Raining Men and Corpses

Raina Sun knew it was a bad idea to have an affair with her graduate school advisor. But in Raining Men and Corpses by Anne R. Tan, worse still is lending him money, then lying to him about being pregnant.

When she stops by Holden's office the next evening, the department secretary Gail comes bolting out of the men's restroom exclaiming that Holden is dead. But Raina is in for another shock when the detective in charge turns out to be Matthew Louie, someone she knows very well - as in her ex-husband.

With her reporter friend Eden egging her on, Raina tries to figure out who killed Holden and why. What they uncover is missing grant money, secret affairs between staff members and an addicted sister.

When Raina's grandmother pops in for an unexpected visit, Raina knows there's either trouble ahead or at home. PoPo has always been an avid Matthew supporter and her best friend is his grandmother. PoPo is much hipper than Raina as she knows how to use the internet, sends texts and operates her smartphone with ease, plus

she has a way of finding out what is going on. When Raina learns Matthew has been living in Gold Springs for two years, she knows her grandmother was matchmaking again when she urged Raina to do her graduate work here.

With Eden at her side Raina keeps asking questions trying to learn who killed Holden and hiding from Matthew that she lied about the pregnancy.

The dynamic between Raina and PoPo adds to the allure of this book. Every family has its traditions and quirks, and Raining Men and Corpses portrays Raina's Chinese heritage in a way everyone can identify with.