The Informer

by Akimitsu Takagi

Book Overview

A stupendous best-seller in Japan and standing at number 17 on Amazon US's 'Best Mysteries of the Century' list, this tale of murder, adultery and intrigue is set in the mid 1960s against the crash of the Tokyo stock market. Shigeo Segawa, once a successful stock trader, but now left jobless, out of luck and full of shame, takes on a high-paying job selling automatic massage machines. But all is not as it at first seems and he soon finds himself involved...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1569472432
• ISBN13: 9781569472439
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: Soho Crime
• Length: 258 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

Gripping story

I like reading stories set in countries than the US, especially those written by authors from those countries and written for the local audience. This book filled all the needs I seek from such a story, the glimpses into the culture, the behaviours, the feel for the street. In addition, this is just a great story. If you enjoyed Akira Kurasowa's film 'High and Low', you'll surely like this. The characters are well-defined. The locations clear, gritty when needed, showing a society that is just starting to explode with prosperity, just starting to forget the horrible nightmare of a not too distant past. I read this book five, six, seven years ago and still believe it to be one of the best works of fiction I've read. I highly recommend it!

What's your price?

This was my second Akimitsu Takagi novel, after The Tattoo Murder Case, and I was equally impressed. This book is far less of a mystery, with the true identity of the culprit being easy to reason out, and much more of a psychological profile of a nation, showing a greater depth and intensity than his earlier work. Based on a true story, "The Informer" delves into the world of the industrial spy, someone who uses connections and lies to weasel out secret information that would prove valuable if sold. This was a popular topic during the era, such as the 1958 film Giants & Toys and 1962's Black Test Car. The Economic Miracle was just beginning, and businessmen were ruthless in their pursuit of competitive advantage, and willing to lie, cheat, steal and kill if it meant getting ahead. In this novel we have Shigeo Segawa, a hapless fellow who got caught playing the stocks with company money and subsequently finds himself ruined. He is offered two lifelines, one from the hand of Mikio Sakai, a company owner who offers Segawa a Faustian bargain, but something he isn't able to turn down, and one from the hand of Eiko Murozaki, and old lover whom Segawa had never forgotten but who reappears in his life suddenly. The spider-web of intrigues grown from there until Segawa is caught in a cleverly spun trap, and the game is afoot. A novel without heroes, the story is told mostly from Segawa's point of view as he is relentlessly hunted by the city's chief prosecutor Kirishima, an almost amoral character who doesn't seem to mind seeing more innocent bodies fall if it helps him untwist the web. Having a lawyer as the investigator was an interesting twist, and author Takagi had a keen insight into its mysteries, and in fact served as special advocated during a famous trial. The mystery aspect of the case is not too hard to unravel, but that doesn't make the psychological interplay any less fascinating. The tone of The Informer reminded me of No Country for Old Men, although the plots have nothing in common. One gets the sense that in the 1960's world of Japanese business, there aren't going to be any happy endings, and as long as someone is sitting in jail then justice is satisfied, regardless of whether the guilty party has been caught or not.

Enlightening glimpses of Japanese culture in 1965.

Almost 40 years old, this novel has no scenes of violence or sex--or humor! The language and style are very formal, and the characters, virtually all male, are generic, not individualized--not surprising in a culture in which "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down." Nearly all the characteristics one associates with the best modern mystery thrillers are absent here, yet Takagi's novel is fascinating and its plot intriguing, both for the inherent complexities and for the light shed on Japanese business and culture in 1965. When Shigeo Segawa, a failed stocktrader, is offered a job at an outrageous salary, he finds himself working, not surprisingly, as an industrial spy, ferreting secrets from Shichiyo Chemical, a company in which a college friend is a high official. Segawa shows no qualms of conscience, despite the fact that Eiko, the love of his life, is now married to the friend. Manipulating the women in his life, all of whom are regarded throughout the novel as brainless ornaments or conveniences, he also fails, eventually, at his spy tasks, becoming the prime suspect when his friend turns up murdered. When two more deaths further implicate Segawa, Takagi shows his enormous skill at creating red herrings, using the intricacies of corporate Japan and the traditional restraint of police and prosecutors to keep the reader occupied and diverted. Differences in legal procedures are stunning here. The police abandon the crime scene because "people were showing up to pay respects [to the widow]...and the atmosphere was no longer suitable." Police and prosecutors make appointments to speak to clients' lawyers and wait patiently till they can be seen. The police give details of confessions to people they are interviewing and seem to share information with whoever wants it. Industrial espionage by itself is not a crime. Careful readers may figure out early who is responsible for the murders, but this novel provides unusual glimpses of Japanese culture, enough to keep a curious reader fascinated and involved till the end. Mary Whipple

Intriguing and intelligent

Having failed as both a stockbroker and an entrepreneur, Segawa is desperate for money and takes on the morally dubious job of an industrial spy. His target is a secret chemical process of a company run by his old friend Ogino. To complicate matters, Ogino is married to Segawa's former girlfriend. When Ogino is murdered, Segawa becomes the prime suspect. In a fast-moving plot involving adultery and betrayal, we learn fascinating details of Japanese culture such as the Kabutocho (the Japanese Wall Street), industrial espionage and the Japanese legal system. The criminal investigation by prosecutor Kirishima and inspector Yoshioka proceeds in an orderly and logical manner and builds up to a tense and dramatic conclusion. The reader is kept guessing until the very end in this intriguing and intelligent mystery. Readers who enjoy this book will also enjoy the other two available translations of Takagi's works, namely "The Tatoo Murder Case" and "The Honeymoon to Nowhere".

Intelligent and Suspenseful

Having failed as both a stockbroker and an entrepreneur, Segawa is desperate for money and takes on the morally dubious work of an industrial spy. His target is the secret chemical process of a company run by his old friend Ogino. To complicate matters, Ogino is married to Segawa's former girlfriend. When Ogino is murdered, Segawa becomes the chief suspect. In a fast-moving plot involving betrayal and adultery, we catch fascinating glimpses of Japanese culture, such as the Kabutocho (or "Japanese Wall Street"), industrial espionage, and the Japanese legal system. The investigation by prosecutor Kirishima and inspector Yoshioka proceeds in a steady logical manner that builds up to a tense and dramatic conclusion when they finally corner their quarry! The story is suspenseful and will keep the reader guessing until the very end. "The Informer" is a very clever and enjoyable mystery. Readers who enjoy this novel will also enjoy the other two available English translations of Takagi's work, namely "The Tattoo Murder Case", and "The Honeymoon to Nowhere".