Criminals

356 pages. Selected by Kirkus Reviews for Best Books of 2022. It's 1991. Young gay American Conner has found refuge in Tokyo after a rough coming out in Los Angeles. But a spectacular economic meltdown has crushed Japan's high-flying dreams, and now Tokyo is going sour for Conner, too. He's turned to crime to bail out an ex-boyfriend, he's alienating friends and he's started sleeping with a woman. When his crime scheme goes south, he scours Tokyo's dimly lit night scene for a solution. Conner and fellow lost soul Marika, who has fled a failing suburban marriage for her own big city ambitions, agree to a shady caper that may save or doom them both. As gangsters, grifters and police close in, the two must grapple with questions of crime and honesty, and to whom-and whose laws-they should be loyal. "An entertaining crime yarn full of sly humor and unexpected uplift. … Karpa's comic noir has the feel of an Elmore Leonard novel … The mysteries are psychological and spiritual as well as conspiratorial … Karpa renders amusing action and intricate procedures in spare, observant, and mordantly funny prose … Readers will root for Conner and Marika to make it through."-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)