{"product_id":"shitamachi-scam-9781942410317","title":"Shitamachi Scam","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn Tokyo, there isn't always respect for older people. Sometimes, it's the opposite.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinner \u003c\/strong\u003eMystery Independent Press Award (2023)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFinalist \u003c\/strong\u003eSPR Book Awards (2023)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGold Award\u003c\/strong\u003e Literary Titan (2023)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEditor's Choice\u003c\/strong\u003e AudiobookBlog.com (2023)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter the suspicious deaths of a seventy-something woman and a student recluse, Detective Hiroshi tracks down a gang of scammers who target retirees, robbing them of their pensions, life savings, and even the deeds to their homes. Hiroshi teams up with Detective Ishii, who's been running a women's crime task force. Together, they find out who has been ripping off the pensions, life savings, and deeds to homes in shitamachi, the older, eastern side of the city.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith his personal life on hold (almost), Hiroshi finds out how complex the traditional life of Tokyo still is. With old-school Detective Takamatsu and ex-sumo wrestler Chief Sakaguchi watching his back, he finds out who's behind the scams, and who's behind the scammers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Pronko's knowledge of Japanese life is simply extraordinary-with painstaking care, he limns its shadowy contours and ambiguities. An absorbing drama conveyed with incisive intelligence.\"\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e-Kirkus Reviews\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eShitamachi Scam\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e is the sixth book in the Tokyo-based Detective Hiroshi series by award-winning author Michael Pronko.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Michael Pronko\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Raked Gravel Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/15\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 348\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.97lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.78d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781942410317\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBlueInk Review\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/06\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/15\/2024 pg. 25\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePronko, Michael:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eMichael Pronko\u003c\/b\u003e is a Tokyo-based writer of murder, memoir and music. His writing about Tokyo life and his character-driven mysteries have won awards and five-star reviews. \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e selected his second novel, \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Moving Blade\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e for their Best Books of 2018. \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Last Train\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e won the Shelf Unbound Competition for Best Independently Published Book.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMichael also runs the website, \u003ci\u003eJazz in Japan\u003c\/i\u003e, which covers the vibrant jazz scene in Tokyo and Yokohama. During his 20 years in Japan, he has written about Japanese culture, art, society and politics for \u003ci\u003eNewsweek Japan\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Japan Times\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eArtscape Japan\u003c\/i\u003e. He has read his essays on NHK TV and done programs for Nippon Television based on his writings.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA philosophy major, Michael traveled for years, ducking in and out of graduate schools, before finishing his PhD on Charles Dickens and film. He finally settled in Tokyo as a professor of American Literature at Meiji Gakuin University. His seminars focus on contemporary novels, short stories and film adaptations.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore at: \u003cbr\u003emichaelpronko.com\/\u003cbr\u003efacebook.com\/pronkoauthor\u003cbr\u003etwitter.com\/pronkomichael\u003cbr\u003einstagram.com\/michaelpronko\/\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Raked Gravel Press","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43076726489203,"sku":"9.78194E+12","price":24.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/9255\/0515\/files\/img_11b6c96c-30e9-40c1-afc8-5e3e22b820f1.jpg?v=1747924078","url":"https:\/\/bookstorenmore.com\/en-de\/products\/shitamachi-scam-9781942410317","provider":"Bookstore N More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}