Noir historical thriller in 1930s Japan

Matthew Legare’s “Shadows of Tokyo” is the first book in a Series of noir historical thrillers set in Japan in the 1930s. A highly inflammatory time, with Japan on the peak of its aggressive expansion on the Pacific. The story takes place in 1931, during the invasion of Manchuria and the Japanese Great Depression. It is a time of right-wing terrorist that seek to overthrow the civilian government and establish a military dictatorship more in in sync with their political beliefs, and are not afraied to use swords, handguns and even bombs to get their point across. One of them is Masuru Ryusake, a Western-educated descendant of a prominent Samurai clan. His mistress, geisha Reiko Watanabe, is an independent woman with more modern ideas, and decides to give Police Inspector Kenji Aizawa a hands-up on the plan via anonymous call. Soon Aizawa and Watanabe find themselves in the middle of the plot, while trying to defect the imminent coup d’état. It will be interesting to see how both main characters and their relationship develop in the books ahead.

Matthew Legare has a profound knowledge of the historical Japan of the 1930, the book is not enjoyable but also highly informative, providing the reader does not have cliché expectation about the plot. This is a noir thriller, not a romantic collage of Geisha and Samurai viewed through a western eye.

A most gratifying lecture for fans of the genre, and a great look into the Japan society of the 1930s. ( )