Rising Sun – Michael Crichton
Having not read one of Chrichton’s books in a long time, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up this novel. The basic plot outline is that a woman (most definitely not a lady) has been killed in an office tower, and on the night of the opening party for a Japanese firm. The standard ‘cop-investigating-a-murder’ section starts here, though the Japanese involvement helps to keep the story fresh, without too many clichés. The policeman is assisted by another (ex? its been a while since I read it, sorry) cop who is very experienced with Japanese culture, and is helpful as a plot device, to explain to readers some of the intricacies of the Japanese way of doing business.
If you find unabashed xenophobic writing, even in fiction, distasteful, I’d recommend giving this book a miss. If you are happy to read this novel for the suspense, and not dwell on the Japan bashing, I’d definitely say you should buy it. The writing style is compact, without too much superfluous descriptive paragraphs. Although slightly predictable in places, the plot chugs along nicely.