Lady Joker set in Japan by Kaoru Takamura

Submitted: 25th August 2022

Lady Joker set in Japan by Kaoru Takamura

Lady Joker Vol 1 set in JAPAN

by Kaoru Takamura,

translated by Allison Markin Powell and Marie Iide,

John Murray Press

BookTrail the locations in Lady Joker

Boarding Pass Information : Lade Joker

Destination : Tokyo

Author guide: Kaoru Takamura,

Genre: Crime thriller

Food and drink to accompany: Sushi

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BookTrail the locations in Lady Joker

Plot

Inspired by the unsolved true-crime kidnapping case perpetrated by “the Monster with 21 Faces”

Imagine a novel like this being inspired by such an infamous crime.

Tokyo, 1995. Five men meet at the racetrack every Sunday to bet on horses. They have little in common except a deep disaffection with their lives. They become intent on revenge against a society that values corporate behemoths more than human life. So, they decide to carry out a heist: kidnap the CEO of Japan’s largest beer conglomerate and extract blood money from the company’s corrupt financiers.

Location: TOKYO

Crime and true life capers in Tokyo. There’s murder, kidnapping, extortion, revenge, corporate fraud and that’s just the start. I also felt the novel was a deep insight into Japanese culture and history.

The novel is complex and although a crime novel, it feels very Japanese in that the idea of saving face and pride is deeply engrained into society and it seems very strange to westerners who want justice above all else. The country is going through many changes and these are all reflected in the novel as the characters discuss and moan about their status and lot in life. How companies and bosses treat their workers…that is a big issue.

Characters

The men who all meet at the races are from very varied backgrounds. They all seem to have menial or lowly jobs and so they want to take revenge for their lot in life. They kidnap the CEO and President of a major company and the novel is about who they do that and why. The resulting financial fallout is the subject of book two apparently.

Translation:

Good translation which reads well but it’s very long! Very complex too – this is just part one. that’s not the translator fault of course. Every character comes out as unique and the writing feels very precise and exact reflecting the culture and excution of the crime no doubt.