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Murder at the Tokyo American Club
Book by Collins, Robert J.
167 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 22, 2013
This book is so funny. The Tokyo American Club is a real place, and the author served as its president for 6 years. The book is basically about the thankless job of being the president, especially when a headless torso and a non-matching head turn up in the swimming pool on the night of a big party. It sounds gruesome, but it's funny, the way Carl Hiassen is funny, and it is full of information about the ex-pat life in Japan, at least in 1991.
And other information: it turns out that "a major attraction of the club in the early years (it was founded in 1928) was the presence of meat on the menu--major because Americans could live without it and Japanese could not obtain it elsewhere." I knew that the japanese diet was heavy on fish and tofu but didn't realize (in these days of Kobe beef) that most prior generations of japanese had never tasted beef. My bad for not knowing, but I didn't.
my local fellow mystery fans, let me know if you want to borrow this. It's a breezy fast read and well worth it!
And other information: it turns out that "a major attraction of the club in the early years (it was founded in 1928) was the presence of meat on the menu--major because Americans could live without it and Japanese could not obtain it elsewhere." I knew that the japanese diet was heavy on fish and tofu but didn't realize (in these days of Kobe beef) that most prior generations of japanese had never tasted beef. My bad for not knowing, but I didn't.
my local fellow mystery fans, let me know if you want to borrow this. It's a breezy fast read and well worth it!
July 17, 2019
Very charming and evocative of expatriate life in Tokyo 30 years ago
Full of humour and not a little human insight. The mystery is really fascinating—I couldn’t pick it. I recommend this book.
Full of humour and not a little human insight. The mystery is really fascinating—I couldn’t pick it. I recommend this book.
November 27, 2016
Except for the WW II years, the "Tokyo American Club" has been in continuous existence since the 1930's. With over 3000 members, it is a gathering center for the city's international business elite. In the middle of the annual dinner, club manager's head is found in the swimming pool. The headless body also in the pool turns out not to match the head. Captain Tim Kawamura of the Azabu Police Department must cut through a tangle of bizarre blood ties and business connections between a swelling list of suspects as he pieces together the puzzle as well as the missing body parts.
There is a certain amount of tongue-in-cheek humor narrative to the story.
There is a certain amount of tongue-in-cheek humor narrative to the story.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews