A linked series of short stories about police detective Natsume whose human touch melts the hearts of recalcitrant suspects and jaded readers alike. Up and coming author Yakumaru's most chiseled work to date, this work will mark his U.S. debut.
Born in 1969 and raised in the Kobe suburb of Akashi, Gaku Yakumaru
grew up on film. He was obsessed with the medium since he was a
small child and has long considered himself a Steve McQueen fan. So
before he made it big as a writer, Yakumaru had ambitions to become
an actor and as a youth he left for Tokyo to pursue his dreams.
In the capital, his focus would eventually change from acting to
writing. Under the guidance of experienced authors and
screenwriters, Yakumaru would develop a voice that would quickly be
accepted throughout the country. In 2004 his first novel Tenshi no
Knife (Angel's Knife) was awarded the Rampo Edogawa Award by the
Mystery Writers of Japan for best crime fiction work by a new
author. He would then come to be recognized by many other outlets
including Kodansha's Eiji Yoshikawa Award for best young author and
the Haruhiko Ohyabu Award for best hardboiled fiction. As of late,
many of his 13 books have received film and TV adaptations further
expanding his reach and cementing his place as one of Japan's best
known crime fiction authors today.
“A COP’S EYES by Gaku Yakumaru is a book for those who like
something a bit different in their crime fiction…. If A COP’S EYES
fits into a genre slot, it is police procedural in that it follows
the work of detective Natsume, a quiet, gentle man who moved into
policing after working in a reformatory for troubled children. But
here any link to the traditional police procedural ends…. Natsume
believes in justice and the law, but this is a justice tempered
with a very human mercy and understanding…. There is an air of
fable about the stories as Yakumaru sets up the situation,
introduces us to the players and then to the crime, before
Natsume’s ‘cop’s eyes’ observe the situation. He is sometimes cast
almost in a minor role, but his are the eyes, the ones that can see
the whole picture, and set the crime in its context. He is the one
who can, finally, reveal the killer.”
—The Strand Magazine
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