Soul cage

This is the second novel (after The Silent Dead, 2016) in Honda's series, starring Lieutenant Reiko Himekawa of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Homicide Division, to be published in the U.S. In Japan, the series has been hugely successful, jumping off into both television and the movies. Honda gives us a broad-based police procedural, showing how the various components of crime solving all fit together within the major task force. There's still the traditional cop pettiness and humor to lighten the proceedings. A severed hand has been found in a minivan outside Tokyo; copious amounts of blood fill the garage of the hand's owner, but no body turns up. The investigation leads to a disturbingly delineated suicide-for-survivors'-profit scheme, run by the Japanese yakuza. Honda shuttles between two narratives, one told by the orphan survivor of a construction-site suicide scheme; the other tracing the crime investigation to great effect throughout. Himekawa comes across as a little unbelievable at times, but the intricate plotting and vivid settings carry the day.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2010 Booklist

The discovery of a severed hand inside a sealed plastic bag in an illegally parked minivan propels Honda's excellent second mystery featuring Lt. Reiko Himekawa of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police's homicide unit (after 2016's The Silent Dead). The vehicle was reported missing, by 20-year-old Kosuke Mishima, from a garage rented by his employer, Kenichi Takaoka of Takaoka Construction. A large pool of blood was on the garage floor. Mishima notified the authorities only after he was unable to reach his boss by phone. When the DNA from the hand and the pool of blood match, the police proceed on the theory that Takaoka was murdered. Though Mishima's new girlfriend, whom he met about a month earlier, provides him with an alibi, Reiko is intrigued to learn of an unusual coincidence: both Mishima's and his girlfriend's fathers died in construction accidents. Honda heightens suspense by leaving the reader to wonder how that revelation connects with the novel's cryptic prologue; the ultimate answer to this clever blend of procedural and whodunit doesn't disappoint. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

When a severed left hand is found in an abandoned minivan, it is assumed to belong to a missing contractor, Kenichi Takaoka. Lt. Reiko Himekawa, of the Homicide Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, and her squad are assigned to the case. Investigations reveal that the missing man is not Takaoka and the task force confronts perplexing dead ends as they work to uncover a forced-suicide-for--insurance scheme involving the yakuza (Japanese organized crime). At the same time, -Himekawa must interact professionally with colleagues who range from supportive to hostile and annoyingly lovelorn. Verdict This follow-up to The Silent Dead features an intricate plot, stylish writing, a particularly nasty villain, splendidly developed characters, and innovative police procedurals. Admirers of Nicolás Obregón's Blue Light Yokohama and Keigo Higashino's Malice will enjoy getting to know Himekawa and her team. [See Prepub Alert, 1/30/17.]-ACT © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A veteran policewoman battles a competitive squad room and witnesses with secrets.Still stunned by the death of young cop Shinji Otsuka (The Silent Dead, 2016), tough Tokyo Police Lt. Reiko Himekawa catches a bizarre case that begins with the unearthing of a severed hand in the back of a Subaru van. Fingerprints and blood evidence indicate murder and identify the victim as Kenichi Takaoka, a subcontractor on big production contracts, though the rest of the body remains undiscovered. Reiko leads 10 teams of two officers in the probe. Unfortunately, the case also places her in close contact with rival Hiromitsu Ioka, recently transferred back to Tokyo from Kameari. The multiple planning meetings the investigation requires make gritty Reiko restless; she'd rather be in the field. One of Reiko's detectives, Mamoru Kusaka, interviews Takaoka's only employee, smooth, well-spoken Kosuke Mishima, who calls his dead boss "the old man." Unsatisfied with Kusaka's gentle touch, Reiko wants another shot at Mishima but must settle for his girlfriend, Michiko Nakagawa, who also happens to be his alibi. Reiko finds her nervous and drab, still grieving the shocking death of her father on a construction site months ago, and an obvious candidate for manipulation by Mishima. A parallel first-person narrative by Mishima counterpoints the investigation, filling in the picture and building to a climax. Readers should prepare for a surfeit of disconcertingly similar names: Kusaka, Kawada, Kamata, Kosuke, Kenichi, Kikuta. The seventh in Honda's series, and the second published in English, dives deep into the details of a complex investigation and the challenges facing a woman in a competitive working environment. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.