WHAT A RIVETING STORY TO SINK YOUR TEETH INTO! I could hardly read fast enough to see what happened next. Hiroshi still longed for Linda after she left him high and dry, but there were only so many ways he could explain why when he solved a case that he would celebrate with his co-workers. I liked his dogged determination to capture the person throwing drunk men in front of a train. I suffered with young Michiko struggling to get time with her dad as her mom had died and she was lonely. I cheered when she took defense lesson as a child, but as an adult, she was kidnapped and sexual abused. ( )

This is my first experience with a book set in Japan and It was interesting reading about a different culture and the interactions between the characters.

I admit I initially struggled with the Japanese names and places and I also had to look up far more words than i would usually do with a British or American novel but this added to the feeling that I was learning something whilst being entertained.

The plot developed at a nice pace before ramping up near the end and the characters were sufficiently human to allow a glimpse into their darker sides.

All-in-all a decent story that sets up the scene for more stories in the murky Tokyo underworld ( )

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book as a Member Giveaway. No compensation was received other than the chance to read this work.

The Last Train is the start of a new mystery series set in Toyko. The lead, a detective who is trained as an accountant but ended up technically in the homicide division, is tasked with using his English-language skills to investigate what initially looks like a suicide.

The story is fairly gripping, and while certain small details are repeated over and over (like folding shirt cuffs over three times), it doesn't really detract from the story. There were a few characters that seemed like they were just there to provide a convenient distraction during the story, but aside from those few and far-between scenes, the story had a good overall pacing and consistent feel.

Recommended for those who enjoy noir-type mysteries, are interested in Japanese drinking culture, or enjoy murder stories in general. ( )

I hear that there is a new book in this series coming. I can't wait! I have always loved Michael Pronko's essays. I put off reading this because I was afraid he would fall off his pedestal when he started writing fiction. I needn't have worried. I was immediately hooked. This book is quite the page turner. I was fascinated by the idea of a sympathetic villain. I was surprised at one point when two Japanese girls climbed into the bath and soaped up. My experience has been that soaping and rinsing happens before one gets in the bath in Japan. Other than that I was completely captivated. I highly recommend this wonderful mystery. Thank you to Mr Pronko, his publisher and NetGalley for sharing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. ( )

This tension-filled, atmospheric, and evil-infused thriller set in one of my favorite places in the world was so worth waiting for. All about money—the getting and losing of it, the revenge over it, the need, the greed, and the kinks it puts in people—this plot engine was well decorated with great characters, living through actions and not flat descriptions. Loved the dramatic irony of knowing the villainess while the characters do not--her horrendous secret, once revealed, went a long way to understanding her motivation. Pronko's feel for Japanese culture, where business is done via connection and (often "inside") information in Japan, Mitsuko’s sidewinding sinuousness, strength, and flexibility—both physical and psychological—made her the perfect villain. The leitmotif of her lotus perfume fit the settings with bar-hostess luxuries, “delivery health girls,” love hotels, and famous coffee shops like the Almond Roppongi, that give a full-immersion reading experience.
Details, like how special chopsticks are used at certain accident scenes, the role of drugs-in-drinks, the mind-boggling Venus Fort, a foreign-city-themed shopping center for women, or the Maman spider sculpture in the middle of an outdoor plaza, add to the wonderful fascination of this world.
Expat life--the Japanese yearning for it in America—and American indulgence in it in Japan, was brilliantly painted.
No car chases, but great on-foot chases! And very clever ways of describing the foreign scene with words that make sense to Westerners: “organic chaos of old Tokyo”; or, of the neon marquees in Tokyo, they “climbed the buildings like electric ivy.”
The “chikan” plot thread was spotty and I didn’t get its role in the whole plot, and, being familiar with Tokyo, I found characters’ names the same as well-known areas disconcerting (Ueno, Shibuya, Sugamo, Osaki (just one letter off) but otherwise this page-turner made me hope for a new Pronko novel soon! ( )