This is our third meeting with Kosuke Iwata, and this time we see him return to Tokyo to take care of some unfinished business. I imagine for anyone who hasn't read the previous two books there are parts that may be difficult to follow, but it would also not take away too much from the story line.

Kosuke is in Japan firstly to say goodbye to an old colleague, and secondly at the behest of Comissioner Shindo, who when facing a murder in the run up to the Olympics in Tokyo, brings in Kosuke to solve the crime. Kosuke is still followed by his demons, but this time, with Santi in his heart he seems a little more grounded. In fact, it's the Detective from London, Lynch, that takes on the mantle of the broken one.

The plot follows two crimes, we meet Sato very early on, claiming victims from the sex industry. The second is Skye, a sex worker. How these stories intertwine is really up to Nicolás Obregón to explain and not me.

Overall, this was a good foray. I think I prefer Kosuke in Japan than I did in Los Angeles. I feel the descriptions are more rich, I can smell the rain on the ground, feel the culture running through all of the descriptions. I didn't love the plot, the big twists I'd guessed really early on. But it's a good read. I feel I needed more from some of the characters, but I'd definitely be interested to see what Kosuke gets up to next.

Nicholas Obregon gets better and better. This will appeal to anyone interested in police procedural which here is coupled with Japanese noir. A brilliant and thrilling plot with two main story lines intertwined together with the further development of the personal story of detective Iwata.
The writer might be compared with Raymond Chandler at his darkest but he is a a brilliant writer with his own very individual style. Descriptions of the local scenes are, to say the least, atmospheric and Obregon is able to maintain tension and build up suspense in a relentless fashion. Highly recommended.

Japanese noir can be an acquired taste. It’s often stranger than the Scandi stuff: written in stylish prose that contrasts shattering acts of violence and fleeting images of bewildering beauty. It can be subtle to the point of obscurity yet explicit to extremes. This is not a genre for those who flinch easily, and unfamiliar readers might struggle with books like The Devotion of Suspect X or In The Miso Soup.

In Unknown Male, author Nicolás Obregón has crafted a rather more accessible story. His clever investigative tangle retains the hallmarks of its genre – an implacable killer, a genuinely perplexing mystery, complex characters motivated by conflicting experiences – but it’s not as outright bizarre as some Japanese fiction can be. Even so, this sophisticated story is definitely more challenging than the average police procedural.

This is the third book to feature the intellectually brilliant but psychologically scarred Inspector Iwata. He returns to his native Japan after years in America, somewhat out of step with his old colleagues and in an uncomfortably informal ‘consultant’ role. Iwata is a stranger in a strange land, not a welcome prodigal son. But he’s the perfect (…expendable) person to assign to a sensitive case which involves the death of a young English woman. The story which follows is as much about Iwata resolving his personal history as it is about catching a killer.

I read the first Iwata book (Blue Light Yokohama) a while back and missed the next one, so was somewhat behind with the character’s development. That wasn’t a problem: the story of Unknown Male is entirely self-contained. Obregón instils real depth in his characters with minimal exposition. He’s unleashed a genuinely ghastly killer, one who manipulates his victims with callous brutality but who passes unnoticed in the commuter throng. An anonymous salaryman, invisible in his dark suit and white shirt, an insidious stalker with a heart full of hate. The kinda of guy you meet every day at the water-cooler…

Balancing him, the investigators are rather more colourful and no less intense. A British police officer is sent to Tokyo as a liaison / observer, and she is a splendidly conflicted character in her own right. She’s sketched with a substantial back-story in a few deftly drawn paragraphs, and provides a familiar reference point for western readers to engage with an unfamiliar, occasionally unfathomable culture.

Even so, there are many moments of savage brutality, quiet poetry and oblique misery in Unknown Male. Don’t expect to be spoon-fed a straightforward story: much is understated or ambiguous… like that brilliant title, for instance.

Superb storytelling for the patient reader who enjoys the challenge of literary crime fiction. Not necessarily an easy ride!

8/10

‘It had been almost ten years since Iwata had been back to Japan, a long time anywhere but a Tokyo lifetime.’

Set just before the start of the 2020 Olympic Games, this is the third entry in Obregón’s series of books involving Kosuke Iwata. After feeling slightly disappointed in the previous outing (Sins as Scarlet, set in the US and Mexico), this was a welcome return to Japan for our damaged detective. The twin elements of the plot may or may not be connected: a series of disappearances among the girls working in the sex industry is sending shockwaves through the city; meanwhile an English girl is found beaten to death in a love hotel. Iwata is assigned to the case of Skye Mackintosh, and is helped by the new character of Anthea Lynch, an officer from the London police.

The two strands of the story are both intriguing; whilst we know from the outset who is killing the prostitutes – the undistinguished, ordinary-looking salaryman Mr Sato – the Mackintosh case gets more and more complex. Somehow the two cases get mixed up and everyone involved is put in peril.

This is a fast-paced, involving thriller. The narrative tone is very much in the vein of the Sam Spade/noir era (‘In San’ya, trouble was nobody’s business. The rest was business as usual’), but it feels toned down since the previous book, where it was a little too intrusive. The character of Iwata continues to be the focus of attention; indeed, his return to Tokyo to accept the case is merely an excuse for him to delve more into his own background, a mission of vengeance on his own part. The appearance of Anthea Lynch, herself a damaged individual, certainly leaves the door open for them to team up again.

Tokyo, and Japanese culture and society, are crucial to these stories, which is why I feel that the second book just didn’t pack the punch that the other two do. This is a welcome return to Japan, and I hope that other books in the series don’t stray too far again from Iwata’s natural environment. It is exactly his place in Japan – being a hometown boy but also feeling alienated from the place at the same time – that both defines him and gives depth to the stories. A worthy 4.5 stars. Great stuff.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

Unknown Male is the third instalment in the Inspector Kosuke Iwata series and how could I resist reading it given I am a Japanophile and these gripping thrillers are based in Tokyo, Japan. Each instalment can be read as a standalone as the story is self-contained, however, you will miss out on Iwata's backstory somewhat. It follows a seemingly ordinary guy living his life the way most people do; working day in day out and going back each night to his family home where his wife and child await him. But Mr Soto is a serial killer with a penchant for the sadistic which results in a number of sex workers being cruelly plucked from the seedy Tokyo underbelly and subjected to horrifying torture before being murdered in cold blood. The second strand of the plot revolves around the death of a young British girl, Skye Mackintosh, discovered at a hotel who was in the country studying. This means Iwata must liaise with Anthea Lynch from the Metropolitan police service back in the UK.

I thoroughly enjoyed this complex and compulsive story and feel it is Obregon's best to date. It's jarring how one can be a brutal killer yet hold down a job and have a pretty mundane and uneventful family life too. It reminds us that you never know who could be doing what. Iwata and Lynch are in some ways mirror images of one another as they both have disgraced themselves in the line of duty and have lost the respect of many of their peers. They have overstepped the mark one too many times and appear to have problems listening to their superiors and following rules. Although sometimes rules are there to be broken. The tale is a gripping and fascinating one and the depictions of Tokyo were magical and so vivid I felt as though I was actually there. Not for the faint-hearted, this is a gritty, gruesome page-turner with twists aplenty and a shocking conclusion to put the cherry on the cake. Many thanks to Michael Joseph for an ARC.

This is a dark, twisted and very cleverly written story. I was hooked the whole way through. The characters draw you in and keep you reading. There is a lot packed into this book. I want to sit and read it again in case I missed anything the first time.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

**4.5 stars **

After spending the last 10 years working as a private detective in LA, Inspector Kosuke Iwata returns to his native Japan, primarily to take charge of an investigation into the murder of English exchange student Skye Mackintosh, but there are also some ghosts of his own that he needs to exorcise while he’s back on home turf.

Running parallel to this investigation is that of numerous missing sex workers. The perpetrator is quite unremarkable - his disguise? He has no distinguishing features, nothing that would induce someone to give him a second look, someone who just blends in with the rest of us - the perfect persona for a serial killer!

This time out Inspector Iwata really has his work cut out - his orders are to find the student’s killer quickly - with the Tokyo Olympics due to start, the powers that be want it resolved before it sours the reputation of Tokyo.

Nicolás Obregón’s writing is so beautiful that it belies the dark content within, and make no mistake this IS a chilling noir tale - it’s also very complex as Iwata painstakingly digs into Tokyo’s sleazy underbelly, resulting in a fair few suspects, but none of whom feel quite right to Iwata, but he keeps digging until he gets the required results. Loving this series ( although it can be read as a stand-alone). Another riveting read from Mr Obregón!

This was an intriguing police procedural thriller. To be honest these police procedurals set in Japan are some of my favorite types of thrillers to read. The cities and countryside of Japan give way for some interesting storylines for sure.

Nicolas Obregon really captures the moodiness of Japan in his writing. Iwata is a great main character and I look forward to reading more stories involving him. The addition of Anthea Lynch means Obregon can branch out into UK/Japan thrillers some more, please do.

This book is not for the queasy though, some of the descriptions were phewwwww off-putting to say the least. But that just means the writing is working, no? My stomach may have been turned.

Having read the first two Inspector Iwata books, I was delighted to have the chance to review Unknown Male. I enjoyed the first, Blue Light Yokohama more than the second as I felt the atmospheric descriptions of Japan really added to the drama. In Unknown Male, Iwata is back in Japan to solve the murder of a British girl and to possibly put some personal demons to rest at the same time. Gritty, brutal and at times quite shocking, Nicolas Obregon has once again produced a fast paced thriller that takes you on a journey through the darkest, seediest areas of Tokyo in contrast to the glamorous impression the city is trying to portray for the forthcoming Olympic Games. I really enjoyed this book but I would possibly have preferred to see Iwata have more of a role in the pursuit of the serial killer rather than focussing on the British girl. For shock and interest this may have worked better. However, I am looking forward to reading more in this series and really hope it is based in Japan again rather than America.

The blurb of this really got my attention. I love thriller/who dunnits and I love Japan. However, this slightly missed the mark for me. It was a great concept and writing, but it just dragged. I wanted more about the actual situation, rather than it being about the chase of the killer.

A new author for me and what a read. Set in Japan, a serial killer like no other and blends in, disappearing sex workers and the murder of a British lady. This is my type of book. Hooked from the first page and very hard to put down. This read had me sat on the edge of my tapping my kindle like a demented wood pecker. Gripping, pay and utterly compelling. A real page turner and an easy five stars and so Highly Recommended.
I would like to thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

I’ve not heard of this author before and thought the short description of the book looked interesting. I have to say I really enjoyed reading this book. There are two storylines - the first of an ordinary, hard working family man who is a sadistic serial killer and secondly the murder of a young British lady who is studying in Tokyo and the disappearance of sex workers. The main character is an ex detective who is asked to return to Tokyo to investigate the murder of the British victim. The UK also send out a police officer to help with the investigation. I felt the story was well written and flowed well and was easy to follow. It held my attention from start to finish. It was very descriptive and I could picture the scenes in my mind. There were quite a few twists in the story and a shocking reveal of the murderer at the end that I did not see coming.

Another tale of Japanese noir featuring ex detective Itawa as.beautifully complex as previous tales this one features a murder of a young English student alongside a mass murderer that never really connects with the first case. An English detective is also introduced to the series and one presumes will reappear in future tales along with her complicated back history. Itawa has long held revenge on his mind as well as the case and cleverly gains both results in a whirlwind climax! Once again recommended, look forward to more!

This is normally the type of book I enjoy and read without looking up from the page, but there was just something for me personally that just didn’t work, I’m not sure what it was. It could possibly be the translation. But I’m not sure. However I am certain there are lots of readers out there that will read this novel and absolutely love it.

The story is quite a dark one, it’s most certainly not a cozy mystery story, so if that’s what you are looking for this is definitely not it. This novel is not for the faint hearted. I have read many of these types of novels and even I struggled with some of the content. There are some graphic scenes of mutilation and torture. Set in the underbelly of Tokyo, a young girl is found dead in a love hotel. The investigators on the case are two disgraced officers one is English Lynch and the other is Japanese Iwata. They are both good investigators but both also like to blur the lines a little.

But then you have Mr Soto, who appears as a normal man, married and having one child, he goes to work, comes home to the family, nothing unusual there, so what is it about him? Turns out he has a dark side, he’s not the nice man you see leaving his family and going to work. He has a secret, he likes to abduct, keep, torture and kill. He is not a nice man at all, what makes it more scary is the fact that he does look normal, you would never suspect him of such heinous crimes. He could be your average next door neighbour.

I didn’t quite gel with the characters as I didn't find anything to like about them, certainly Mr Soto was creepy, but even Lynch and Iwata just didn’t do anything for me, it’s nice to have at least one character that you could like and feel they had redeeming qualities. But not here. The story is at times deeply disturbing but at the same time gripping. This is the first Japanese noir book I have read, I did like some of the descriptions of Japan and life in Tokyo.

The book is well written although the translation didn’t flow right at times. If you like gritty gruesome Japanese noir then this is a book for you.

I would like to thank #Netgalley and #Penguinpunlishers for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

Fantastic. I enjoyed this from beginning to end. It was gripping, gruesome and well written. The characters were believable and the Tokyo setting well described. The serial killer was also all too credible. .

Unknown Male is a compelling thriller set in Tokyo around the time of the Olympics.It, begins with an English girl found dead in a love hotel .Two Detectives are tasked with solving the crime one Japanese one English Iwata and Lynch both have been disgraced in the past but are excellent at solving crimes .Meanwhile a serial killer who takes women mostly prostitutes walks around free and anonymous,just an ordinary man in a suit ! Mr Soto is a monster who has killed seven women already but appears so normal .I found the beginning of the book quite a slow read and struggled with the Japanese names but I soon got into the story and The ending was good if a little rushed .Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review . .

Superb. The Japanese context of this book gives it an added appeal,particularly if you have ever experienced the atmosphere and culture of that country. This us essentially a murder story but with many twists and turns. The consultant, Iwata,a Japanese former detective, brought in to help solve the mystery is himself a damaged figure but nevertheless a very convincing character in the story. So to is the English detective brought in to accompany the family of the murdered British citizen. An added bonus is an unexpected ending to conclude the story with the same verve that is present on every page. This us an outstanding book.

I don’t suppose Nicolás Obregón will be top of Tokyo Tourist’s Board Christmas Card list but he (if I knew his address) would be top of mine! In Unknown Male, Nicolás paints a grim picture of the seedy side of Tokyo life when his character Kosuke Iwata is summoned from afar to investigate the death of Skye Mackintosh. An investigation which draws in Anthea Lynch from the UK’s Metropolitan Police Service, an individual with a tarnished reputation but supposedly seconded to Tokyo’s finest for a second chance in life. Meanwhile we learn of the disappearance of a number of Tokyo’s sex workers and of a very ordinary man with a deviant palate.

I was entranced with Nicolás Obregón’s work from his first novel Blue Light Yokohama and the sequel Sins as Scarlet. Looking at his background I am amazed at the breadth of his writing, seeming as familiar with Tokyo as he is in LA or Mexico.
You couldn’t put a feeler gauge between his novels in terms of each one delivering with abundance. A brilliant writer in a dark world.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An exceptionally dark twisty thriller from an immensely gifted author.

Nicolas Obregon's Unknown Male is a masterful example of Japanese Noir. With its descriptions of the seething underbelly of Tokyo and its 'everyday man' serial killer, Mr Soto, who typifies 'the banality of evil' Hannah Arendt spoke so chillingly of, Obregon has written a compelling thriller. This book is not for the faint-hearted, however. With its stark backdrop of a darker Tokyo, far removed from the genteel face that will be presented to the world during the Tokyo Olympics, and its graphic scenes of mutilation and torture, Unknown Male is both thought-provoking and frightening. Frightening, precisely because Mr Soto is a monster who walks among us with a very human face. These are the monsters which truly haunt our dreams and who Obregon's captures so expertly in his narrative. This book kept me awake precisely for these reasons; reasons which also speak profoundly of this author's talent in being able to engage with his readers in such a profound way. In this Obregon shows an acute understanding of the human condition as exemplified by the actions of its main protagonists, Mr Soto and the investigating detectives - Iwata and Lynch. This is not a quick read for the uninitiated in Japanese culture, but its pay-off is immense. This is a twisty, sophisticated mystery that will keep you gripped to the end.

I have to admit that I struggled a bit with this book. Every so often I was taken out of the story by something that wasn't quite written as fluidly as maybe it could have been. That or some of the Japanese parts didn't quite translate for me. That said, the story was gripping and quite dark at times - graphically so on occasion. Not for the faint hearted!
So... Mr Soto goes to work, comes home, sees his wife and child, all normal behaviour you'd think. But he has a secret. He likes to abduct, keep, torture and kill. He's not a nice man. Especially with some of the other stuff he does on the side, if his main aim isn't heinous enough.
But our story isn't all about him. An English girl has been discovered dead in a love hotel. Tasked to investigate are two disgraced and wounded police - one Japanese, the other an English liaison. Both very good at what they do investigator wise but both a little fond of blurring the lines of authority!
And so begins a rather convoluted tale that takes everyone out of their comfort zones as they try to get to the truth of the matter.
I say convoluted. It was convoluted all the way through until towards the end where everything seemed to be wrapped up quite quickly. A bit too neatly if I have to say. To be honest, and I have to be, this book appeared to me to be more about the investigators than what they were investigating. As I didn't really get on with either of the main two characters that meant that the book fell a little flat to me. It also contained some rather graphic scenes that, although obviously spoke to character, were a little over the top gruesome.
But, something compelled me to keep reading. I guess I wanted justice for the victims and just needed to see it meted out. It helped that I did connect to some of the lesser characters in the book and they kept me going all the way. My persistence was rewarded by a satisfying, albeit a tad contrived, ending. The action scenes were well played out and the investigation itself was intriguing, the explanation satisfying most of my quibbles along the way.
All in all, a solid read that although the during was dubious for me, the ending made up for it. I think that it was more that the author's style of writing didn't quite suit me. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.