TOKYO TRAFFIC

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.