Nicolás Obregón

This is a tough book to work through for about the first 1/3 of the book.
The author is part British part Spanish and books from both of these countries tend to move slower than books from American authors. In this case you have a murder mystery, but the book is also about why the murderer is the way he is and why the police inspector heading the case is the way he is.
Oh and the book takes place in Japan with all Japanese characters both good and bad.
That being said, if you give this book time it really is an amazing story. The writing is both atmospheric and poetic, as well as very Noir-ish.
As the author says in his note at the end
“ I realized that Blue Light Yokohama would be a crime novel only in façade. At it’s heart I wanted to write about people in Pain. About people who had lost something”
This title is based on a song by the same name and the lyrics are repeated throughout the book.
This is a book that is a little harder to find, but is definitely worth reading!… (mais)

Sins As Scarlet (2018) (Inspector Iwata #2) by Nicolás Obregón. You really should read the first book in this series, Blue Light Yokohama, to get a fuller understanding of this wonderful character. I should read it because I found this second outing so intriguing.
In short, Kosuke Iwata was born in Japan but later raised in California. He is therefore regarded as neither true Japanese nor American, but always part of the “Other”. After his American education he returned to Japan and worked as a police officer, moving into the realm of Inspector. But after a horrifying personal tragedy he quit the police and moved back to the L.A. area of his youth. Now he is a private investigator.
His mother-in-law comes to him demanding he search for the killer of her son. Although he does not want to, he is obligated by their history to investigate. The son was in the process of changing his physical sex to match his internal sex. The investigation leads into the seamer side of L.A. and it’s environs. The case blossoms into a connection with a cartel in Mexico, smuggling people across the border, and a few corrupt border agents.
This is a slow paced look into the plight of the abandoned undocumented migrant as well as the forgotten lives of the transgender community who are abused by so many. It is not a pleading for acceptance of either group, but it is a plea for a greater understanding of what is happening to both groups.
And there is a dynamite ending that ties everything together and will leave you a bit amazed.
I found this to be a slow starter, but the lead character has a spellbinding history and the adventure will capture you. Now I have to go find the first novel.… (mais)