Running from a life she didn’t choose, in a city she doesn’t know, Sukanya, a young Thai girl, loses herself in the vastness of Tokyo. With her Bangkok street smarts, and some stolen money, she stays ahead of her former captors who will do anything to recover the computer she took. After befriending Chiho, a Japanese girl living in an internet café, Sukanya makes plans to rid herself of her … pursuers, and her past, forever.
Meanwhile, Detective Hiroshi Shimizu leaves the safe confines of his office to investigate a porn studio where a brutal triple murder took place. The studio’s accounts point him in multiple directions at once. Together with ex-sumo wrestler Sakaguchi and old-school Takamatsu, Hiroshi tracks the killers through Tokyo’s music clubs and teen hangouts, bayside docks and byways, straight into the underbelly of the global economy.
As bodies wash up from Tokyo Bay, Hiroshi tries to find the Thai girl at the center of it all, whose name he doesn’t even know. He uncovers a human trafficking ring and cryptocurrency scammers whose connections extend to the highest levels of Tokyo’s power elite.
TOKYO TRAFFIC is the third in the Tokyo-based Detective Hiroshi series by award-winning author Michael Pronko.
Praise for THE LAST TRAIN, the first in the series
Winner Shelf Unbound Best Independently Published Book
Solo Medalist Winner New Apple E-Book Awards for Mystery
Winner Best Mystery Book Excellence Awards for Mystery
Winner Independent Press Award for Mystery and for Thriller
“A flawless, dark, atmospheric mystery set in Tokyo. Our judges couldn’t put this novel down.” Shelf Unbound Competition
“An absorbing investigation and memorable backdrop put this series launch on the right track.” Kirkus Reviews
“Tokyo comes to vivid life in this taut thriller, an unrelenting portrayal of a strong female character and the heart-pounding search to find her.” Publishers Daily Reviews
“A heartfelt, thoughtful ode to a strange and beautiful city, in the way that so many classic detective novels are. Lyrically written with plenty of suspense.” Indie Reader
Praise for THE MOVING BLADE, the second in the series
Named One of Kirkus Reviews Best Indie Mysteries and Thrillers
Grand Prize Winner Chanticleer International Book Awards Global Thrillers
Winner Independent Press Award for Crime Fiction
Gold Award Independent Publisher Awards for Mystery
“A true page turner with main characters that come alive with intelligence, curiosity and imperfections.” Blue Ink Review
“One of the year’s best thrillers. A string of grisly murders, high stakes geopolitics and the prose of a master craftsman elevate this crime thriller to rarefied air.” Best Thrillers
“This book made it to my favorites list before I even finished reading it. Suspense and intrigue from the very first chapter.” Literary Titan
“For anyone with a fascination or even a curiosity about Japan, this is a great crime novel.” Crime Fiction Lover
“A powerfully written crime novel; often stark and unsettling, the characters spring off the page.” The Wishing Shelf
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THE WISHING SHELF BOOK AWARDS
16th September 2020
TITLE: Tokyo Traffic
AUTHOR: Michael Pronko
Star Rating: 5
‘A gripping thriller set in the criminal underbelly of Tokyo. Highly recommended!’
REVIEW
So, on Wednesday night, I plumped up my pillow, switched on my laptop and settled down to Tokyo Traffic. And, I must say, two days later, I enjoyed it very, very much. On a basic level, it is a compelling thriller set in Tokyo. On a deeper level, it is an expose on the sinister world of human trafficking and porn.
Almost everybody I know enjoys a good thriller. Lorry drivers, doctors with a hundred PhDs, nuns – to be honest, I don’t know any nuns, but I bet they do. The thing is, a thriller is so far removed from everyday life, we – as in ‘everybody’ – find them gripping. We want to know what it’s like to hunt a killer. To be the killer even! A thriller allows us to do that without getting shot at – or going to prison. Perfect!
Well, Tokyo Traffic by Michael Pronko allows me to be Detective Hiroshi Shimizu as he hunts down killers in the backstreets of Tokyo. I get to be there as he – or I – uncover a human trafficking ring and try to find a girl who holds the key to everything. And, I must say, it was a thrilling ride.
As with most novels of this nature, setting, and the ability of the author to describe that setting, is vital to the success of the story. Thankfully, the author works particularly well with this. He understands how important it is not to just simply describe Tokyo but, rather, have the characters interact with it in a natural and unobtrusive way. It’s all very dark; all very gritty, and ALL totally gripping.
I’m an English teacher so I very much enjoy books with correct grammar and spelling. I’m happy to report I didn’t spot any problems in this respect. In fact, the author’s writing skills are excellent with a good balance of dialogue, character development and plot twists.
Tokyo Traffic is the third in the Tokyo-based Detective Hiroshi set. Would I recommend reading them in order – The Last Train then The Moving Blade and then this? Yes, probably. It’s always fun to follow characters as they develop through a set of books.
All in all, this is a classic thriller in terms of the gritty atmosphere, the dark characters and the brave and slightly broken hero. I would happily recommend it to anybody who enjoys a twisting plot and wants a glimpse into Japan’s criminal underworld.
Enjoy!
A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review
http://www.thewsa.co.uk
Fascinating the way the author can make a huge city seem small and understandable. And even its crimes solvable
When violent intruders interrupt a film shoot in a Tokyo pornography studio, they brutally murder three people, but overlook a young actress hiding in the cavernous building.
Sukanya is an illegal Thai immigrant who was smuggled into Japan and lured into the business with the promise of big money and transit to the United States. She makes her escape with cash from the dead director’s wallet and a leather bag containing a computer and iPad. Penniless and friendless, she wanders aimlessly through the streets of the megalopolis; though she’s lost, she’s not undetected. Unknown to her, the digital devices she’s taken contain sensitive information as well as trackers that reveal her location.
Kenta, a shady businessman and loan shark wants those devices back. The information they hold could compromise him and his relationship with Yoshitaka Kirino, the ruthless mastermind of the criminal enterprise he’s involved in. Kenta assigns three street punks the task of recovering the priceless data as well as the only person who witnessed the crime.
Detective Hiroshi Shimizu was trained as an accountant in America. Now he’s a Tokyo detective specializing in deciphering the finances of criminal activities by examining bank records, statements, spreadsheets, and cryptocurrency. Money trails extend “like spokes from every murder,” and Shimizu has the expertise to grasp their implications.
Sukanya tries to elude the men sent by Kenta, she’s assisted by Chiho, a young Japanese woman who empathizes with were predicament. Together they manage to stay one step ahead of their pursuers. But for how long? It’s a race to see if Hiroshi and his colleagues can unravel the motive and identify the murderer(s) before they catch up with Sukanya and the evidence in her possession.
While being a tightly plotted, well-structured murder mystery, Tokyo Traffic provides insights into criminal activity surrounding pornography, the sex trade, human trafficking, and to some extent how organized crime uses cryptocurrencies to transfer and conceal profits from illegal activities. Equally engaging is author Michael Pronko’s knowledge of contemporary Japanese culture including food, fashion, entertainment, and the environs of the world’s largest city. Pronko’s characters are fully developed, his dialogue is authentic, and his writing is clear and concise.
An ambitious novel, Tokyo Traffic at times feels bogged down with the excessive Tokyo travelogue, a confusion of characters, and plot minutiae; however, realistic detective work, action, romance, and even humor make for an overall entertaining and enlightening story.
This is book 3 of the Detective Hiroshi Tokyo Series. I thought the story was interesting and written well. The character work is good and I would recommend the series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
“Tokyo Traffic,” by Michael Pronko, is an international crime drama centering on human trafficking, using a young Thai girl named Sukanya as the catalyst. This compelling story has Sukanya fleeing her captors and trying to survive on the streets of Tokyo. It isn’t as easy as she thought, but much easier than the abuse she ran from. When Detective Hiroshi enters the picture, a pit of vipers opens up, and he has his hands full as he investigates murder, trafficking, and a conspiracy that leads to shocking revelations.
Although the material is dark and we hear about trafficking on a daily basis, this novel personalizes it with empathetic characters and realistic situations. When you hear it on the news, the subject is boiled down to statistics, but when an author brings it to life like Pronko has, you know the victims are real people, and so are the ones trying to help them.
Though this is a violent tale, it mirrors the stark reality of trafficking. The characters are trapped and need a way out, as do victims in real life. This author takes the elements of plot, characters, and pace, and delivers high-caliber entertainment, wrapped in today’s social issues. Sukanya is a sympathetic character. You root for her survival, and her successful quest in finding a better life. But for some victims, there are no happy endings, as Detective Hiroshi knows all too well. You may think this is a depressing story, and it does have its downside, but overall has sparks of life and hope running through it.
There are elements of the classic noir detective story, but with a new twist tackling modern problems. This detective is sharp, and he has to be if he’s going to get to the bottom of it all. Pronko’s immediate style puts you into the guts of the action but will pull at your heartstrings at the same time. The city of Tokyo shines brightly, with grit and glamour, and the author isn’t afraid to tear the wrapper off of this dynamic city. “Tokyo Traffic,” by Michael Pronko, is a crime thriller you mustn’t pass up.
Running from a life she didn’t choose, in a city she doesn’t know, a young girl, loses herself in the vastness of Tokyo.
A thrilling read that captivates the reader making it hard to put the book down at times. Strong characters and a story line based on events that really take place in our world but can be hard accept, child trafficking. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and now I want to read other books by him. If you love a good suspenseful mystery thrillers, you don’t want to pass this one up.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I normally read books that took place in Japan and written by Japanese authors, this is the first time that I read a novel with plot in Japan but written by a westerner author. The book is very intricate and exciting, the author know how to build up tension and must have had a lot of knowledge and doing a lot of research into Japanese culture and society. The plot and characters are well developed, very solid, authentic, and the writing is clear and concise. It is very refreshing to read a story took place in Japan from a none Japanese author who is very knowledgeable about the country.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.