Investigator Axel Webb is hired by a Japanese Naichō Agent on the recommendation of his Yakuza friend, Hibiki Sato, to find the Honjō Masamune katana that was last seen in 1945 when it was taken from a Mejiro Police Station by a U.S. Army Sergeant. The Sergeant’s name was recorded by the police in Japanese. Years later, it is translated back into English. Unfortunately, there is no record of anybody by that name serving in Japan during the post-war Occupation. The katana is not just any sword; it is considered the most perfect sword ever made. It is also a symbol of the Tokugawa shogunate. The Japanese government does not want the lost National Treasure and ancient cultural symbol to fall into the hands of a newly formed Neo-fascist political party determined to gain power and return the country to its pre-war policies.
The new political party, the Meiyo Aru Dōmei, is an alliance of fourteen of the most extreme right-wing groups, including politician Junichi Kato, Leader of the Azuna-tō, Yakuza, Fukashi Nakamura, Kumichō of the Meiyo-kai, and Daizō Hokama, Leader of the alliance, the Meiyo Aru Dōmei. Hokama wants to use the lost Honjō Masamune katana as a rallying symbol that his followers and the public can get behind.
A Toronto podcaster becomes interested in the lost sword. During his research, he works out the correct name of the Sergeant who picked up the sword from the police station. He announces he’ll reveal the soldier’s name in his next podcast, but he is murdered before getting the chance. The podcaster’s daughter hires Axel to find out who killed her father. Axel and one of Hibiki’s closest associates, a sumo-sized Yakuza known as, Ōotoko, track the sword to a Buffalo gangster, Jimmy Kowalski. But the sword is stolen from him by Nakamura’s men before Axel and Ōotoko can negotiate a deal.
Axel and Ōotoko must deny the extremists their symbol and return it to the government, but the Naichō aren’t the only ones who want the sword. Buffalo gangster, Jimmy Kowalski, wants his sword back, no matter the cost. And Daizō Hokama will do anything, including murder, to keep it.
Genre: FICTION / PoliticalPresent Day
Āto Obu Dainingu, Scollard Street, Toronto
I haven’t seen my friend Hibiki Sato in some time. I’m not even sure you can call the Yakuza gangster a friend, but for me, he’s as close as I get. Except for my partner, JoJo, and Marco, her boyfriend and my chief investigator, friends are few and far between. You don’t develop many close relationships when your job is nosing around in other people’s secrets.
My job is finding things for people: items that have been lost, stolen, or misappropriated by some nefarious means. It’s the kind of work that doesn’t make people like me very popular, and honestly, that’s mostly fine with me. I do regret some of the lost opportunities that have come my way. The relationships with restaurateur Katrina Kline, the Italian Contessa Charlotte Savola, and the Japanese art academic Katherine Hendricks; all went off the rails when my job got in the way. The day may come when I quit the game or find a companion who can tolerate my volatile lifestyle, but I don’t count on it.
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French
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Already translated.
Translated by Rina Raja
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Author review: Rina is an excellent translator, easy and cooperative to work with. I highly recommend her. - Jerry Bader, Author and Screenwriter |
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Portuguese
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Already translated.
Translated by ANDRE DIOGO WEBER 2
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Spanish
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Already translated.
Translated by Antonio de Torre
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Author review: Antonio always does exceptional work. HIs translations are accurate, complete and on time. He researches arcane words and subjects that may not be immediately familiar to Spanish readers and adds footnotes for explanations. I highly recommend Antonio. - Jerry Bader, Author and Screenwriter |
