Tokyo Juku

A cram school. A murdered teacher. A city full of secrets.

Eighteen-year-old Mana is desperate to escape failure in Japan's unforgiving exam culture. After a year of defeat, she throws herself into sleepless nights at a Tokyo cram school. But one late night, a study break changes everything. Her teacher-the man who gave her hope-lies murdered in a classroom. Suddenly, Mana isn't chasing test scores. She's fighting for her life.

Detective Hiroshi Shimizu, a forensic accountant assigned to homicide, is thrust into the investigation. The classroom tragedy spirals into a labyrinth of financial deceptions and power struggles within Japan's billion-yen education machine. The media is ready to condemn Mana. Bureaucrats are eager for a scapegoat. The new homicide chief wants a win. Hiroshi learns that in Tokyo's high-pressure exam world, truth is the hardest test of all.

Fast-paced, atmospheric, and insightful, Tokyo Juku is a gripping Tokyo crime thriller-perfect for fans of gritty mysteries, layered characters, detective novels, and the collision of youth and corruption in modern Japan.

"Pronko's knowledge of Japanese life is simply extraordinary-with painstaking care, he limns its shadowy contours and ambiguities." KIRKUS REVIEWS

"Pronko lives, breathes, and captures the streets and culture of Tokyo." MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW