The Last Train

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