on the Past, a great read, I highly recommend. It features Yoko Kamimura, the intrepid vision therapy researcher who also works as a consultant with the NYPD's 13th precinct. In this 4th book of the series, Yoko finds herself bereft after the death of her beloved Auntie Ai. In a surprising twist, Yoko finally learns about her family history which was never talked about. When her cousin Ben suddenly dies from undetermined causes, the action takes off at a fast pace. Yoko and her lover, Detective Dan Riley, and his partner Detective Zoran Zeissing, are hard pressed to keep up with the investigation of Ben's death and the comings and goings of the intriguing cast of characters who were a part of Ben's life. The author weaves a very factual account of what life was like for the 100,000+ Japanese Americans and others who were unjustly incarcerated in World War II. They lost their jobs, homes, and most of their possessions––a tragedy that hopefully will never happen again.
Dorothy McIver

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This book held my interest, taught me more about vision/eye support & care, and delved into the history of Japanese immigrants to America in the 1940s With the current immigration issues, it is quite on topic! It kept my attention enought that I've also bought the previous book. Well done.
Alaine

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Hazel Dawkins has an amazing ability to blend fact with fiction in such a way that you can tell them apart and yet they seem to fit perfectly together. Her Dr. Yoko mysteries even have some real characters that use their real names. Of course they are never the murderers in the stories.
This latest novel contains a historical background drama of the Japanese internment camps where over 100,000 American citizens of Japanese origin were imprisoned during World War II. These loyal Americans racially profiled as possible enemies were middleclass citizens who lost their property and businesses and freedom, and were forced to live for years in barren desert camps. These events are revealed through diaries discovered by the behavioral optometrist and sleuth Dr. Yoko Kamimura while investigating the mysterious death of her cousin. Dawkins provides a helpful bibliography for the history of the internment camps. Today, when racial profiling is rearing its ugly head again, we need to understand more about the past.
vlsco