Rising Sun was a tough one to get through. It wasn't extremely long, but without having any prior knowledge of Japanese business or customs I found myself boggled by the details. Once finished, I felt it was a satisfying read, but not something I would have an interest in reading again. Rising Sun is a must for the more rabid Michael Crichton fans, but casual readers should pass this one by. ( )

I have to be in the mood to read Crichton & I had this book around for years before I got to it. It was very absorbing. Nothing too special, but a well done thriller. ( )

My Review can be found here:
http://bookworm-meags222.blogspot.com... ( )

japanese, murder ( )

Rising Sun is a murder mystery that serves to highlight Crichton's fears of Japanese influence in the United States. I almost put the "Techno-Thriller" tag on the book because the plot revolves around a plotted takeover of a U.S. electronics corporation, but decided not to, since the technology really doesn't affect the story at all.

The basic plot involves the investigation of the murder of a young woman at a party held at the Los Angeles offices of a large Japanese corporation. LAPD Lieutenant Smith is called in as a special liaison officer to deal with the Japanese VIPs, and is aided by retired LAPD Captain Connor. The mystery the two officers uncover is convoluted, and made more complicated by the fact that the Japanese try to thwart them at every turn, resorting to obstructionism, bribery, and even outright threats. The brazen and over-the-top nature of the tactics employed by these evil Japanese corporate goons really detract from the plausibility of the story, and detract from the fairly solid mystery that makes up the core of the book.

Smith and Connor prove to be mostly incompetent, as their blundering investigation results in a rising body count until they are able to uncover the true culprit. The weakness of the protagonists, coupled with the obvious fear Crichton has of the Japanese (and the resulting portrayal of the Japanese as a collection of corrupt thugs) reduces this book to mediocre at best. ( )