Death in Little Tokyo is an Anthony Award and Macavity Award winner, and it was nominated
for an Agatha Award. It is set in 1990’s Los Angeles but explores a crime with roots
in World War II. Because of its scope, this book was used as a text in at least two
University multicultural programs.
The Toyotomi Blades was the Internet Critics' Association Best Mystery of the Year
for 1996. It is set in 1990’s Japan and reveals a centuries old mystery while Ken
Tanaka explores his Japanese roots. Library Journal said: "... authentic detail,
gripping action, and lurking danger abound. A most involving and highly entertaining
work; highly recommended."
Death in Little Tokyo
Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author - At last! Here's a fictional
sleuth with an authentic Asian-American voice. Forget Charlie Chan and all the other
fake-Asian detectives. With his novel, Death in Little Tokyo, author Dale Furutani
introduces readers to amateur sleuth Ken Tanaka, whose uniquely Asian point of view
offers a refreshing new voice to the mystery scene.
Michael Nava, Lamba Award winning writer of The Death of Friends and The Hidden Law
- In Death in Little Tokyo, Dale Furutani introduces Ken Tanaka, the first Asian-American
detective created by an Asian-American writer in a wittily-written, tightly constructed
story that weaves together such disparate elements as strippers, armchair detectives
and Japanese-American survivors of World War II internment camps. Holding them together
is Tanaka, a down-sized computer programmer on the wrong side of 40 who manages to
be naïve and nervy and utterly charming. Ken Tanaka is definitely a detective for
the ‘90’s and Death in Little Tokyo is an auspicious debut.
Brian Niiya, former Curator, Japanese American National Museum, and editor of Japanese
American History - In Death in Little Tokyo, Dale Furutani introduces Ken Tanaka,
a Sansei mystery fan in the midst of a mid-life crisis who accidentally becomes a
real detective as he becomes embroiled in a murder mystery. In the course of spinning
this entertaining story, Furutani brings the reader into the Japanese American community
of the 1990s, a community dealing with cultural negotiation, identity conflicts,
and echoes of concentration camps. Funny, smart, and thoroughly entertaining, Death
in Little Tokyo is a blast to read.
I recognized and identified with Ken Tanaka and his uniquely Sansei mid-life crisis
of sorts that brings on the adventures to come. Being a lifetime Angelino, I greatly
enjoyed the tours of 1990s Los Angeles and Little Tokyo described in the book. I
liked the overall "Japanese American-ness" of the characters and how culture and
history contribute to the solving of the crime. I laughed out loud at several passages,
most notably the descriptions of the cultural games Ken plays with the two Nisei
women he interacts with. And its nice to see a seemingly healthy, non-exoticized
romantic relationship between two contemporary Asian Americans.
The Toyotomi Blades
Library Journal review - Unemployed computer programmer Ken Tanaka, whose last case
(Death in Little Tokyo) received attention in Japan, flies to Tokyo to be interviewed
on a TV talk show. There, he becomes fascinated by a series of international robberies
and murders tied to a group of 17th century engraved swords--one of which he happens
to own. Yakuza-connected thugs, a Hawaiian sumo wrestler, a James Dean emulator,
and Ken's own LA girlfriend add color to the Tokyo scenery, where authentic detail,
gripping action, and lurking danger abound.
A most involving and highly entertaining work; highly recommended.
Internet Writers Journal - Out of work computer programmer and amateur sleuth Ken
Tanaka gets invited to Japan to appear on television to discuss a murder he solved.
His excitement at appearing on TV quickly turns to apprehension as Ken lands smack
in the middle of a new mystery involving an ancient samurai sword that he bought
at a garage sale in L.A, a hidden treasure and the Japanese Mafia. Speaking no Japanese
yet looking like a native, Ken feels out of place in his ancestral homeland. When
his actress girlfriend Mariko joins him in Tokyo Ken is thrilled - until it looks
like she may also be drawn into the danger surrounding the mystery of the ancient
samurai sword right along with him.
The Toyotomi Blades is the second book in this
entertaining new series by Furutani featuring the first Asian-American fictional
amateur detective. Written with a clear prose style, this fast-paced story is a joy
to read. As the story follows Ken through Tokyo and the surrounding environs in a
search for a centuries-old treasure, you can't help but fall for this lovable amateur
detective with his unassuming personality and wry sense of humor. This book is just
as much fun as Furutani's first book, Death in Little Tokyo. The character of Ken
Tanaka is a delight to get to know, the mystery is intriguing and the details of
a Japanese American's first look at Japan are a fascinating part of the story. If
you haven't been introduced to Dale Furutani's mysteries, you are missing a real
treat.
