Death in Little Tokyo (A Ken Tanaka Mystery) [Paperback]

Dale Furutani (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1997

It's Ken Tanak's turn to stage a mock mysery for the Los Angeles Mystery Club and he's determined to do it right. Tanaka sets himself up as a fake P.I., office and all, only to have a femme fatale straight out of the movies try to hire him. Taking the case on a whim, Ken's detecting leads him to a mutilated corpse in a Little Tokyo hotel room.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ken Tanaka isn't a real P.I., but when he poses as one for his weekend mystery club--printing up phony business cards, renting a storefront office, buying a trench coat and fedora--he gets some real business in the form of Rita Newly, who offers him $500 to help extricate her from a blackmail scheme. Unemployed and with too much time on his hands, Ken can't resist the prospect of adventure or cash. He takes the case, only to find himself the prime suspect when a member of the Japanese mafia turns up dead and in several pieces. To exonerate himself, Ken must find the real killer, and his inexpert gumshoeing tangles him in a complicated plot involving strippers, gangsters, and the World War II-era Japanese "relocation" camps.

The Anthony Award-winning Death in Little Tokyo introduces "the very first Japanese-American amateur sleuth mystery series written by a Japanese-American." Ken Tanaka is a welcome addition; he's likable, charming, nerdish, and unfailingly polite around old people and the police. He has a gently self-effacing sense of humor and a girlfriend, Mariko, who is an actress struggling against the lack of parts for Asian Americans. Set in Los Angeles's Little Tokyo, the mystery unfolds around interesting little lessons on subjects as wide-ranging as woodblock prints, Latino culture, the game of Go, Japanese American history and social ritual, and the intricacies of plotting a mystery weekend. The city and neighborhood are evoked in especially vivid detail; food, in particular, is lovingly described. This is the commendable debut of a refreshing, somewhat less-than-gritty new voice. --R. Ellis

From AudioFile

This Agatha Award Nominee derives its plot from Japanese-American history and a WWII internment camp, imparting a modern murder mystery with ties to the past. Jonathan Marosz personifies Ken Tanaka's pleasant and clever character as he concocts a weekend for the L.A. Mystery Club. Marosz successfully moderates the subplots, support characters and discussions pertaining to race and ethnicity. This short novel, only four tapes unabridged, informs and entertains. B.J.L. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Mass Market Paper (October 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312963238
• ISBN-13: 978-0312963231
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,484,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ONE OF THE BEST FIRST NOVELS I'VE EVER READ !, February 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Death in Little Tokyo (A Ken Tanaka Mystery) (Paperback)

Grabs you on the first page and pulls you right through to the suprise ending. A good, honest read with an interesting and touching treatment of Asian subject matter. I look forward to reading everything Furutani writes.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A small gem, December 29, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Washington, D. C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death in Little Tokyo (A Ken Tanaka Mystery) (Paperback)

Well written and not overwritten. A welcome relief from the bloated 'suspense' paperbacks crowding the bookshelves. Ken Tanaka is a pleasant, modest, but tenacious guy who goes from mystery game to real life-detecting without missing a beat. The beautiful blonde walking into the office and whispers from the past lives of the characters are at once homage to and continuation of the Marlow/Chandler tradition. The customs and viewpoints of the Japanese-Americans were for me particularly engaging. Furutami does an excellent job of weaving this cultural heritage with its pains and graces into a very American art form. Oh yes, the plot is way above average. Will the Kendo Agency go from prop to the unemployed Tanaka's full time occupation? Does a man have to do something when his partner gets killed?

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Book, February 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Death in Little Tokyo (A Ken Tanaka Mystery) (Paperback)

Not only is this book entertaining, but it also educates. There is information about AA, about Japanese culture in Hawaii and California, about the treatment of US citizens of Japanese descent during WW II (at which we should all be appalled), about LA sociogeography, and more. These asides do not detract from the story. The book's plotting and characters are well-developed. I recommend this book to anyone who reads mysteries.