Overview

Lucie Blackman--tall, blond, twenty-one years old--stepped out into the vastness of Tokyo in the summer of 2000 and disappeared. The following winter, her dismembered remains were found buried in a seaside cave. The seven months in between had seen a massive search for the missing girl involving Japanese policemen, British private detectives, and Lucie's desperate but bitterly divided parents. Had Lucie been abducted by a religious cult or snatched by human traffickers? Who was the mysterious man she had gone to meet? And what did her work as a hostess in the notorious Roppongi district of Tokyo really involve? Richard Lloyd Parry, an award-winning foreign correspondent, followed the case from the beginning. Over the course of a decade, as the rest of the world forgot but the trial dragged on, he traveled to four continents to interview those connected with the story, assiduously followed the court proceedings, and won unique access to the Japanese detectives who investigated the case. Ultimately he earned the respect of the victim's family and delved deep into the mind and background of the man accused of the crime--Joji Obara, described by the judge as ""unprecedented and extremely evil."" The result is a book at once thrilling and revelatory.

Full Product Details

9781470828950

Table of Contents

Reviews

""[A] masterful literary true crime story, which earns its comparisons to Truman Capoteʼs In Cold Blood and Norman Mailerʼs The Executioner's Song...Parry subtly encourages an understanding that goes past the headlines. It is a dark, unforgettable ride."" -- ""Los Angeles Times"" ""A big, ambitious true-crime book."" -- ""Esquire"" ""A searing exploration of evil and trauma and how both ultimately elude understanding or resolution."" -- ""New York Times Book Review"" ""An exceptional--and terrifying--account of sexual sadism, the Japanese legal system, and a family ripped apart by tragedy."" -- ""Publishers Weekly (starred review)"" ""An utterly compelling read."" -- ""Mo Hayder, internationally bestselling author"" ""Everyone who has ever loved someone and held that life dear should read this stunning book and shiver."" -- ""Chris Cleave, #1 New York Times bestselling author"" ""Extraordinary, compulsive, and brilliant."" -- ""David Peace, author of the Red Riding quartet and the Tokyo trilogy "" ""Parry has a knack of tacitly cross-examining his readers...not implicating them exactly, but immersing them in a darkness that thickens as facts come to light...[He] skillfully manipulates the narrative to keep the reader in a state of awful uncertainty about what will happen next."" -- ""Observer (London)"" ""This true crime tale reads like a novel, but few of its fictional counterparts have this much insight into murder cases and the psychology of the people involved...Parry's prose is reminiscent of true crime greats Truman Capote and Vincent Bugliosi. This well-written story, likely to elicit tears and even nightmares from readers, is recommended for all who enjoy true crime, thrillers, and cross-cultural narratives."" -- ""Library Journal (starred review)"" ""Utterly engrossing and brilliantly crafted--a glimpse into the heart of darkness we hope never to know firsthand."" -- ""BookPage""

Author Information

Richard Lloyd Parry is the Asia editor and Tokyo bureau chief of the London Times and the author of several nonfiction books. Simon Vance is an award-winning actor and an AudioFile Golden Voice with over fifty Earphones Awards and thirteen prestigious Audie Awards. He was named Booklist's very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available