Why am I passionate about this?

As many of my novels are set in Japan, I try to read as many Japanese authors as I can. Firstly, they offer great insight into the Japanese psyche and Japanese culture, and secondly, they are extremely enjoyable reads. My main series is the Reiko Watanabe/Inspector Aizawa novels, crime thrillers set in 1930s Japan, and while only one of these books takes place during that era, I feel they all provide a great springboard into Japanese crime fiction, a genre that hopefully gains more notoriety in the West.


I wrote...

Shadows of Tokyo

By Matthew Legare,

Book cover of Shadows of Tokyo

What is my book about?

In 1931, in Japan, the geisha Reiko Watanabe learns of a plot to overthrow the civilian government hatched by her…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Out

Matthew Legare Why did I love this book?

One of the best Japanese crime novels, this is the story of four women trapped in suburban hell, seeking to escape their empty lives. When one of them murders her husband in a fit of rage, they collude to dispose of his body, gradually sinking into a criminal netherworld.

I loved it for its crisp and taut prose, solid and relatable characters, dense and fast-paced plot, and heavy themes of urban isolation and aimlessness. 

By Natsuo Kirino, Stephen B. Snyder (translator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Out as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Winner of Japan's Grand Prix for Crime Fiction â€˘ Edgar Award Finalist â€˘ Nothing in Japanese literature prepares us for the stark, tension-filled, plot-driven realism of Natsuo Kirino’s award-winning literary mystery Out.

This mesmerizing novel tells the story of a brutal murder in the staid Tokyo suburbs, as a young mother who works the night shift making boxed lunches strangles her abusive husband and then seeks the help of her coworkers to dispose of the body and cover up her crime. The coolly intelligent Masako emerges as the plot’s ringleader, but quickly discovers that this killing is merely the beginning,…


Book cover of The Black Lizard

Matthew Legare Why did I love this book?

Serialized in 1934 by Hinode (Sunrise) magazine, this is one of Japan’s most famous crime novels by one of Japan’s most famous novelists, Edogawa Ranpo. It stars his most famous character,  Detective Kogoro Akechi, in a battle of wits against the titular Black Lizard, a melodramatic female jewel thief, as she attempts to steal the priceless “Star of Egypt.”

I have a huge love affair with pulp fiction, and much of Ranpo’s work can definitely be classified as pulp, despite the fact that the term did not really exist in Japan at the time. Although a bit dated, it is still an enjoyable read. 

By Edogawa Rampo, Ian Hughes (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Black Lizard as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Discover the new Penguin Crime and Espionage series

A master criminal and a master detective are locked in battle. Who will win?

They call her the 'Dark Angel'. Queen of Tokyo's underworld, Mme Midorikawa is famed for her beauty, her jewels and the tattoo of a black lizard on her arm. Crime is so easy for her that she warns her victims in advance. When a wealthy jewel merchant receives letters saying his precious daughter Sanae is about to be kidnapped, he entrusts the renowned detective Akechi Kogoro to protect her. But he may have met his deadliest adversary yet...


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Book cover of The Impersonator: A Mystery (A Roaring Twenties Mystery)

The Impersonator by Mary Miley,

Whatever happened to the young Carr heiress who vanished years ago? A scheming uncle with an eye on her fortune persuades a vaudeville performer to impersonate his niece in exchange for a share of the inheritance. Desperate for work, Jessie accepts the role and moves from the tawdry world of…

Book cover of The Silent Dead

Matthew Legare Why did I love this book?

Set in modern-day Tokyo, this is the first entry in the Reiko Himekawa series about a female detective in the Tokyo Police Department. I enjoyed this book mostly for the plot, which involves Himekawa tracking down a serial killer who tortures victims on a snuff website called “Strawberry Night.” It provides great insights into Japanese culture, both personal and workplace, and the inner details of the Tokyo Police Department.

By Tetsuya Honda,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Silent Dead as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When a mutilated body wrapped in a blue tarpaulin is found in a quiet neighbourhood, Lieutenant Reiko Himekawa and her squad are assigned the case. As the youngest female detective in the Homicide Division, Reiko has a lot to prove, but she has an undeniable ability to solve crimes. When she uncovers more murders with the same signature, she know sthere is a serial killer at work.What is Strawberry Night, the dark web group that links all the victims? And how long will Reiko survive, now the killer knows her name?


Book cover of The Tattoo Murder Case

Matthew Legare Why did I love this book?

First published in 1948, this was one of the first Japanese crime novels that I read. It is about a beautiful, tattooed woman who is brutally murdered and dismembered. However, the piece that contained her most exquisite tattoo has gone missing. It’s up to her hapless admirer and a brilliant amateur detective to discover why she was murdered and track down the killer.

Like The Silent Dead, I enjoyed this novel mostly for its plot, taking place just after World War II, offering interesting insights into the postwar Japanese mindset.

By Akimitsu Takagi, Deborah Boehm (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Tattoo Murder Case as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Can you solve the mystery of the tattoo murder?
Tokyo, 1947. At the first post-war meeting of the Edo Tattoo Society, Kinue Nomura reveals her full-body snake tattoo to rapturous applause. Days later she is gone. A dismembered corpse is discovered in the locked bathroom of her home, but her much-coveted body art is nowhere to be found.
Kinue's horrified lover joins forces with the boy detective Kyosuke Kamizu to try to get to the bottom of the macabre crime, but similar deaths soon follow. Is someone being driven to murder by their lust for tattooed skin, and can they…


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Book cover of Poetic Justice

Poetic Justice by Fiona Forsyth,

In the first century, Rome’s celebrated love poet Ovid finds himself in exile, courtesy of an irate Emperor, in the far-flung town of Tomis. Appalled at being banished to a barbarous region at the very edge of the Empire, Ovid soon discovers that he has a far more urgent -…

Book cover of The Meiji Guillotine Murders

Matthew Legare Why did I love this book?

I actually found this book on a recent trip to Japan, as it has finally been translated into English. Set in 1869, at the dawn of the tumultuous Meiji Era, a series of murders plague Tokyo. Inspectors Kazuki and the real-life Toshiyoshi Kawaji are called in to investigate, leading them through the lowest and highest parts of the city.

As a historical fiction writer myself, I am extremely partial to novels in this genre, especially historical crime thrillers. This book fills a spot which is relatively unknown in the West and one I highly recommend.

By Futaro Yamada,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Meiji Guillotine Murders as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'An audacious puzzle mystery, woven into an exquisitely crafted historical tale. One of the most original works in the history of Japanese mystery writing' Haruo Yuki, author of The Ark

__________

Tokyo, 1869. It is the dawn of the Meiji era in Japan, but the scars of the recent civil war are yet to heal. The new regime struggles to keep the peace as old scores are settled and dangerous new ideas flood into the country from the West.

A new police force promises to bring order to this land of feuding samurai warlords, and chief inspectors Kazuki and Kawaji…


Explore my book 😀

Shadows of Tokyo

By Matthew Legare,

Book cover of Shadows of Tokyo

What is my book about?

In 1931, in Japan, the geisha Reiko Watanabe learns of a plot to overthrow the civilian government hatched by her own lover. She alerts Inspector Kenji Aizawa of the Tokyo Police Department, and together, they thwart assassins and fascists, uncovering a vast conspiracy that leads back to the Army, high finance, and the Imperial Throne itself!

My book is the first in the Reiko Watanabe/Inspector Aizawa series, a historical thriller set in 1930s Japan.

Book cover of Out
Book cover of The Black Lizard
Book cover of The Silent Dead

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Tokyo 92 books
Japan 517 books