Shadow Family [Hardcover]

What starts as a dry police procedural intensifies into an Agatha Christie–style closed-room puzzle in this intriguing look at contemporary Japanese family life from Miyabe (All She Was Worth). Sergeant Takegami, an accomplished desk jockey, winds up taking an active role in investigating two separate murders, one of a bland company man, Ryosuke Tokoroda, and the other of a woman who proves to be the first victim's college-age girlfriend. Takegami learns that Tokoroda participated in Internet chat rooms and established a cyber "family" where he played the "Dad." The faux family, which included a wife, a son and a daughter, seemed to be an idealized unit, supportive and loving. This paternal perfection contrasted to the frosty relations Tokoroda had with his actual wife and daughter. Tokoroda's history of extramarital affairs complicates the inquiry, as do reports of a stalker plaguing his real-life daughter. Miyabe expertly manipulates mood and pace as the action builds to a house-of-mirrors-like interview that slowly reveals the killer's surprising identity. The clean, crisp translation is the perfect vehicle for this satisfying read. (Feb. 1)
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Though Miyabe's thriller is set in the electric city of Tokyo, almost all of the action takes place in the small interrogation room of a police station. A middle-aged "salaryman" and his young mistress have been murdered. A colleague's illness propels Desk Sergeant Takegami into leading the investigation, with his former partner Detective Chikako Ishizu brought in to help. They soon learn that the murdered man, married with a daughter, had an online "family" for whom he played the role of "Dad." As police attempt to track down the fantasy family, the real-life daughter of the murdered man complains that she is being stalked. Most of the story recounts the interrogation of the fantasy family members--"Mom," son "Minoru," and daughter "Kazumi"--as the real daughter watches from behind a two-way mirror. Although the English translation of this Japanese original sounds a bit stilted, almost like a dubbed movie, the novel offers a fascinating look at the dark side of the Internet. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

"...The theatrically constructed plot is soon swirling with the naked emotions of unattached, deeply unhappy people eager to express their yearnings for an idealized family life no longer possible in the fractured social structure of modern-day Japan." -The New York Times Book Review

"[Miyuki Miyabe's] true subject is the mystery of modern Japanese identity ... she is a master of small gestures, the precise geometry of meaning as it moves between people ... a subtle observer of a country on the cusp. Her American readers can only hope for more chances to see through her eyes." -The Los Angeles Times

"Nuclear family dystopia is at the center of Miyuki Miyabe's Shadow Family, a smartly observant police procedural about two Tokyo murders linked to the Internet .... Shadow Family blossoms into both a suspenseful murder mystery and an astute running commentary on the parallel cyberspace world inside which millions of people now spend so much of their time." -The Washington Post Book World

"The [Ruth] Rendell comparison is particularly apt: Shadow Family starts like one of her Inspector Wexford police stories and then slides gradually into the kind of dark psychological mystery she often writes ...Of special interest is a portrait of a part of Tokyo-a long way from the sleek electronic metropolis depicted in films like "Lost in Translation"-where ordinary people live, work and play out their dark fantasies." -The Chicago Tribune

"Whether it is the loneliness and bitterness of the real and online relationships of Shadow Family, the credit-card fraud and identity theft in All She Was Worth, or the crimes and characters of her extensive backlist, Miyabe's intricate plots are painted on the canvas of contemporary Japan and played out by the kind of people milling about on the streets below." -The Financial Times

"The traditional murder mystery � la Agatha Christie is updated in Miyuki Miyabe's cyberspace offering, Shadow Family, where the eerie possibility of strangers entering closed quarters via chat rooms and email, and families deteriorating into strangers behind the locked doors of their respective rooms become reality." -Flaunt Magazine

"... A psychological drama of the first order." -Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine

"Shadow Family uses Internet role-playing to explore ideas of family and identity. The result is absolutely mesmerizing, and Miyabe skillfully positions the reader in the role of detective, a neat trick that keeps the pages turning." -Ruminator Review

"Pirandello (Six Characters in Search of an Author) would have reveled in the constant refractions of reality that Miyuki Miyabe presents to the reader: six authors in search of their characters, albeit through false identities that allow them to perform the role of the perfect family they do enjoy in real life....Shadow Family offers ample proof that Miyabe represents the next cutting-edge crime wave of this postmodern ethnography. May Juliet Winters Carpenter and her fellow translators bring more of Miyabe's work into English posthaste." -Rain Taxi Review of Books

"What starts as a dry police procedural intensifies into an Agatha Christie-style closed-room puzzle in this intriguing look at contemporary Japanese family life from Miyuki Miyabe (All She Was Worth) ... Miyabe expertly manipulates mood and pace as the action builds to a house-of-mirrors-like interview that slowly reveals the killer's surprising identity. The clean, crisp translation is the perfect vehicle for this satisfying read." -Publishers Weekly

"...Family ties can be murder, even if they've been forged online...a clever puzzle whose commentary on the fragility and reinvention of families gives it a special edge." -Kirkus Reviews

"Shadow Family has all the breathless immediacy of a courtroom drama... It is reminiscent of the heart-pounding twists and shocking turns of a Hitchcock film. The revelation of the murderer is only a prelude to the completely unexpected denouement Miyabe lays out in the final pages...at its heart the novel is about the fractures and disconnects suffered by families in any modern urban culture." -Pages

"Offers a fascinating look at the dark side of the Internet." -Booklist

"Miyabe achieves a brilliant tour de force maintaining suspense throughout. She tells a gripping story while exploring questions such as the breakdown of the nuclear family and the use of the Internet to escape problematic relationships. Highly recommended." -Deadly Pleasures

"Known for her attention to detail and thorough research on the criminal mind and the legal system, she also uses her books to examine Japan's social issues. In this one she explores the breakdown of the family, isolation, and the Internet as a substitute for social relationships." -Multicultural Review

"This is a neat little book that might be a breath of fresh air for jaded mystery readers fed up with guns, car chases and hasty, outlandish, impossible endings... As a fresh plot twist we don't have the usual murder...what we have is the police playing a hunch, gathering the main players and letting them unravel the final threads. As everything gently unfolds it is a tale obviously linked to the mystery of, and need for, 'family.'" -Barcelona Review

"The translation by Juliet Winters Carpenter captures the essence of the author's winning narrative, which has a new-noir flavor." -Border Patrol

"An interesting cat-and-mouse game with a nice twist at the end.... An interesting glimpse of a different type of police department than what one is used to in American crime fiction." -www.TheCompleteReview.com

"The masterful pacing allows the suspense to build to a nerve-wracking pitch...and the chatroom characters reveal the isolation and longing that led them to pretend to be family...The intricate puzzle of the story is expertly constructed. Miyabe builds her plot layer upon layer, twisting and turning the readers' attention like a magician... A thought-provoking read." -www.ReviewingTheEvidence.com

"A Japanese mystery by talented Miyuki Miyabe, this tale offers something different in plot and villain for mystery buffs." -www.NewMysteryReader.com

"Miyuki Miyabe stands in the tradition of realistic crime fiction that delivers a commentary on contemporary Japanese society as well as a damned good mystery... Miyabe's books have no strong central characters dominating her stories; she prefers to allow the plot to dominate....Ultimately it is Miyabe's superb plotting that keeps this shortish book rolling along and makes it a gripping read." -www.AsianReviewofBooks.com

"The mystery plot is an interesting one and...it builds into an intriguing police procedural. The characterizations are deft, well-timed and the interactions between [Sergeant] Takegami and his associates are subtle... a most enjoyable read." -www.InternetWritingJournal.com

Selected by The Chicago Tribune as one of the "Best Books of 2005, Mysteries & Thrillers"


Shadow Family is a compelling murder mystery focusing on the murky world of Internet chat rooms populated by people from all walks of life attracted by the possibility of being whoever they want to be.

Police investigating the double murder of a middle-aged salary man and his college-aged girlfriend discover email correspondence linking the victim with members of an online fantasy family, in which he plays the part of "Dad." Meanwhile, his real-life teenage daughter is assigned police protection after complaining of being stalked. The investigation focuses increasingly on the "shadow family," as there is evidence that the members emerged from the chat room and started meeting up offline.

Veteran Desk Sergeant Takegami finds himself unexpectedly in center stage of the investigation after his colleague is hospitalized. Adding to his surprise, he is partnered with his old friend Detective Chikako Ishizu after a break of fifteen years. Working on a hunch, they collaborate to unravel the fine line between fantasy and the harsh reality of murder.

Shadow Family is excellent detective fiction that keeps you guessing until the end. Within a skillful web of intrigue, Miyabe sensitively explores the meaning of family and relationships, and the devastating effect of betrayal...

MIYUKI MIYABE was born in downtown Tokyo in 1960, and worked in a law office before becoming a full-time writer. She is one of Japan's most popular authors, having written a number of best-selling mysteries and suspense novels, as well as some historical fiction. Her first work translated into English, All She Was Worth, won the Shugo Yamamoto Prize in Japan. Shadow Family is her second novel to be published in English.