Michael Pronko's Blog, page 5

June 12, 2020

Walking Shoji

(Thinking about masks these days…)


Originally published in Newsweek Japan, 2007


At certain times of the year in Tokyo, people lose face. Actually, they don’t lose face in embarrassment; they lose face by covering them up with white gauze masks. Tokyo must rank first in mask sales in the world. During the rush hour, many trains look like a convention of surgeons.


For many allergy sufferers, spring is one long sneeze. And given that the cold season lingers long past winter, wearing a mask seems like a pretty sensible idea. In one of the most densely populated cities on the planet, microcosmic irritants like viruses, pollution, and pollen are even more densely populated. Masks help keep those small enemies at bay.


But, other cities in the world are also germ- and pollen-ridden, yet, there, you hardly ever see a mask outside of Halloween or the operating room. On those days when I feel like I’ve stepped into some minimalist Mardi Gras costume party, I start to suspect that in Tokyo masks serve other purposes, and rather confusing ones, as well.


The standard white color seems oddly out of place. Tokyoites dress in the most stylish black of any city in the world, yet still seem unafraid to pull on a silly-looking piece of cheap white cloth. They lift up their designer glass frames to pull the little strings around their ears then carefully position what looks like a wad of tissue over their mouth. As unfashionable as it looks, it had better serve some practical function.


These masks also politely keep one’s cold viruses to oneself while publicly signaling sickness. Whenever I see one,I tend to stand on the other side of the train. If a colleague has one on, you do not even need to ask how they are. The mask says it all: “Do not disturb.” Their heroic appearance at work, sick as they are, finds them flying a white flag of surrender. Anyone with a mask on is best left alone.


Truly sick or not, masks, like a protective shield on cellphone screens, hide the communicative activity going on underneath. In this sense, masks offer some peace of mind hidden behind another layer. They are a helpful defense against Tokyo’s constant human contact, where on an average day, you might have thousands of face-to-face encounters. Tokyo “face-fulness” can be exhausting.


When traveling outside Japan, I am always first struck by how expressive other culture’s faces are. The closeness and numbers of faces in Tokyo, though, demand a sort of public blankness just to get through busy days of constant “interface.” These white masks are an extension of this “Tokyo Noh mask,” where the real character stays hidden deep inside.


This sense of gentle concealment runs through Japanese culture. To me, masks are a kind of walking shoji, letting in a little air, but offering privacy as well. This way of discreetly half-covering runs the gamut from fans to bamboo blinds to women covering up their laugh in formal situations. Though some other cultures cover bodies or sacred places in veils or cloths of different sorts, in Japan this partial covering up remains a complex gesture of communication, alluring as much as excluding.


For some women, the mask conceals their lack of time to put on cosmetics. They want either perfection or a curtain. I find these masks kind of erotic. They draw attention to the eyes, focusing one’s gaze on the highly expressive are above the nose. Eyes, of course, are tremendously powerful communicators. Masks make people seem as if they will pull aside the cloth only to state their honest feelings or offer a passionate kiss. Obviously, no one wants more cold germs than they already get, but masks are never just masks; they really are about faces, eyes, and feelings.


In Tokyo’s dense and often fatiguing daily life, face-to-face contact can start to wear anyone down. Everyone’s face needs a day off now and again. Masks give a little hidden distance that serves as remedy not only for colds and allergies but also for the stress of a crowded city. Looking out from behind a mask offers a unique vantage point, and a very rare one in Tokyo, to see, but not really be seen.


白いマスクの下は濃密な東京のオアシス」”Walking Shoji”, Newsweek Japan March 14, 2007。


Read more in Tokyo’s Mystery Deepens viewBook.at/TokyosMystery


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Published on June 12, 2020 18:01

June 11, 2020

Literary Titan 5 out of 5 stars

Tokyo Traffic


JUN 10


Posted by Literary Titan



When bodies start to pop up in Tokyo bay detective Hiroshi is once again called in to solve the horrible case and put together the pieces to a perplexing crime that involves the grim underworld of human trafficking and crypto-currency scamming.


Pronko’s characters are always something I look forward to. This being the third book in the Detective Hiroshi Tokyo series I found detective Hiroshi to be a well-established character but Hiroshi Shimizu continues to hold an allure that is subtle yet ever-present. While the investigation seems to go off in many directions I was always impressed with Hiroshi’s detective skills, which were always believable, which allowed me to follow an otherwise circuitous story easily.


Sukanya is the story of a girl lost in a big city. She’s being chased by thugs but luckily for her her cunning and intelligence keep her one step ahead of the villains. It’s always nice to see strong female leads and with Sukanya and Chiho we’re treated to a nuanced view of women contending with a dense city that cares little for them by using their own wits.


The way in which these two genuinely intriguing characters riveting storylines come together is something that I rarely see and makes Tokyo Traffic the most thrilling book I’ve read this year. We’re treated to modern versions of Japanese culture that have evolved in the shadow of Tokyo. Michael Pronko creates the backdrop to this story as if it is a character all on its own and invites readers into this colorful world in an easy yet striking way.


If you’re looking for a thrilling crime fiction set in an exotic location then Tokyo Traffic is a prime choice. The enigmatic mystery at the heart of this intriguing novel was something I swiftly gave up in trying to solve as I realized that the chaotic and dramatic journey was the fun part. Tokyo Traffic is an exceptional ending to an extraordinary series from a mystery writer that knows how to entertain.


Pages: 341 | ASIN: B087QVRXZB


https://literarytitan.com/2020/06/10/tokyo-traffic/

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Published on June 11, 2020 17:00

June 8, 2020

Foreword Clarion Reviews 5 out of 5

BOOK REVIEWS


TOKYO TRAFFIC


A DETECTIVE HIROSHI MYSTERY


Reviewed by Benjamin Welton

June 8, 2020


Taut and terse, this noir novel is executed to perfection.


Clarion Rating: 5 out of 5


Michael Pronko’s Tokyo Traffic is a hard-boiled murder mystery featuring the tough but lovable Detective Hiroshi Shimizu.


At the dark novel’s heart is Sukanya, a Bangkok native and part of Asia’s underground trade in young women’s flesh. At its beginning, Sukanya is on the run from sex traffickers who not only want her back, but also want the computer that she stole from them. Sukanya has an ally in Chiho, a Japanese girl who lives in one of Tokyo’s many internet cafés.


This story intersects with Hiroshi when the police detective is called in to investigate a triple murder at a porn studio, which leads him deep into the underbelly of Tokyo. Although it is one of the world’s safest cities, Tokyo also has a thriving black market that specializes in drugs, sex, violence, and unlicensed exports.


In this excellent noir title, Hiroshi is a tough, streetwise officer. His investigation is aided by two friends: a former sumo wrestler, Sakaguchi, and an old school chum, Takamatsu. Neither man is a trained peace officer or sleuth, but the trio pushes the narrative, navigating the complex alleyways and derelict clubs and hangouts of the city in order to figure out who is responsible for a rash of deaths. Sukanya and Chiho push the story from another direction as they elude a conspiracy of gangsters. Tension rises as the two paths meet and the conclusion nears.


There is not much mystery involved in reading; the villains are known almost from the beginning. In the place of whodunit elements, the novel focuses on describing, blow by blow, how Hiroshi and his friends piece together a series of horrific crimes with an obvious connection to mobsters based in Japan and Thailand. The beginning, middle, and end all share the same quality of sociological commentary and cynicism. This is a captivating mix executed to perfection by taut and terse writing.


The prose has a forceful punch. Verbs dominate, and the short chapters all help to keep the central story in focus. Rather than unimportant diversions about Hiroshi’s habits or his idiosyncrasies, the novel uses action and sharp dialogue to keep everything moving. Tokyo becomes its own character; the city and its residents, especially its unsavory ones, are described in detail, making every element seem familiar. Tokyo Traffic is an excellent addition to the Detective Hiroshi series.


Foreword  Clarion Reviews


https://www.forewordreviews.com/reviews/tokyo-traffic/

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Published on June 08, 2020 16:28

June 5, 2020

Diane Donovan Midwest Book Review

Tokyo Traffic


Michael Pronko


Raked Gravel Press


B087QVRXZB                       $9.99


https://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Traffic-Michael-Pronko-ebook/dp/B087QVRXZB


In Tokyo Traffic, Detective Hiroshi Shimizu is tracking a dangerous killer through the nightclubs and byways of the city, moving through the city as he tracks his perp through a puzzling series of environments and motives.


Michael Pronko excels at capturing the atmosphere of Tokyo: “Hiroshi leaned back to look up at the forty-four stories of luxury apartments ensconced in an office-condominium complex carved out of Akasaka’s high-priced real estate. The corners were rounded by mirrored glass and the rest of the outside was lined with deep-set balconies up to the penthouses on the top floors. It was the kind of luxury apartment building he’d only imagined from numbers on spreadsheets. It was hard to believe such places actually existed. “No one this rich would ever need to kill anyone. They could just buy them off,” Takamatsu said.”


Thai girl Sukanya, a victim of sex trafficking, is eluding her former captors in Tokyo. She’s also using the city’s opportunities to plot revenge. As evidence leads Hiroshi to join others in trying to track this clever girl, the bodies mount, as do the threats to studio contractor Kenta Nakamura and others who have a dangerous inclination to become involved with young girls and trouble.


Although Tokyo Traffic is the third in the Tokyo-based Detective Hiroshi series, no prior familiarity is needed in order for newcomers to enjoy this latest adventure. Michael Pronko crafts a fast-paced atmosphere that covers Kenta’s involvement in a plot and a dangerous game, tracing the astute detective’s attempts to halt the murders that are changing even the underworld.


As Tokyo’s streets and a diverse set of characters come to life, readers will find the underlying social inspection and intrigue revolving around the adult film industry and Jack and Jill Studios to be involving, unpredictable, and a test of even the seasoned Hiroshi’s skills.


Pronko’s familiarity with Japanese culture in general and Tokyo atmosphere in particular enhances a story that once again excels in exploring both while presenting a murder mystery and romance that holds reader attention to the end.


The result is a story that winds through Tokyo’s streets and Hiroshi’s heart alike, drawing readers through a dangerous game that culminates in an unexpected, satisfying conclusion that further expands Hiroshi’s world.


Mystery readers who enjoy their detective pieces firmly rooted in reality will find Tokyo Traffic an excellent read, highly recommended for those who enjoy tense thrillers that take place in other cultures and affording opportunity for education and involvement in more than one outcome.


Diane Donovan

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Published on June 05, 2020 19:10

Reedsy Discovery

Must read

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Published on June 05, 2020 19:07

June 3, 2020

IndieReader 4.5/5

TOKYO TRAFFIC


By Michael Pronko


IR RATING: 4.5


A high-energy thriller set in the gruesome world of human trafficking and child pornography, Michael Pronko’s TOKYO TRAFFIC keeps the adrenaline pumping until the very end.


IR Approved


FictionMystery/Thriller


Posted by Catherine Langrehr.  June 3, 2020


Synopsis:


Several murder victims are found in a Tokyo studio used to shoot underage pornography videos, including one of the trafficked girls and an important official in the Ministry of Finance. One of the girls manages to escape with her life – and a laptop and iPad with crucial information – but is relentlessly pursued by those with everything to lose. Can Detective Hiroshi Shimizu trace the killers, solve the mystery before it’s too late?


TOKYO TRAFFIC, the third in a series of novels by Michael Pronko featuring Detective Hiroshi, is a high-suspense, action-packed thriller, with a deeply sympathetic heroine, a conscientious and likeable detective, and villains who are believable and fully human but not at all hard to hate. Its indictment of the human trafficking industry, and lax government policies and laws that allow it to continue, is fierce, righteous, and not at all subtle, but does not end up being preachy or interfering with the storytelling or the plot.


Sukanya, a frightened but resourceful Thai girl lost in the middle of a foreign country with nowhere safe to turn, is someone the reader can both root for and fear for. Her innocence, and the danger she’s in, enlist the reader’s sympathy and drive a good deal of the novel’s suspense. Seeing things from her perspective gives us a new and disturbing view of the trafficking industry, from the point of view of its very real and human victims. Those who take care of her along the way, including her new friends Chiho and Daisuke, help to restore the reader’s basic faith in humanity even as the evil and cruelty at the story’s core threatens it. The villains, though participating in a clearly evil industry and doing so without any visible remorse or even second thoughts, are not cartoon characters but real human beings with believable motivations and substantial intelligence – it takes good steady detective work to track them down and bring them to justice.


Hiroshi is, as a hero ought to be, a likeable, dedicated force of justice who cares about his job and is good at it, but has a life outside the police force as well. The plot is vigorous and action-driven, even in those places where the action is less physical and more cerebral. But there are plenty of daring chases and dangerous escapes, and the book accelerates to a dramatic, satisfyingly intense climactic final race. The story is clearly immersed in its Japanese context, with the appropriate social and cultural norms, in addition to the physical setting, but it’s done subtly and transparently enough that American readers will have no trouble understanding what’s going on. (The only untranslated term that might confuse the non-Japanese reader is meishi, but it’s not too hard to figure out from the context that it means “business card.”) Still, the context is there, and the cultural differences are noticeable enough to shift the reader’s perspective and make this a distinctly Japanese story.


A high-energy thriller set in the gruesome world of human trafficking and child pornography, Michael Pronko’s TOKYO TRAFFIC keeps the adrenaline pumping until the very end.


~Catherine Langrehr for IndieReader


Link to review


 


 

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Published on June 03, 2020 17:45

June 2, 2020

The Wishing Shelf 5/5

THE WISHING SHELF BOOK AWARDS


16 September 2020


TITLE: Tokyo Traffic


AUTHOR: Michael Pronko


Star Rating: 5


So, on Wednesday night, I plumped up my pillow, switched on my laptop and settled down to Tokyo Traffic. And, I must say, two days later, I enjoyed it very, very much. On a basic level, it is a compelling thriller set in Tokyo. On a deeper level, it is an expose on the sinister world of human trafficking and porn.


Almost everybody I know enjoys a good thriller. Lorry drivers, doctors with a hundred PhDs, nuns – to be honest, I don’t know any nuns, but I bet they do. The thing is, a thriller is so far removed from everyday life, we – as in ‘everybody’ – find them gripping. We want to know what it’s like to hunt a killer. To be the killer even! A thriller allows us to do that without getting shot at – or going to prison. Perfect!


Well, Tokyo Traffic by Michael Pronko allows me to be Detective Hiroshi Shimizu as he hunts down killers in the backstreets of Tokyo. I get to be there as he – or I – uncover a human trafficking ring and try to find a girl who holds the key to everything. And, I must say, it was a thrilling ride.


As with most novels of this nature, setting, and the ability of the author to describe that setting, is vital to the success of the story. Thankfully, the author works particularly well with this. He understands how important it is not to just simply describe Tokyo but, rather, have the characters interact with it in a natural and unobtrusive way. It’s all very dark; all very gritty, and ALL totally gripping.


I’m an English teacher so I very much enjoy books with correct grammar and spelling. I’m happy to report I didn ’t spot any problems in this respect. In fact, the author’s writing skills are excellent with a good balance of dialogue, character development and plot twists.


Tokyo Traffic is the third in the Tokyo-based Detective Hiroshi set. Would I recommend reading them in order – The Last Train then The Moving Blade and then this? Yes, probably. It’s always fun to follow characters as they develop through a set of books.


All in all, this is a classic thriller in terms of the gritty atmosphere, the dark characters and the brave and slightly broken hero. I would happily recommend it to anybody who enjoys a twisting plot and wants a glimpse into Japan’s criminal underworld.


Enjoy!


A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review


www.thewsa.co.uk

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Published on June 02, 2020 05:05

US Review Recommended

Tokyo Traffic


by Michael Pronko

Raked Gravel Press


Book review by Joel Samberg


“Hiroshi’s forensic accounting skill was helpful with most homicides, since money could be found at the root of most cases.”


This third volume in Pronko’s series about Detective Hiroshi is packed with all the atmosphere and disparate personalities readers have come to expect from his Tokyo-based stories. Pronko takes us through not just the Tokyo of movies and textbooks but one teeming with more underbellies and connections to global corruption than we might otherwise expect. This time our intrepid detective—an amiable accountant—is in pursuit of the criminals who may be responsible for a grisly murder at a porn studio. The key is likely held by a girl from Thailand who was working at the studio when the crime was committed. But now she’s missing, and Detective Hiroshi, who has a personal life as intriguing as his professional one, has his work cut out for him. Combining old-fashioned gumshoeing with modern-day social conventions, Pronko’s lengthy tale is as much a Tokyo detective’s diary as it is a gritty underworld whodunit.


Take a classic fictional detective out of a big American city in 1940’s, say a Philip Marlowe or a Dick Tracy, and transplant him to Tokyo in 2020 to solve a gruesome homicide. Therein lies the appeal of this crime thriller. Instead of taking us to a smoky Chicago nightclub to find a clue-laden cocktail napkin smeared with lipstick, the author might take us instead to a Tokyo internet cafe to read GPS coordinates left on a mobile device. The book, at a whopping 400 pages, requires patience and a good grasp at remembering names and places. However, it is intriguing for a host of reasons: one, the timeless, just-the-facts-ma’am crime-solving methodology of the detective; two, the appealing ways in which the author includes the daily minutiae of Hiroshi’s life; and three, the story’s revealing coverage of a true scourge of international crime—human trafficking.


RECOMMENDED by the US Review

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Published on June 02, 2020 05:00

Pacific Book Review

This is the latest in a series of novels highlighting the exploits of Detective Hiroshi Shimizu, a Japanese police officer that speaks English as well as his mother tongue, is trained in accounting, usually works international crimes, and almost always winds up in the thick of mayhem, murder, and more. This episode is no exception. It’s one that starts fast and doesn’t let up on its breakneck pace until bodies (both living and dead) are strewn all over the place.


The action begins in a film studio where pornographic movies are being made. An actress, the director, and a man connected to the government turn up dead while a young Thai girl named Sukanya escapes from the studio and makes a run for it in a city, Tokyo, that’s totally alien to her. She has taken with her a computer that can compromise too many villains and they plan to get both it and her back, regardless of the cost.


Sukanya’s flight to elude her pursuers sends her on a wild journey through the city. Simultaneously, Detective Hiroshi and his cohorts, a massive ex-sumo wrestler Sakaguchi, and the wisecracking Takamatsu, search for the killers from one end of the fabled town to another. While they’re at it, a story of human trafficking unfolds funded by the elusive world of cryptocurrency. Running down numbers as well as bad guys is right in Detective Hiroshi’s wheelhouse, so intellect, as well as energy, is put in play to pull a number of loose ends together.


Crime stories are frequently dependent on having criminals who are as interesting as the police who pursue them. The author fills that bill in this case with a evildoer from Thailand who’s into multiple nefarious operations, an ex-con from Japan who’s looking to improve his lot in unlawful enterprises, and a trio of thugs who sometimes give The Three Stooges a run for their money.


Writer Michael Pronko does a first-rate job of interweaving primary and secondary plots without slowing his narrative. In addition to imbuing his characters with idiosyncratic traits that bring them to life on the page, he’s also particularly adept at creating action sequences that bring a cinematic quality to car chases, shootouts, and hand-to-hand combat. Pronko’s work feels imminently credible because he’s such an accomplished chronicler of Tokyo itself. His uses of neighborhoods, streets, and sections of the city from gleaming high-rises to teaming underbelly drop readers right into the middle of one of the world’s most interesting metropolises. Crime and mystery fans should definitely get to know Detective Hiroshi and the town he calls home. One way to do that is to put the pedal to the metal and drive right into the middle of Tokyo Traffic.


http://www.pacificbookreview.com/tokyo-traffic/


Title: Tokyo Traffic


Subtitle: A Detective Hiroshi Mystery


Author: Michael Pronko


Publisher: Raked Gravel Press


Pages: 404


Genre: Crime/ Thriller


Reviewed by: Jake Bishop


 

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Published on June 02, 2020 04:52

Kirkus Review

  TOKYO TRAFFIC


Michael Pronko Raked Gravel Press


Murders on a pornographic film set expose a bevy of criminal activities in this third installment of a Tokyo-based detective series.


Detective Hiroshi Shimizu’s forensic accounting skills and fluency in English make him an asset in the Tokyo police’s homicide department. The newest case consists of three dead bodies at Jack and Jill Studios, which specializes in porn. Who exactly was the target isn’t clear: the unidentified actor; the director, Ryota Noguchi; or Takeo Suzuki, a former Ministry of Finance official. But the business is definitely involved in illegalities, as the dead actor is not only underage, but likely one of many trafficked girls. Readers are aware that Sukanya, a Thai teenager who’s in Japan for a promised American passport, fled from the scene and may have witnessed the murders. She also stole a laptop and an iPad, believing they would help her get out of an unfamiliar Tokyo. Unfortunately, Kenta Nakamura from Jack and Jill is determined to retrieve those potentially incriminating devices by whatever means necessary. Hiroshi, meanwhile, uses his aptitude with numbers to link cryptocurrency to the porn industry and the decidedly more dangerous human trafficking ring—likely involving the same people responsible for the homicides. Series protagonist Hiroshi shares the spotlight with myriad characters, both recurring and new. The narrative perspective regularly shifts to Kenta, who’s working with someone even more menacing, and Sukanya, who thankfully finds a helpful soul in Chiho, a local woman. While Hiroshi and other detectives search for the killer, the story’s most shocking aspect is the sheer volume of crimes, including blackmail, kidnapping, and worse. But Pronko attributes this overwhelming seediness to individuals, not Tokyo itself. The Japanese city is instead rather lively and appealing, like a vivid character standing “amid the grid of apartment blocks, gyudon shops, manga cafes, and family restaurants.”


A dark and striking thriller with an indelible cast and setting.

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Published on June 02, 2020 04:47