The Red Star of Cádiz
by Ōsaka Gō

Kurodahan Press
ISBN: 978-4-902075-24-3
430 pages, softcover
$20.00

Ōsaka Gō's The Red Star of Cádiz (translated by Usha Jayaraman) is an intriguing thriller set in 1970s Japan and Spain and includes everything an international mystery should have: action, a smattering of sex, humor and memorable characters.  It all begins when Urushida Ryō, a PR expert doing business in Tokyo, is asked to find a missing man from decades ago.  Urushida's search, however, quickly becomes a hunt for a national treasure in the form of a diamond-studded guitar.  Unfortunately, this leads him to be on the wrong side of a fascist government and a violence-prone student movement bent on killing Spain's Franco.

Gō handles terrorism and fascism realistically and with an eye to fairness – no small feat.  He also makes his characters believable and sympathetic, despite their engagement in some horrible acts. Couple that with a story that keeps you on edge until the very last page, and you have a novel that should be mandatory reading for anyone interested in the mystery/thriller genre. And the best thing that can be said for it? It makes you want to read the author’s other works because if they are even half as good as this one, you’re in for one heck of a ride. — D. BRUNELL 1/10

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