The Bottom Line: Set in Tokyo, this exotic crime thriller is a lightning-fast chase to the finish line that you won’t soon forget.

Mystery novels are known for far-flung locations, but Tokyo isn’t often on the map. With The Last Train, Michael Pronko takes his adopted hometown and uses it as the setting for this unconventional take on the whodunit, which turns the genre on its ear and focuses not on the who, but the lightning-fast chase to the finish line.

It’s been a tough few days for Detective Hiroshi Shimizu, who recently lost his girlfriend and gets put on the case of an American businessman found under a bullet train. Suicide? Not so fast. According to security footage, there may be more to the story. Michael Pronko has written numerous works of nonfiction about Tokyo and Japan, but in this first work of fiction, his knowledge of the area, social mores, and the Japanese culture really shine. Together, Detective Shimizu and his partner, Detective Takamatsu, go from seedy Roppongi clubs, sumo wrestling dojos, small factories, and the back alleys of Tokyo to find out the man under the last train was involved in more than just business transactions. Together, the detectives enter the high-stakes world of real estate, information trafficking, and huge sums of money.

And just how does Michael deftly twist the mystery genre around? Readers find out who did it early on, but the rest of the book plays out like a fast-paced chase sequence that’ll leave hearts pounding and pages turning. It’s a unique experience to follow a story in what seems like a backwards gait, but the author’s easy language and the disorientation of Tokyo’s neon lights and crowded streets only add to the journey.

Readers looking for a truly escapist read will find it in The Last Train, which truly takes readers on a high-speed romp.

The Last Train wastes no time grabbing the reader’s attention: It opens with a mysterious Japanese woman who leads her hapless American victim to a Tokyo subway station, then pushes him into the oncoming last train of the night.

After this breathtaking start, we meet police detective Hiroshi Shimizu, still recovering from a breakup with his American girlfriend. He’s assigned to financial crimes because he speaks fluent English, but a friend and mentor keeps pulling him into homicides. He’s placed on this murder because the victim was American and his English skills might be helpful.

From there, author Michael Pronko deftly weaves together a plot that flashes back and forth between the killer, who we learn is named Michiko Suzuki; her dark, tragic past, and Shimizu’s determination to track her down. Along the way, Pronko introduces a cast of fascinating characters, including Shimizu’s gruff mentor Takamatsu; sumo-wrestler-turned-cop Sakaguchi; an accountant and photographer who have been helping Suzuki with her killing spree, and the Tokyo yakuza (organized crime syndicate). As the plot unfolds, Pronko takes readers through Tokyo’s sexually explicit “hostess bar” underground scene in the city’s lively Roppongi nightclub district, authentically rendered by the author.

For anyone who loves crime and cop novels, or Japanophiles in general, this is a terrific thriller. And fans of author Barry Eisler’s early novels featuring John Rain, a Tokyo-based half- Japanese assassin, will find the same satisfactions here. Pronko lives in Japan, and his knowledge of the culture and settings are obvious and impressive. The characters are  believable and never condescending. Japan isn’t a mere exotic locale for the narrative; the story closely follows Japanese cultural values such as loyalty, honor and reciprocation.

In Pronko’s (Motions and Moments: More Essays on Tokyo, 2015, etc.) first foray into thrillers, a Tokyo detective investigates a death by train that may be just one in a series of murders.

It seems white-collar crime is Detective Hiroshi Shimizu’s specialty. His fluency in English makes him ideal for chasing down foreigners who’ve ripped off investors, among other things, and working with departments overseas. But he’s still a part of the homicide branch, so lead Detective Takamatsu calls Hiroshi to the scene at Tamachi Station, where a male foreigner’s mangled body lies on the tracks. Security cameras caught an earlier glimpse of a woman near the victim, but it’s unclear if his death was murder, suicide, or accidental. Evidence on the deceased leads the investigation to the various night clubs in Roppongi. Based on a theory that the unidentified female is a hostess (and a perfect cover for Takamatsu’s favorite pastime of drinking excessively), the detectives frequent the clubs. Hiroshi and his new assistant, Akiko, meanwhile, look into previous suicides by train, ones that might not be suicides at all. Discovering a link between the vics draws Hiroshi closer to a woman whose plan could put the detectives in a speeding train’s path. Pronko’s early introduction to the possible killer fosters sympathy with her perspective and back story. But there’s still mystery and suspense. Her motive isn’t initially apparent, and readers will surely anticipate a murder every time she strikes up a conversation with a man. Tokyo is welcoming without being exoticized; its foods are delicious but sometimes practical. Ramen noodles, for example, are excellent hangover comfort food. Pronko, for good measure, adds tasty metaphors: an inevitable hangover makes Hiroshi’s eyeballs feel “like they were roasted in salt.” Supporting characters occasionally steal the spotlight, especially Akiko, who excels at research (when paperwork proves essential to the case’s resolution), and Detective Sakaguchi, a former sumo wrestler.

An absorbing investigation and memorable backdrop put this series launch on the right track.