Ryu Takeshi – Shadow Shinjuku

‘Shadow Shinjuku’ by Ryu Takeshi is a Japanese crime thriller that has been expertly blended with urban fantasy as well Rather a dark story that made me feel it could also be classified as a crime noir novel.

Ryu Takeshi

The streets of Tokyo are different at night.
There is darkness behind the glitter and the neon lights, and people who prefer to stay in the shadows, to dwell in the underworld – whores, gangsters, the homeless, the lost.
People like Sato. He’s part of this world, he always has been, but a feeling of change is lingering in the heavy air of the bustling city. A feeling brought to life by fateful encounters of solitary souls.
Shadow Shinjuku is a dark, yet magical journey into the depths of Tokyo’s nightlife and the depths of the human soul

This is my first foray into Japanese/thriller/fantasy/crime noir and I admit this did hook me in more than I thought it would originally. Shadow Shinjuku is Ryu Takeshi’s first published novel and I feel quite highly honoured that I was invited to be a part of this book’s journey.

The story is told from Sato, the main character’s perspective, so we get to know him quite well with his feelings and thoughts being prominent throughout. He was an orphan who was taken in by Yamaguchi, the head of a criminal organisation on the streets of Tokyo. Sato has been with Yamaguchi since he was young. Yamaguchi saw something in him that made him realise Sato would be a very useful asset. We follow Sato as he attempts to leave the life he had no option but to live.
What I particularly like about Satu is his development as the story unfolds, he may be flawed buy this only makes him more relatable.

I thoroughly enjoyed the world-building, we get to see the dark, gritty, underbelly of Tokyo and I felt like I was there, immersed in Sato’s world by his side. The world-building, plotline and characters all add up to an intriguing fantasy/crime thriller that is an immersive and quite addictive read.

I have again, found another author whose work I would recommend and read more of.

Thanks to ZooLoo’s Book Tours and Ryu Takeshi for the copy of the book.