The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura

The Thief

Fuminori Nakamura

A gripping tale of a man caught in a trap and fighting his way out. Can he possibly succeed? This is such a bleak tale but it really is a page-turner with a fascinating and totally amoral villain, a sense of doom from the first page and an almost surreal view of the Japanese underworld.

Extract
Just as I was leaving the stall I felt something strange in one of the hidden pockets inside my coat. Alarmed, I went back into the toilet. A Bulgari wallet, made of stiff leather. Inside was 200,000 yen in new bills. Also several gold cards, Visa and others ... I'd never seen the wallet or the name on the cards before.
Not again, I thought. I had no recollection of taking it. But of all the wallets I'd acquired that day it was definitely the most valuable.
Parallels
  • Villain by Shuici Yoshida
  • The Killer is Dying by James Sallis