Lady Joker’s on the move. They’ve demanded six hundred million in cash’ ‘Lady—what?’ … The assistant inspector repeated the English words. ‘Lady as in first lady. Then joker as in the trump card. Lady Joker. That’s what the crime group is calling themselves.’” Like Don DeLillo’s Underworld, Takamura’s sprawling saga situates its crime plot in the context of corruption . . . A complex work of stunning breadth and depth by a master of the genre.”

Lady Joker, Volume Two by Kaoru Takamura | Goodreads

One of Japan’s great modern writers, this second half of Lady Joker brings Kaoru Takamura’s breathtaking masterpiece to a gripping conclusion. A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy. A novel that portrays with devastating immensity how those on the dark fringes of society can be consumed by the darkness of their own hearts.”Kubo passed around the notepad on which he had scribbled Hinode suspects = Lady Joker to his colleagues in the press nook, then resumed firing questions into the receiver. “Was the demand made with a letter or over the phone?” The story is inspired by the unsolved Glico-Morinaga kidnapping that took place in 1984. The narrative moves between the conspirators, the executives of the company, journalists, and the police. A fantastic ending to the two part novel. All I can say is that if you loved Lady Joker Volume one you won't be disappointed with volume two.

Lady Joker, Volume 2 by Kaoru Takamura | Goodreads Lady Joker, Volume 2 by Kaoru Takamura | Goodreads

The assistant inspector repeated the English words. “Lady as in first lady. Then joker as in the trump card. Lady Joker. That’s what the crime group is calling themselves.” Like all literature, readers will take what they want from Takamura’s critique of Japanese society, but at the heart of the epic novel is a gripping crime story where the actual crime itself is almost secondary to the psychological ripples it sends through the boardrooms, police stations, press offices and homes of anyone connected. This is much more of a whydunit than a whodunit — and one that was well worth the wait.”As family restaurants in industrial areas far from nightlife centers always tended to be, the Skylark Restaurant would no doubt be crowded with young local couples, and inside, SIT detectives posing as some of those couples must now have their eyes trained on the parking lot. Where would the SIT and Mobile Unit’s riders—specially trained in pursuit—be waiting astride their 400cc bikes? The parking lot? The shoulder of the road? Or in a nearby alley? There was no way that the perpetrators would suddenly appear, so undoubtedly they’d have the station wagon move on to yet another spot. Where will the next destination be?

Lady Joker, Volume 1 by Kaoru Takamura: 9781641293945 Lady Joker, Volume 1 by Kaoru Takamura: 9781641293945

I heard that a letter demanding six hundred million was delivered to the Kyoto factory yesterday morning.” It means I cannot speak about a situation that hasn’t produced an outcome. How about we call your press nook after midnight and say whether or not it’s O.K.? That’ll be all for tonight.”

I’m not saying that at all. Hinode is fully cooperating with the police investigation now, and supposing that a cash demand were to be made, apprehending the crime group would be our highest priority. I do not condone any act that would interfere with such efforts.” This second half of Lady Joker, by Kaoru Takamura, the Grand Dame of Japanese crime fiction, concludes the breathtaking saga introduced in Volume One. Lady Joker’ was originally published as ‘Redi jōkā’ in Japan in 1997 and was translated from the Japanese by Marie Iida and Allison Markin Powell. Both volumes open with a handy Dramatis Personae.