Greedy by Callie Kazumi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Greedy follows Edward Cook, a British-expat, living in Japan with his wife and young daughter. Ed is in serious debt due to his secret gambling addiction and finds himself without a job, leaving him with no way to pay back the dangerous individuals he owes.
It doesn’t take long for desperation to set in. Ed needs to make a move to increase his cash flow, and quickly. His life, and the lives of his family, depend on it.
It’s when he is at rock bottom that he stumbles upon an unusual help wanted ad: Chef wanted! Private chef needed for a high-profile businesswoman. One million yen per day.
What desperate man wouldn’t apply for this job? Sure, Ed’s no Michelin star chef, but he did spend time as a line cook once. That’s pretty much the same thing, right?
To his surprise and delight, after his interview, Ed is offered the job, which he of course accepts. Leaving his wife and daughter behind in Tokyo, he travels to the mountains to the lavish estate of his new employer, Hazeline Yamamoto, an eccentric and reclusive ex-socialite, where he will be staying during his work weeks.
Ed finds himself thrust into Hazeline’s mysterious world; secretive, extravagant and lush. As chef, Ed has a lot of interactions with Hazeline’s other household staff, and learns a lot of what is expected of him in his new role through them.
As I know you’re all guessing, something isn’t quite right at Hazeline’s estate. Ed hears strange noises and is plagued by unsettling dreams. He also sees Hazeline and others behaving oddly, as well as her frequent guests, whose behavior leaves a lot to be desired.
We follow along with Ed as he tries to navigate this new world. He just wants to pay off his debt. He just wants to do right by his wife and daughter, but will he succeed, or has he gotten in over his head?
Heck yeah, this was good. Intriguing and slightly-gruesome, I was pulled into the story very quickly. I think Kazumi did a great job of setting it up. It doesn’t take too long to get to the heart of the story, but she provided enough groundwork to make you feel settled and invested.
Ed’s story was captivating, the secrets he had been keeping from his family that propelled him into this ominous new career path, it was so well-imagined.
I also loved the way the tension increased as the story progressed, as more and more is revealed to Ed; his revelations were my revelations. I truly felt like I was on this journey with him. The atmosphere as well, I could feel it, it got under my skin. The mysterious benefactor, her odd and exuberant guests, it kept me intrigued throughout.
I do think some aspects were predictable, but just because they were to me, doesn’t mean they were to Ed. To watch Ed as reality slowly dawned on him, the horror and revulsion he felt, it was compelling.
And the ending, ohhhh my. I won’t forget this one.
Thank you to the publisher, Bantam, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I would recommend this to Horror Readers, or fans of Dark Fiction in general. I can’t wait for more from this author!!