The Last Train by Michael Pronko is his first of four mysteries featuring Tokyo detective Hiroshi. This being a first mystery it is quite possible some of the flaws in The Last Train have been addressed in later books in the series.
The Last Train opens with a beautiful and mysterious woman named Michiko guiding a drunk foreign businessman to a subway station. All is well until she tosses him in front of the train and then vanishes. BUY AT AMAZON
Because of his English skills, Hiroshi is drafted by senior detective Takamatsu into the investigation. It is a bit muddled, one of the weaknesses of this Japanese mystery, but the investigation will show it all has to do with Michiko selling information about upcoming land deals she gathers as a hostess in the Roppongi red light district. The foreign business man had become a problem.
Part of The Last Train by Michael Pronko focuses on Michiko going around Tokyo collecting all sorts of debts from various people so she can go away to Europe in the next two days or so. What doesn’t work is the reader later learns Michiko already has quite a stash buried under the floor of the factory she grew up in with her father and best friend.
There is also a mention of a time when Michiko was detained and abused for a very long time. This is probably important as to her character arch but the explanation as to why this happened is dismissed in a sentence in the last quarter of The Last Train.
Some mystery novel readers like mysteries set in foreign countries to learn about different cultures, traditions, and, yes, investigative procedures. The Last Train is set in Japan and Michael Pronko does give the reader some insights into Japanese society and culture but is is often not quite enough to really understand what it means or its importance. An example is the many incursions in the Roppongi red light district which always remain on the surface and only give the reader an inkling of what hostesses like Michiko do, how they do it, and the hierarchy of the clubs in that district. You can guess what a hostess in a red light district does but you do not really understand how Michiko got all that information from all those businessmen.
The Last Train by Michael Pronko is a decent first mystery
I do have to admit I got this Japanese mystery free as an ebook via a website called bookbub. Also, and to its credit, this mystery did win quite a few indie book awards.
The Last Train
Michael Pronko
Raked Gravel Press 2017
365 pages
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