The Last Train

by Michael Pronko

Overview

In Tokyo, murder's easy to hide.

Winner 2018 Shelf Unbound Best Independently Published Book

Winner 2017 Book Excellence Awards Best Mystery Solo Medalist

Winner 2017 New Apple Awards for Excellence

Winner 2018 Independent Press Award for Mystery and for Thriller

Detective Hiroshi Shimizu investigates white-collar crime in Tokyo. When an American businessman turns up dead, his mentor Takamatsu calls him out to the site of a grisly murder. A glimpse from a security camera video suggests the killer might be a woman. Hiroshi quickly learns how close homicide and suicide can appear in a city full of high-speed trains just a step-or a push-away.

Hiroshi teams up with Takamatsu and ex-sumo wrestler Sakaguchi to scour Tokyo's sacred temples, corporate offices and industrial wastelands to find out why one woman was driven to murder. After years in America and lost in neat, clean spreadsheets, Hiroshi confronts the stark realities of the biggest city in the world, where inside information can travel in a flash from the insiders at top investment firms to street-level punks and teenage hostesses. Hiroshi's determined to cut through Japan's ambiguities-and dangers-to find the murdering ex-hostess before she extracts her final revenge-which just might be him.

"Gripping and suspenseful. 10 out of 10."-Booklife (by Publisher's Weekly)

The Last Train is the first book in the Tokyo-based Detective Hiroshi series by award-winning author Michael Pronko.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781942410126
Publisher:	Raked Gravel Press
Publication date:	05/31/2017
Series:	Detective Hiroshi , #1
Pages:	374
Sales rank:	951,754
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.83(d)

About the Author

Michael Pronko is a Tokyo-based writer of murder, memoir and music. His writing about Tokyo life and his character-driven mysteries have won awards and five-star reviews. Kirkus Reviews selected his second novel, The Moving Blade for their Best Books of 2018. The Last Train won the Shelf Unbound Competition for Best Independently Published Book. Michael also runs the website, Jazz in Japan, which covers the vibrant jazz scene in Tokyo and Yokohama. During his 20 years in Japan, he has written about Japanese culture, art, society and politics for Newsweek Japan, The Japan Times, and Artscape Japan. He has read his essays on NHK TV and done programs for Nippon Television based on his writings.A philosophy major, Michael traveled for years, ducking in and out of graduate schools, before finishing his PhD on Charles Dickens and film. He finally settled in Tokyo as a professor of American Literature at Meiji Gakuin University. His seminars focus on contemporary novels, short stories and film adaptations. More at: http: //www.michaelpronko.com/ https: //www.facebook.com/pronkoauthor https: //twitter.com/pronkomichael

Editorial Reviews

"A five-star detective read. It is unique, intriguing, and will hook the reader from beginning to end." Reader Views

"For anyone who loves crime and cop novels, or Japanophiles in general, this is a terrific thriller." Blue Ink Review

"This exotic crime thriller is a lightning-fast chase to the finish line that'll leave hearts pounding and pages turning." Best Thrillers

"A well-paced and absorbing mystery, with quick action and a look at urban life, an utterly page-turning adventure." Foreword Reviews

"Mystery readers will relish the progress of a detective torn between two cultures, the reader of Japanese literature will truly appreciate the depth of background." Midwest Book Review

"Tokyo comes to vivid life in this taut thriller, an unrelenting portrayal of a strong female character and the heart-pounding search to find her." Publishers Daily Reviews

"A heartfelt, thoughtful ode to a strange and beautiful city, in the way that so many classic detective novels are. Lyrically written, with plenty of suspense." IndieReader

From the Publisher

2017-05-24
In Pronko's (Motions and Moments: More Essays on Tokyo, 2015, etc.) first foray into thrillers, a Tokyo detective investigates a death by train that may be just one in a series of murders. It seems white-collar crime is Detective Hiroshi Shimizu's specialty. His fluency in English makes him ideal for chasing down foreigners who've ripped off investors, among other things, and working with departments overseas. But he's still a part of the homicide branch, so lead Detective Takamatsu calls Hiroshi to the scene at Tamachi Station, where a male foreigner's mangled body lies on the tracks. Security cameras caught an earlier glimpse of a woman near the victim, but it's unclear if his death was murder, suicide, or accidental. Evidence on the deceased leads the investigation to the various night clubs in Roppongi. Based on a theory that the unidentified female is a hostess (and a perfect cover for Takamatsu's favorite pastime of drinking excessively), the detectives frequent the clubs. Hiroshi and his new assistant, Akiko, meanwhile, look into previous suicides by train, ones that might not be suicides at all. Discovering a link between the vics draws Hiroshi closer to a woman whose plan could put the detectives in a speeding train's path. Pronko's early introduction to the possible killer fosters sympathy with her perspective and back story. But there's still mystery and suspense. Her motive isn't initially apparent, and readers will surely anticipate a murder every time she strikes up a conversation with a man. Tokyo is welcoming without being exoticized; its foods are delicious but sometimes practical. Ramen noodles, for example, are excellent hangover comfort food. Pronko, for good measure, adds tasty metaphors: an inevitable hangover makes Hiroshi's eyeballs feel "like they were roasted in salt." Supporting characters occasionally steal the spotlight, especially Akiko, who excels at research (when paperwork proves essential to the case's resolution), and Detective Sakaguchi, a former sumo wrestler. An absorbing investigation and memorable backdrop put this series launch on the right track.

Kirkus Reviews