michael pronko

Tokyo Juku, a New Detective Hiroshi Murder Mystery by Michael Pronko

The Bottom Line: Five Stars. Tokyo Juku exposes the devastating cost of academic success in an exquisitely crafted murder mystery. Tokyo Juku opens in the dead of night inside a Tokyo cram school, where Mana, a sleep-deprived student, is pulling an all-nighter in hopes of acing her university entrance exams and being accepted to an elite school. After falling asleep despite guzzling caffeine drinks, she wakes to find […]

Tokyo Juku, a New Detective Hiroshi Murder Mystery by Michael Pronko READ MORE >

Shitamachi Scam, a Stunning Crime Thriller by Michael Pronko

The Bottom Line: A stunning crime thriller in which the brilliant, fussy Detective Hiroshi deftly unravels a truly masterful criminal enterprise.   Michael Pronko’s newest Detective Hiroshi novel finds the brilliant police investigator — who is typically more comfortable behind a desk – taking to the streets in a deadly undercover sting operation.  Hiroshi watches as the intended target, an elderly woman named Ueno, is accosted outside

Shitamachi Scam, a Stunning Crime Thriller by Michael Pronko READ MORE >

Azabu Getaway, The Year’s Best Crime Thriller by Michael Pronko

The Bottom Line: Detective Hiroshi has never been more entertaining in this electrifying crime thriller featuring some truly ingenious financial crimes.  When American wealth manager Patrick Walsh returns to his Tokyo apartment and keys in his passcode, he’s surprised to find that it still works. For those unfamiliar with Tokyo, Azabu is known as one of Tokyo’s most expensive residential districts. When Walsh’s ex-wife Miyuki

Azabu Getaway, The Year’s Best Crime Thriller by Michael Pronko READ MORE >

Tokyo Zangyo, the Year’s Best Mystery Novel

The Bottom Line: Pronko’s best Hiroshi series book yet. Hiroshi is now as synonymous with Tokyo crime fiction as Harry Bosch is to LA noir. Voted the Best Mystery of 2021. Detective Hiroshi’s latest case revolves around the likely suicide of a Japanese media executive who appears to have jumped from the roof of a 20-story building. He died in the exact same spot as

Tokyo Zangyo, the Year’s Best Mystery Novel READ MORE >

Tokyo Traffic, a First-rate Crime Novel by Michael Pronko

The Bottom Line: A first-rate hardboiled crime novel set at the nexus between porn, human trafficking, crypto-currency fraud and murder. Michael Pronko’s third Detective Hiroshi series novel begins with a bang as Sukanya, a drugged Thai teenager, narrowly escapes a brutal mass murder at a well-known porn studio. In shock, she flees with a bag, an iPad and a computer containing damning evidence. When Detective

Tokyo Traffic, a First-rate Crime Novel by Michael Pronko READ MORE >

The Moving Blade, One of the Year’s Best Thrillers, by Michael Pronko

The Bottom Line: 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. What do a murdered American diplomat, a set of rare erotic Japanese wood block prints, and an agreement to keep American bases in Japan have in common? That’s the question facing investigators in The

The Moving Blade, One of the Year’s Best Thrillers, by Michael Pronko READ MORE >

The Last Train, an Unforgettable Crime Thriller Set in Tokyo

The Bottom Line: Set in Tokyo, this exotic crime thriller is a lightning-fast chase to the finish line that you won’t soon forget. Mystery novels are known for far-flung locations, but Tokyo isn’t often on the map. With The Last Train, Michael Pronko takes his adopted hometown and uses it as the setting for this unconventional take on the whodunit, which turns the genre on

The Last Train, an Unforgettable Crime Thriller Set in Tokyo READ MORE >

Scroll to Top