Book picks similar to
The Black Cat Takes a Stroll: The Edgar Allan Poe Lectures by Akimaro Mori
mystery
world
japan
japanese-fiction
The Slade House Affair: Clare Montgomery, Private Investigator
Daisy Thurbin - 2016
In this first book in a new series, Mrs Montgomery is retained by an archaic well heeled family when its patriarch fails to arrive home at the expected hour. As with all of her writing, Thurbin demonstrates that a book need not contain gratuitous violence, graphic sex or coarse language in order to keep the reader entertained. Set in London and the Home Counties, Thurbin's attention to detail and meticulous research, coupled with an interesting conundrum and a sprinking of quirky characters, are bound to please even the most discerning of readers.
The Amish Bishop
Samantha Bayarr - 2018
The Bishop is hiding a horrible secret that could expose his sins if he defends his son's sinful acts. For Eva, getting shunned for their sins could be the answer to her prayers.Lily can't forget what she saw; the community thinks she's making things up. When she suffers a breakdown after witnessing her mother's death from what is being called a freak accident, the Bishop says he has no choice but to shun her and her father, claiming it's for the good of the community, but what Lily knows could cause her to become the murderer's next target.
Prediction: Big Data, big danger
Tony Batton - 2019
Their hopes rest on a new quantum super computer, one capable of interpreting patterns in the oceans of intelligence data. There’s just the small challenge of building it. Gregory Jenson, CEO of ZAT Systems, is tasked by MI5 to create the computer, but ghosts in his past could thwart matters before he even begins. Young lawyer, Michael Adams, is given the task of helping Jenson, but he soon has problems of his own. And they’ll soon learn that a hidden player wants to use the new system for their own plans – someone incredibly well-informed, and prepared to go to any lengths to achieve their goals. And if they succeed, the recovery of the nuclear reactor will be the least of everyone’s problems.
Trigger Happy
William H. Lovejoy - 2016
Ex-Apache helicopter pilot Doug Reeves is happily living out his retirement on board a power yacht in the Monterey marina. When his neighbour’s boat suddenly explodes he begins asking questions. It soon becomes clear that what first seemed like an unfortunate accident was actually part of a much greater conspiracy. Unable to let things lie, Reeves calls in favours from his old friends in the military. But his investigation soon imperils both his life and his blossoming relationship with Donni Brakken. Will Reeves get to the bottom of this crime? Will his relationship with Donni be put at risk? Will he make it out alive? Praise for William H Lovejoy: “Tightly plotted,..well-written…engaging!”---Nelson DeMille, author of The Lion’s Game “Paperback vet Lovejoy makes his hardcover debut a memorable occasion with an ultracool, swiftly paced take of cyberspace chicanery...A grand user-friendly yarn that gives new meaning to the words computer error.” -
Kirkus Review
"Lovejoy tells another great story of fast-paced aerial action…Phantom Strike rings with authenticity and puts you in the middle of the action--makes you feel as if you should strap on your G-suit to go along on the mission." ---Jimmie H. Butler, Colonel, USAF, Retired, author of The Iskra Incident "Delta Green is an exciting aerial thriller. Buckle your seat belts!"---Joe Weber, author of Defcon One "Alpha Kat is an action-packed, rip-snorting adventure tale from William Lovejoy, this time with high-tech fighters and red-hot fighter pilots. Technothriller fans are going to enjoy this one." - Stephen Coonts, best-selling author William H Lovejoy has publications in English, Spanish, Hebrew and Japanese. He is the author of twenty-five thriller, suspense, and mystery novels, including Delta Blue, Delta Green, Alpha Kat, Phantom Strike and Ultra Deep. A Vietnam veteran, he resides in Colorado and is Vice Chancellor Emeritus from Mohave Community College.
Softgoods: All the Pretty Things Women Are Dying to Wear
Consuelo Saah Baehr - 2012
Mr Henry Mulligan
Vernon Coleman - 2007
His books include the bestselling Young Country Doctor series and Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War (which has been turned into an award winning movie). Mr Henry Mulligan is a poignant and uplifting romantic mystery about the disappearance of an elderly couple from an English hospital. Where have they gone? And why? A newly qualified doctor working in the hospital tries to find them. Moving and revealing and based on a true story. Vernon Coleman, a Sunday Times bestselling author, is a qualified doctor who has been a professional author for over 30 years. He has written over 100 books. His medical books include Bodypower, How to Stop Your Doctor Killing You and many others. (His hard hitting books defending patients rights have brought him many enemies and have resulted in numerous attempts to ban his books.) There is a list of books available on his Amazon author page. Kindle books can of course be sampled before being bought. What the papers say: Vernon Coleman writes brilliant books - The Good Book Guide Superstar - Independent on Sunday No thinking person can ignore him - The Ecologist Compulsive reading - The Guardian Britain's leading health care campaigner - The Sun Revered guru of medicine - Nursing Times Dr Coleman made me think again - BBC World Service Probably one of the most brilliant men alive today - Irish Times The man is a national treasure - What Doctors Don't Tell You The patients' champion - Birmingham Post etc etc
Dead South
David Banner - 2018
When the body of the girl he loved in high school is found twenty years after her disappearance, Detective Ryan Devereux has a personal stake in finding the people responsible. With his personal life in shambles following the engagement of his ex-wife, Ryan throws himself headlong into the investigation. Things take a turn though when newly discovered evidence leads Ryan to believe that his ex’s new fiancé might have had a hand in the young girl’s murder. As secrets about the past are uncovered, Ryan realizes things were never as he saw them. This Lowcountry detective finds himself thrust down a rabbit hole of danger and deceit the likes of which he might never emerge from. And, when the truth comes out, he might find that the killer is closer to him than he ever imagined. Dead South is book one in the new Lowcountry Mystery Series from bestselling author David Banner. Do you enjoy reading books from Dawn Lee McKenna, Mark Stone, and Steven Becker? If so, come take a walk along the South Carolina Lowcountry. With its thick humidity, Spanish moss, and one-of-a-kind local flair, it’s sure to be a visit you won’t forget!
Hotel Iris
Yōko Ogawa - 1996
When one night they are forced to expel a middle-aged man and a prostitute from their room, Mari finds herself drawn to the man's voice, in what will become the first gesture of a single long seduction. In spite of her provincial surroundings, and her cool but controlling mother, Mari is a sophisticated observer of human desire, and she sees in this man something she has long been looking for.The man is a proud if threadbare translator living on an island off the coast. A widower, there are whispers around town that he may have murdered his wife. Mari begins to visit him on his island, and he soon initiates her into a dark realm of both pain and pleasure, a place in which she finds herself more at ease even than the translator. As Mari's mother begins to close in on the affair, Mari's sense of what is suitable and what is desirable are recklessly engaged.Hotel Iris is a stirring novel about the sometimes violent ways in which we express intimacy and about the untranslatable essence of love.
The Devil's Whisper
Miyuki Miyabe - 1989
Just as he is beginning to adjust to his new life, his uncle is involved in a late-night accident while driving his taxicab. A young coed is dead and Uncle Taiko is charged with manslaughter, even though the circumstances seem suspect.Struggling to help his uncle, Mamoru discovers that the victim had been involved in a cruel scam with three other young women. Two of the four have also recently died in similarly violent incidents.Several days after the accident, a powerful businessman comes forward as a witness. But instead of making things clearer, the mans testimony only adds more confusing lies and deceptions to an already puzzling case, as Mamoru races to save the last of the four women targeted by the real killer.
Nan-Core
Mahokaru Numata - 2011
Along with a purse and a lock of hair that may have belonged to his recently deceased mother, Ryosuke finds three journals with notes that seem to be the confessions of a murderer.Now, he has to figure out what’s fact, what’s fiction...and who are these people he’s called “Mom” and “Dad.”
Lonely Castle in the Mirror
Mizuki Tsujimura - 2017
Passing through a glowing mirror, they gather in a magnifcent castle which becomes their playground and refuge during school hours. The students are tasked with locating a key, hidden somewhere in the castle, that will allow whoever finds it to be granted one wish. At this moment, the castle will vanish, along with all memories they may have of their adventure. If they fail to leave the castle by 5 pm every afternoon, they will be eaten by the keeper of the castle, an easily provoked and shrill creature named the Wolf Queen.Delving into their emotional lives with sympathy and a generous warmth, Lonely Castle in the Mirror shows the unexpected rewards of reaching out to others. Exploring vivid human stories with a twisty and puzzle-like plot, this heart-warming novel is full of joy and hope for anyone touched by sadness and vulnerability.
Evil and the Mask
Fuminori Nakamura - 2010
When Fumihiro Kuki is eleven years old, his elderly, enigmatic father calls him into his study for a meeting. "I created you to be a cancer on the world," his father tells him. It is a tradition in their wealthy family: a patriarch, when reaching the end of his life, will beget one last child to cause misery in a world that cannot be controlled or saved. From this point on, Fumihiro will be specially educated to learn to create as much destruction and unhappiness in the world around him as a single person can. Between his education in hedonism and his family's resources, Fumihiro's life is one without repercussions. Every door is open to him, for he need obey no laws and may live out any fantasy he might have, no matter how many people are hurt in the process. But as his education progresses, Fumihiro begins to question his father's mandate, and starts to resist.
Villain
Shūichi Yoshida - 2007
Her family and friends are shocked and terrified. The pass—which tunnels through a mountainous region of southern Japan—has an eerie history: a hideout for robbers, murderers, and ghostly creatures lurking at night. Soon afterward, a young construction worker becomes the primary suspect. As the investigation unfolds, the events leading up to the murder come darkly into focus, revealing a troubled cast of characters: the victim, Yoshino, a woman much too eager for acceptance; the suspect, Yuichi, a car enthusiast misunderstood by everyone around him; the victim’s middle-aged father, a barber disappointed with his life; and the suspect’s aging grandmother, who survived the starvation of postwar Japan only to be tormented by local gangsters. And, finally, there is desperate Mitsuyo, the lonely woman who finds Yuichi online and makes the big mistake of falling for him. A stunningly dark thriller and a tapestry of noir, Villain is the English-language debut for Shuichi Yoshida, one of Japan’s most acclaimed and accomplished writers. From desolate seaside towns and lighthouses to love hotels and online chat rooms, Villain reveals the inner lives of men and women who all have something to hide. Part police procedural, part gritty realism, Villain is a coolly seductive story of loneliness and alienation in the southernmost reaches of Japan.
The Sword Master
I.J. Parker - 2012
Even the selfless physician who saves him cannot soften the boy's hardened spirit. Angry with the world and desiring vengeance against those who caused his parents' suicides, Hachiro feels rejection almost everywhere and reacts in kind. This anger he forges into an amazing skill with a sword. He becomes the most famous swordsman in the city. Many deaths are due to Hachiro’s reputation, until he seeks solitude and redemption by leaving the capital.The love of women proves even less kind than the cut of a sword. His obsession with a forbidden passion forces Hachiro to join the war between two powerful clans where he finds another dangerous woman and treachery.When at last he returns home, he finds Kyoto in ruin and his beloved master dead. In the midst of the tragedy of this ravaged city, he discovers his redemption, something he had given up hoping for. But first he must face the danger of losing all when a secret enemy sets his trap.
The Tokyo Zodiac Murders
Sōji Shimada - 1981
Who murdered the artist Umezawa, raped and killed his daughter, and then chopped up the bodies of six others to create Azoth, the supreme woman? With maps, charts, and other illustrations, this story of magic and illusion, pieced together like a great stage tragedy, challenges the reader to unravel the mystery before the final curtain. The Tokyo Zodiac Murders joins a new wave of Japanese murder mysteries being translated into English.Soji Shimada, author of over 100 mystery novels, is a designer, musician, and astrology writer.From the publisher: for more mystery from Japan, check out The Inugami Clan by Seishi Yokomizo.