A seemingly drunk man staggers onto a lonely Tokyo bridge at night and collapses. A policeman checks on him and is surprised to find that A Death in Tokyo has occurred. The man is not drunk but instead has been stabbed to death.
The police investigate and are suspicious of a man lurking around the bridge. Unfortunately, he runs from the officers and is hit by traffic. How will Tokyo Police Detective Kyoichiro Kaga and his partner  investigate the homicide while the chief suspect lies in a coma in the hospital?
While the mystery is intriguing and cunningly solved, there is a large elephant in the room within A Death in Tokyo. Japanese names are long and difficult to remember for Western brains. The publisher seems to recognize this issue and has included a cast of characters at the beginning of the book. While this is helpful, it does introduce a distraction from the plot. Even the translator seems to recognize the problem and adds helpful asides to explain the role of some of the characters even well into the book. Is it enough?
Personally, I have to drop a star for the name issue. However, feel free to add it back if you are better at remembering names. Overall, it is an acceptable police procedural within an exotic setting. 3 stars.
Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.