Suspense

The catalyst for this fast-moving, Tokyo-set thriller is the invention of a way to chemically produce lightning, which creates an enormously efficient way to generate electricity. As in John Marr’s recent The One and The Passengers, for which this is a good readlike, the human side of the technology overtakes the invention itself, complicating relationships and putting all involved in peril. When the book opens, the danger hits the road, literally, as lawyer Torn Sagara and his client Saya Brooks, the lightning box’s inventor, are attacked on a Tokyo highway, first by men on motorcycle and then by others in a car. Were these separate attacks? Was Torn or Saya the intended target? All the while, Weeks (like Torn, born in Alaska and now a lawyer in Japan) creates an immersive view of the strange life of his protagonist, a half-Japanese, half-American man who shrugs off the slights and outright discrimination he faces from fellow Japanese. Readers will also find themselves voyeurs of the mental gymnastics it takes for the lawyer to sustain two affairs and even start a third before the book is over (physical gymnastics may also come to mind as Torn and one of his mostly ignored girlfriends take advantage of an airplane bathroom). As well as taking on many interesting details of Japanese culture, including its funeral rites, by the end readers will also be well acquainted with the flawed but lovable Torn and will hope for more visits to his between-worlds life.

Returning from vacation to London with his family, Jeremy, or Jez, Horton sees from the plane a figure running in a field. Without knowing why, he’s suddenly in the grip of a panic attack, certain that it’s a girl being pursued and she’s in terrible danger. Back home, he remains obsessed with the strange sighting and what could have happened to the girl, stressing himself and his wife as he retreats further into dark thoughts. His slide into an abyss of fear accelerates when he visits his dying mother, a cruel woman who’s treated him terribly, especially since his young sister’s death. As he returns to the family home that he’s now inherited, a place he hasn’t been since the tragedy, murky memories and renewed contact with boyhood friends force Jez to confront his past and deal with odd, dangerous characters who are all too present. Cameron masterfully develops those around Jez even as we are stuck in his increasingly frantic thoughts and actions. Her depiction of a tired, scared mind grasping for childhood memories is immersive and affecting, with the psychological suspense matched by a continuous ramping up of real-life drama. Fans of Helen Monks Takhar’s Precious You should add this to their TBR stash.