Book Cover

Remember, business is war.

# Review

This novel was written in the late 80s/early 90s, when it seemed that Japanese corporations were taking over the world. It is in this backdrop that the story takes place. The story is a murder mystery that involves the bizarre death of an American woman in the newly constructed business highrise headquarters of a Japanese corporation located in Downtown Los Angeles. Lieutenant Peter J. Smith is assigned to the case, alongside retired Captain John Connor, who is knowledgeable about Japanese culture. The story is basically a buddy cop, with Connor becoming a senpai (mentor) to his kohai (junior) partner Smith. Connor and Smith become embroiled in a complex web of geopolitics and corporate warfare.

Like most detective thriller novels, the tone is gritty but corny. The plot is actually pretty interesting and centers around some sensitive geopolitical issues, such as the Japanese encroachment into American business and politics. This was seen as racist and xenophobic when the book was first published and it did not age well, as the Japanese economy slowed down immediately after the publication of this book. I can’t help but think that if the book were written today, the target of concern would no longer be the Japanese, but the Chinese or even the Saudis. While the interference of foreign nationals in domestic industry and certainly politics can be problematic, I felt Critchton should have focused on the American politicians and business leaders who made such interference possible, rather than the foreign nationals themselves. One area of redemption, however, is Critchton’s extensive bibliography, which was much more akin to that of an economics non-fiction book rather than a detective novel.

One of my favourite aspects of buddy cop books is reading about the chemistry between the two cops; unfortunately, the chemistry between Connor and Smith doesn’t really develop past the light bantering. Furthermore, Crichton forces as many tidbits of Japanese lore and information into the book as he can; at the time of publication, I’m sure it would’ve made the book seem exotic and unique but today, due to information about Japan being widely available, much of it is now common knowledge. The Japanese fact-dropping comes off a bit excessive and cringeworthy.

# Conclusion

A decent detective novel and an interesting look at a specific economic backdrop.

# Overall rating: 6.8

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