The Last Train

Written by Michael Pronko

Narrated by Peter Berkrot

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. Together with ex-sumo wrestler, Sakaguchi, Hiroshi scours Tokyo’s sacred temples, corporate offices and industrial wastelands to find out why one woman would be driven to murder when she seems to have it all. 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Raked Gravel Press
• Release date: Apr 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781942410188

Michael Pronko

Michael Pronko is an award-winning, Tokyo-based writer of murder, memoir and music. His writings on Tokyo life and his taut character-driven mysteries have won critics’ awards and five-star reviews. Kirkus Reviews called his second novel, The Moving Blade, “An elegant balance of Japanese customs with American-style hard-boiled procedural” and selected it for their Best Books of 2018.Michael also runs the website, Jazz in Japan, about the vibrant jazz scene in Tokyo and Yokohama. He has written regular columns about Japanese culture, art, jazz, society and politics for Newsweek Japan, The Japan Times, Artscape Japan, Jazznin, and ST Shukan. He has also appeared on NHK and Nippon Television.A philosophy major, Michael traveled for years, ducking in and out of graduate schools, before finishing his PhD on Charles Dickens and film, and settling in Tokyo as a professor of American Literature at Meiji Gakuin University. He teaches contemporary American novels, film adaptations, music and art.

Reviews for The Last Train

[aug3zimm-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

My lack of enthusiasm for this book is mostly personal. I don’t really go for noir-ish crime dramas that focus on the seedy side of Tokyo (or any city). That being said, this book was interesting in how it portrayed things - good and vivid scene setting without being too wordy. There were a few instances where word usage struck me as strange or awkward, but overall I did like the writing style. There was too much moral ambiguity/shades of (dark) gray to make me feel connected to any of the characters though, so while the scene setting was interesting, I was uninvested in the case’s conclusion, which made the finale of the book drag a bit to me since it was more character/individual focused than location. Also, some of it struck me as a bit unrealistic. I think those in to grittier stories would appreciate this book more than I did.

[hotcha-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[kevincannon1968 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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

[toolittlereading · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[kayvreeland · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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!

[virginia51-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a very interesting mystery. I learned things about Japan that I never knew. I liked Detective Hiroshi. He was a great character. This had many twists and turns. It was hard not to like the bad guy in this book also. I hope to read more books in this series. I received a copy of this book from Smith Publicity for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.