The Lady Killer

A well told tale of revenge that loses nothing in its translation.

Japan - 1963 - Ichiro Honda is a man who leads a double life, and whose actions set another on a path of revenge. The story in the first part is Honda's - his conquests, his background, his present. The second part reveals that investigations into Honda's alleged crimes, and as Shinji, the lawyer, delves deeper, only then do we realise that Honda has been quite cleverly framed. The most telling part is when the subject and motive become clearer - however, like all good noir, there is a devious plot twist at the end.

Author Masako Togowa is said to be hereself, an actress, singer, nightclub owner - so she is really in her element here, and provides such evocative show more descriptions, that the reader could quite easily see themselves seated at the bar, cocktail in hand, observing all. show less

I couldn't finish this book, despite how short it is. Did not like being in the "lady killer's" head with the "hunter's log". I did flip through the last few chapters to verify an inkling I had about the solution, and I feel justified in not reading the whole thing.

An interesting take on the revenge thriller novel. Part 1's focus on the character of Ichiro Honda is balanced by Part 2's focus on the lawyers handling his case, the intrepid Shinji and his enigmatic boss Hatanaka. There are moments of parallel in the two parts - the way the main characters get dressed in the morning is a nice contrast and insight into their characters. Indeed, there is a theme of mirroring, of copying, but with distortions and imbalances, throughout the book. This seems a classic 'set up who the murderer is from page 1 and see how they are brought to justice'..... But I will leave it up to you to find out how it goes!! I would give it 3.5 stars but I can't, so 3 will have to do. But a really enjoyable read, definitely.