Books with author Michael Pronko

Winner 2018 Shelf Unbound Best Independently Published Book Winner 2017 Book Excellence Awards Best MysterySolo Medalist Winner 2017 New Apple Awards for Excellence 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. A glimpse from a security camera video suggests the killer might be a woman. Hiroshi quickly learns how close homicide and suicide can appear in a city full of high-speed trains just a step—or a push—away. Takamatsu drags Hiroshi out to the hostess clubs and skyscraper offices of Tokyo in search of the killer. Hiroshi goes deeper and deeper into Tokyo’s intricate, perilous market for buying and selling the most expensive land in the world. He teams up with ex-sumo wrestler Sakaguchi to scour Tokyo’s sacred temples, corporate offices and industrial wastelands to find out why one woman was driven to murder. After years in America and lost in neat, clean spreadsheets, Hiroshi confronts the stark realities of the biggest city in the world, where inside information can travel in a flash from the insiders at top investment firms to street-level punks and teenage hostesses, everyone scrambling for their cut of Tokyo’s lucrative land deals. 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. More at: www.michaelpronko.com

When the top American diplomat in Tokyo, Bernard Mattson, is killed, he leaves more than a lifetime of successful Japan-American negotiations. He leaves a missing manuscript, boxes of research, a lost keynote speech and a tangled web of relations. When his alluring daughter, Jamie, returns from America wanting answers, finding only threats, Detective Hiroshi Shimizu is dragged from the safe confines of his office into the street-level realities of Pacific Rim politics.With help from ex-sumo wrestler Sakaguchi, Hiroshi searches for the killer from back alley bars to government offices, through anti-nuke protests to military conspiracies. When two more bodies turn up, Hiroshi must choose between desire and duty, violence or procedure, before the killer silences his next victim. THE MOVING BLADE is the second in the Tokyo-based Detective Hiroshi series by award-winning author Michael Pronko.Awards for THE MOVING BLADENamed One of Kirkus Reviews Best Indie Mysteries and Thrillers (2018) Grand Prize Winner Chanticleer International Book Awards Global Thrillers (2018)Gold Award Literary Titan Book Award (2018)Five Star Honoree B.R.A.G. Medallion (2018) Gold Award Independent Publisher Awards for Mystery (2019)Finalist Best Book Awards (2018)Finalist The Wishing Shelf Book Awards (2018)Honorable Mention Reader Views Literary Awards (2018-9)

“Pronko takes the sweeping size, bustle, and chaos of Tokyo and makes it small, introspective, and personal,” Independent Publisher. Gold Award Readers’ Favorite Non-Fiction Cultural (2016)Gold Award Global E-Book Awards Travel Writing (2016)Gold Award Non-Fiction Author’s Association (2016)Gold Honoree Benjamin Franklin Digital IBPA (2016)Winner Best Indie Book Award Non-Fiction (2016)Indie Groundbreaking Book Independent Publisher Book Review (2016)Motions and Moments is the third book by Michael Pronko on life in the biggest city in the world. Based on two decades living, teaching and writing in Tokyo, the author examines how Tokyoites work, dress, commute, eat and sleep with an eye for detail and a passion for the city. The writing is steeped in the city’s perpetual energy and filled with insights into the engaging, intricate life in one of the most dynamic places in the world. Included are topics about living in small spaces, learning to love crowds, dealing with Tokyo’s uncertainties and surviving the earthquake. As in his first two books, the pieces capture the ceaseless flow and passing mini-dramas of the city with gentle humor and rich detail. These memoir-like writings delve into the vibrancy and fluidity of Tokyo and ponder what it all means with delight and perception.For more information, go to: www.michaelpronko.com

Is Tokyo unknowable? Mysterious? Confusing? Not in these essays! The biggest city in the world just became clearer!Writing about Tokyo for over 15 years, essayist and professor Michael Pronko unlocks the doors to Tokyo life. These 48 essays reveal what’s hidden behind the gleaming exteriors and unconcerned faces in the largest, most crowded city in the world.How to sweat politely, survive noise trucks and glance sideways are some of the many skills needed to live in Tokyo, but these tricks of daily life also contain deep meanings. Pronko’s essays muse over the minutest of details, everything from window flowers to moments of eye contact to the gestures needed to navigate crowded spaces. If you’re traveling to Tokyo, living there or just thinking of going, these essays point you toward the rich byways and fascinating undercurrents of Tokyo life.Essay Topics Include:Compact LifeTokyo ExhaustionThe Lunch RitualMothers and DaughtersTokyo DoubledAs in his first collection of essays, Beauty and Chaos, Pronko examines Tokyo as a city, a culture and an overpowering experience. Tokyo’s Mystery Deepens explores the enigmatic sides of Tokyo with humor, delicacy and a large dose of healthy confusion.Pronko writes about Japanese culture, art, jazz, society, architecture and politics for Newsweek Japan, The Japan Times, Artscape Japan, as well as other venues. He has appeared on NHK and Nippon Television and runs his own website, Jazz in Japan (www.jazzinjapan.com). He teaches American Literature and Culture at Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo and after class wanders Tokyo contemplating its intensity. ˃˃˃ Praise for his first collection of essays, Beauty and Chaos:“Japanese who are used to Tokyo are caught off guard by his conclusions derived from careful observation, and are struck dumb. Tokyo, the city we are so careless of, suddenly starts to become glorious. It is a wonder!” Chunichi Shimbun (Newspaper) “Giving up the bias and seeing the city with completely different standards, you will see the unexpected, attractive face of Tokyo. This book is a guide for rediscovering Tokyo that lets us see the city with unique new features.” Nikkan Gendai (Newspaper) Japanese version available from KADOKAWA Publishers as: トーキョーの謎は今日も深まる マイケル・プロンコ Scroll up and grab a copy today.

THE LAST TRAIN is the gripping new Tokyo-based mystery from multi-award-winning author Michael Pronko Detective Hiroshi Shimizu investigates white collar crime in Tokyo. He’s lost his girlfriend and still dreams of his time studying in America, but with a stable job, his own office and a half-empty apartment, he’s settled in. When an American businessman turns up dead, his mentor Takamatsu calls him out to the site of a grisly murder. A glimpse from a security camera video suggests the killer was a woman, but in Japan, that seems unlikely. Hiroshi quickly learns how close homicide and suicide can appear in a city full of high-speed trains just a step—or a push—away. Takamatsu drags Hiroshi out to the hostess clubs and skyscraper offices of Tokyo in search of the killer. She’s trying to escape Japan for a new life by playing a high-stakes game of insider information. To find her, Hiroshi goes deeper and deeper into Tokyo’s intricate, ominous market for the most expensive real estate in the world. When Takamatsu inexplicably disappears, Hiroshi teams up with ex-sumo wrestler Sakaguchi. They scour Tokyo’s sacred temples, corporate offices and industrial wastelands to find out where Takamatsu went, and why one woman would be driven to murder when she seems to have it all. In a megalopolis of 40 million people, finding one woman is nearly impossible. If he can’t find her, more businessmen will die, she’ll flee the country and the male-dominated, cutthroat world of buying and selling property will never change. After years in America and lost in neat, clean spreadsheets, Hiroshi confronts the stark realities of the biggest city in the world, where inside information can travel in a flash from the top investment firms to the bottom of the working world, where street-level punks and teenage hostesses sell their souls for a small cut of high-profit land deals. 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. PRAISE FOR PRONKO’S THREE AWARD-WINNING ESSAY COLLECTIONS “An elegantly written, precisely observed portrait of a Japanese city and its culture.” Kirkus Reviews “A rare glimpse of the structure and nature of Tokyo’s underlying psyche.” Midwest Book Review “An insightful author capable of seeing a deeper beauty in everything he writes.” SPR Review “An insider’s view of what life is really like in this pulsing, densely populated Asian metropolis.” Luxury Reading “A memoir to be savored like a fine red wine, crafted with supreme care by a man who clearly has fallen in love with his adopted city.” Publishers Daily Reviews “A terrific series of essays that captures the essence and allure of Tokyo with a lot of heart infused in the work.” Feathered Quill “Pronko’s essays are engaging for how they capture the atmosphere and culture of the city.” Independent Publisher “His book sparkles and succeeds as a love letter of sorts to Tokyo. The author’s writing is a joy to read, with wonderful phrasing and vivid descriptions.” OnlineBookClub “These pieces feel flowing and natural, perhaps because many arose simply from walking around, people-watching.” Bookbag “Each of his essays brought me closer and closer to an appreciation of the complex and complicated place Tokyo is, and the lifestyles of those who call it home.” Reader’s Favorite

Is Tokyo unknowable? Mysterious? Confusing? Not in these essays! The biggest city in the world just became clearer! Writing about Tokyo for over 15 years, essayist and professor Michael Pronko unlocks the doors to Tokyo life. These 48 essays reveal what’s hidden behind the gleaming exteriors and unconcerned faces in the largest, most crowded city in the world. How to sweat politely, survive noise trucks and glance sideways are some of the many skills needed to live in Tokyo, but these tricks of daily life also contain deep meanings. Pronko’s essays muse over the minutest of details, everything from window flowers to moments of eye contact to the gestures needed to navigate crowded spaces. If you’re traveling to Tokyo, living there or just thinking of going, these essays point you toward the rich byways and fascinating undercurrents of Tokyo life. Essay Topics Include: Compact Life Tokyo Exhaustion The Lunch Ritual Mothers and Daughters Tokyo Doubled As in his first collection of essays, Beauty and Chaos, Pronko examines Tokyo as a city, a culture and an overpowering experience. Tokyo’s Mystery Deepens explores the enigmatic sides of Tokyo with humor, delicacy and a large dose of healthy confusion. Pronko writes about Japanese culture, art, jazz, society, architecture and politics for Newsweek Japan, The Japan Times, Artscape Japan, as well as other venues. He has appeared on NHK and Nippon Television and runs his own website, Jazz in Japan (www.jazzinjapan.com). He teaches American Literature and Culture at Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo and after class wanders Tokyo contemplating its intensity. ˃˃˃ Praise for his first collection of essays, Beauty and Chaos: “Japanese who are used to Tokyo are caught off guard by his conclusions derived from careful observation, and are struck dumb. Tokyo, the city we are so careless of, suddenly starts to become glorious. It is a wonder!” Chunichi Shimbun (Newspaper) “Giving up the bias and seeing the city with completely different standards, you will see the unexpected, attractive face of Tokyo. This book is a guide for rediscovering Tokyo that lets us see the city with unique new features.” Nikkan Gendai (Newspaper) Japanese version available from KADOKAWA Publishers as: トーキョーの謎は今日も深まる マイケル・プロンコ Scroll up and grab a copy today.

When the top American diplomat in Tokyo, Bernard Mattson, is killed, he leaves more than a lifetime of successful Japan-American negotiations. He leaves a missing manuscript, boxes of research, a lost keynote speech and a tangled web of relations.When his alluring daughter, Jamie, returns from America wanting answers, finding only threats, Detective Hiroshi Shimizu is dragged from the safe confines of his office into the street-level realities of Pacific Rim politics.With help from ex-sumo wrestler Sakaguchi, Hiroshi searches for the killer from Tokyo's back alley bars to government offices, through anti-nuke protests to the gates of an American naval base. When two more bodies turn up, Hiroshi must choose between desire and duty, violence or procedure, before the killer silences his next victim.

Motions and Moments: More Essays on Tokyo Motions and Moments is the third book by Michael Pronko on the fluid feel and vibrant confusions of Tokyo life. These 42 new essays burrow into the unique intensities that suffuse the city and ponder what they mean to its millions of inhabitants. Based on Pronko’s 18 years living, teaching and writing in Tokyo, these essays on how Tokyoites work, dress, commute, eat and sleep are steeped in insights into the city’s odd structures, intricate pleasures and engaging undertow. Included are essays on living to size and loving the crowd, on Tokyo’s dizzying uncertainties and daily satisfactions, and on the 2011 earthquake. As in his first two books, this collection captures the ceaseless flow and passing flashes of life in biggest city in the world with gentle humor and rich detail. Praise for the first collection, Beauty and Chaos: Slices and Morsels of Tokyo Life: "A clear-eyed but affectionate portrait of a city that reaches beyond simple stereotypes. An elegantly written, precisely observed portrait of a Japanese city and its culture." Kirkus Reviews "Beauty and Chaos is a spectacular read. Its essays are long enough to be cohesive and provocative while remaining short and sweet. The collection is masterful and unique." Stephanie Chandler, SPR Review “He notices the kinds of things that might be taken for granted by the Japanese and overlooked entirely by visitors.” Rebecca Foster, The Bookbag Gold Award First Place for Cultural Non-Fiction (Reader's Favorite Awards 2015) Gold Award (Non-Fiction Authors Association 2015) Praise for the second collection, Tokyo’s Mystery Deepens: Essays on Tokyo: “As chapters flow through Tokyo cultural experiences, readers receive a rare glimpse of the structure and nature of Tokyo's underlying psyche. It's a powerful, intimate consideration of many aspects of Japanese culture.” D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review "An insider's view of what life is really like in this pulsing, densely populated Asian metropolis...this little book of short, easy to read essays delivers to its readers an education." Vera A. Pereskokova Luxury Reading Blog “Could one have a better guide? Anyone planning to work and live in Tokyo for a period of time will find Pronko indispensable.” BookReview.com “Tokyo's Mystery Deepens is so much more than just a guidebook to Tokyo…it actually plunges into the minuscule details of what it is like to be a Tokyoite.” OnlineBookClub.org Gold Award for Creative Non-Fiction (eLit Awards 2015) Silver Award for Travel Essay (eLit Award 2015)