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The Informer by Akimitsu Takagi, Translated by Sadako Mizuguchi Soho Press, July, 2001. Trade paperback, 257 pages. ISBN: 1569472432 Ordering information: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk 
Originally published in 1965, The Informer provides
another fascinating glimpse into post-World War II Japanese
culture by Japan's premier mystery writer, Akimitsu Takagi.
Translated into English by Sadako Mizuguchi, the
book tells the story of a young stock broker named
Shigeo Segawa. Shigeo, desperate because of being laid
off after the large stock market crash in the 1960s, takes a
job as an industrial spy. The new job requires Shigeo to
betray his old friend by stealing his secrets and his wife's
affections. When his friend ends up dead, Shigeo
is the prime suspect. As the prosecutor Kirishima
begins to delve doggedly into the case he finds that Shigeo
may not be the only person with a motive for the killing.
The Informer is a part of Soho Press' plan to bring the works of the talented Akimitsu Takagi to the American mystery-loving public. Sadako Mizuguchi does an able job with the translation, which could not have been an easy task. Many of the customs of 1960s Japan would be incomprehensible to American readers in 2001, and Mizuguchi explains much without ever detracting from the narrative. The Tattoo Murder Case and Honeymoon to Nowhere are also excellent translations which should be added to any mystery buff's collection. --Claire E. White Reprinted with permission from The Internet Writing Journal®. Copyright © 1997-2011 by Writers Write, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
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