Red Star of Cadiz
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The Red Star of Cadiz ŌSAKA Gō |
Kurodahan Press is proud to present the first English translation of Red Star of Cadiz, an international suspense thriller that won author Osaka acclaim as a new master of the genre in Japan. The work has won three prestigious awards: the 96th Naoki Prize, the 40th Mystery Writers of Japan Award, and the 5th Japan Adventure Fiction Association Prize. The perfect hard-boiled introduction to Japanese crime and suspense fiction!
Spain was still under the domination of the Franco dictatorship in 1975, and Japan itself harbored fears of terrorism by the radical left.
Freelance public relations expert Urushida Ryō is asked by one of his major clients, Hino Musical Instruments, to help locate a man sought by famous Spanish guitar craftsman Jose Ramos: a Japanese guitarist known as Santos, who had visited Ramos’ workshop twenty years earlier. In spite of his outstanding guitar technique, it had proved impossible to find him in Japan’s flamenco guitar world. Urushida begins to trace Santos’ footsteps from the scarce leads remaining…
Ōsaka draws heavily on his own experiences in the advertising industry to portray the intense competition surrounding advertising agencies and their musical instrument manufacturing clients, as well as behind-the-scenes deals with consumer action groups. The story delves into the secrets surrounding the “Red Star of Cadiz,” a legendary guitar created by a master craftsman during the Spanish Civil War, and the desires and losses of the people around it. And as Urushida pursues Ramos’ granddaughter Flora and Paco, whom he suspects is Santos’ son, he is gradually pulled in a vortex of intrigue involving the Spanish ultra-left and secret police.
Multiple story lines intersect, doubling back on one another and weaving a rich tapestry of memories, including Urushida’s love for Risayo, at a rival PR firm; the activities of the staff at Urushida’s agency; and the search for Santos, that began as a simple and heartwarming request. The action shifts to Spain and accelerates, drawing the reader into a gripping story all the more real for the stunning visual imagery of Spain, and instilling a newfound love for flamenco guitar.
The book includes an introduction to the author and his works by Japanese literary critic IKEGAMI Fuyuki, and a foreword by Dr. Amanda Seaman (U. Mass. Amherst), author of Bodies of Evidence: Women, Society, and Detective Fiction in 1990s Japan.
