Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on the Detective Hiroshi Series from author Michael Pronko, with a focus on the first three books of the series, all of which have been recognized with awards and high ratings from reviewers:
- The Last Train, Book 1 of the Series, 4.2 stars, 2000+ ratings
- The Moving Blade, Book 2 of the Series, 4.1 stars, 982 ratings
- Tokyo Traffic, Book 3 of the Series, 4.4 stars, 700+ ratings
Start the series today with a FREE DOWNLOAD of the e-book edition of The Last Train.
Bonus: Download a free copy of Tokyo's Mystery Deepens, Michael Pronko's award-winning collection of writing about life in Tokyo, when you sign up to receive his free newsletter."A rare glimpse of the structure and nature of Tokyo's underlying psyche.” ~Midwest Book Review
The Last Train
Book 1 of the Detective Hiroshi SeriesGenres: International Mystery & Crime, Crime Thrillers
4.2 stars, 2231 ratings
Paperback: $15.40
E-book: FREE
In Tokyo, murder is easy to hide.
Detective Hiroshi Shimizu investigates white-collar crime in Tokyo. When an American businessman turns up dead, Hiroshi is called to the site of the grisly murder where security camera video suggests the killer might be a woman.
Hiroshi's investigation takes him into the hostess clubs and skyscraper offices of Tokyo, and into the perilous market for buying and selling the most expensive land in the world. Information can travel in a flash from insiders at top investment firms to street-level punks and teenage hostesses, as everyone scrambles for their cut of lucrative land deals in the world's largest city. But Hiroshi is determined to cut through Japan’s ambiguities to find the murderer before she extracts her final revenge—which just might be him.
Praise/Awards for The Last Train
- “An absorbing investigation.” ~Kirkus Reviews
- “An utterly page-turning adventure.” ~Foreword Reviews
- “A terrific thriller.” ~BlueInk Review
- “Gripping and suspenseful.” ~Booklife/Publisher’s Weekly
- Winner, Shelf Unbound: Best Independently Published Book (2018)
- Winner, Book Excellence Awards: Best Mystery Solo Medalist (2017)
- Gold Award, Literary Titan Book Awards (2017)
- Silver Award, IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards (2017)
The Moving Blade
Book 2 of the Detective Hiroshi SeriesGenres: International Mystery & Crime, Crime Thrillers
4.3 stars, 982 ratings
Paperback: $15.49
E-book: $5.99
In Japan, the past is always present.
When the top American diplomat in Tokyo, Bernard Mattson, is killed, he leaves more than a lifetime of successful Japan-American negotiations. He leaves a missing manuscript, boxes of research, a lost keynote speech, and a tangled web of relations.
When Mattson's alluring daughter, Jamie, returns from America wanting answers but finding only threats, Detective Hiroshi Shimizu is dragged from the safe confines of his white-collar crime investigations into the street-level realities of Pacific Rim politics. When two more bodies turn up, Hiroshi must choose between desire and duty, violence or procedure, before the killer silences his next victim.
Praise/Awards for The Moving Blade
- “An elegant balance of Japanese customs with an American-style hard-boiled procedural.” ~Kirkus Review
- “A stellar novel with a unique storyline and setting.” ~Booklife Prize
- “A true page turner.” ~BlueInk Review
- Kirkus Reviews, Best Indie Mysteries and Thrillers (2018)
- Grand Prize Winner, Chanticleer Int'l Book Awards, Global Thrillers (2018)
- Gold Award, Literary Titan (2018)
Tokyo Traffic
Book 3 of the Detective Hiroshi SeriesGenres: International Mystery & Crime, Crime Thrillers
4.4 stars, 701 ratings
Paperback: $15.47
E-book: $6.99
In Tokyo, street smarts aren't always enough.
A young Thai girl escapes to Tokyo. With her Bangkok street smarts, she stays ahead of traffickers willing to do anything to recover the computer she took when she fled a murder scene.
When Detective Hiroshi Shimizu leaves the safe confines of his office to investigate a triple murder at a porn studio, the leads point him in multiple directions. Together with an ex-sumo wrestler and his old-school mentor, Hiroshi tracks the killers through Tokyo's teen hangouts, bayside docks, and crowded squares, straight into the underbelly of the global economy.
As bodies wash up from Tokyo Bay, Hiroshi tries to find the Thai girl whose name he doesn't even know. Along the way, he uncovers trafficking rings and cryptocurrency scammers whose connections extend to the highest levels of Tokyo's power elite.
Praise/Awards for Tokyo Traffic
- "A dark and striking thriller." ~Kirkus Reviews
- "A gritty underworld whodunit." ~US Review of Books
- "Taut and terse, this noir novel is executed to perfection." ~Foreword Clarion Reviews
- Winner, Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award (2020)
- Gold Award, Literary Titan (2020)
- Reviewer's Choice, Feathered Quill Book Awards (2020)
- Winner National Indie Excellence Awards, Thriller (2021)
About the Author
Michael Pronko is a Tokyo-based writer of murder, memoir, and music. His writing about Tokyo life and his character-driven mysteries have won multiple awards and five-star reviews. Michael also runs the website Jazz in Japan, which covers the vibrant jazz scene in Tokyo and Yokohama. Learn more at MichaelPronko.com, get a free copy of Tokyo's Mystery Deepens when you sign up for his newsletter, and be sure to follow Michael online: 
