Death in Little Tokyo (1996) is Dale Furutani’s debut novel and the first book in his contemporary Ken Tanaka Mystery series. It won both the Anthony and Macavity Awards for Best First Novel.

 

Plot Synopsis

 

The story follows Ken Tanaka, a forty-something, unemployed computer programmer and a hardcore mystery enthusiast.

 

1. The Role-Play Gone Wrong

 

As a member of the L.A. Mystery Club, it is Ken's turn to organize a "mystery weekend" for his fellow buffs. To make it authentic, he rents a small office in Los Angeles, prints fake business cards, and dresses up as a hard-boiled private eye.

The plan backfires when a real "femme fatale" named Rita Newly walks into his office. Mistaking him for a real detective, she offers him $500 to retrieve a package from a Japanese businessman named Susumu Matsuda, claiming it contains embarrassing photos being used for blackmail.

 

2. The Real Murder

 

Amused and curious, Ken decides to play along, thinking it's a joke or a harmless errand. He successfully retrieves the package from Matsuda. However, shortly after the exchange, Matsuda is found brutally murdered—hacked to death in a Little Tokyo hotel room.

Because Ken was one of the last people seen with the victim, he becomes a prime suspect for the LAPD. To clear his name, Ken is forced to transition from a "fake" detective to a real one.

 

3. The International Conspiracy

 

With the help of his girlfriend, Mariko Kosaka (a recovering alcoholic), Ken begins to investigate. He soon realizes the "embarrassing photos" in the package are actually top-secret corporate documents related to an international smuggling scheme. This discovery puts him in the crosshairs of the Yakuza (Japanese Mafia), who are desperate to get the package back.

 

4. The Ties to the Past

 

As Ken navigates the streets of Little Tokyo, the mystery deepens into a story about the Japanese-American experience. The plot eventually connects back to historical grievances, including the World War II internment camps, showing how the trauma of the past still influences the present-day community and the motivations behind the crime.

 

Key Themes

• Amateur vs. Professional: The book explores the gap between the romanticized world of detective fiction and the gritty, dangerous reality of actual crime.

• Cultural Identity: Furutani uses Ken’s investigation to provide a "short course" on Japanese-American culture, history, and the specific social dynamics of Little Tokyo.

• Modern Noir: While set in the 1990s, the book pays homage to classic noir tropes—the detective's office, the mysterious blonde, and the urban underworld.

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