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Allison Markin Powell, Kaoru Takamura, Marie Iida: Lady Joker, Volume 2 (Paperback, 2023, Soho Crime) 5 stars

Intricate slow burn

5 stars

I love this book, and its equally absorbing first volume. I suspect the translators were on their tiptop A-game here as a story of this length could be expected to sag under its own weight if not delivered with the finesse found in these pages.

Based on a real, unsolved case that transfixed Tokyo. The story is delivered through shifting perspectives across a broad cast of protagonists on various sides of the law. Character story arcs will intersect, or tragically miss, but never feel clumsily dropped in. The driving events and reveals are subtly introduced with a sense of due pace, such that you feel an authenticity of investigative process, and corrupt practices.

Hoping that more works from this author get translated soon.