When the top American diplomat in Tokyo, Bernard Mattson, is killed, he leaves more than a lifetime of successful Japan-American negotiations. He leaves a missing manuscript, boxes of research, a lost keynote speech and a tangled web of relations.  

When his alluring daughter, Jamie, returns from America wanting answers, finding only threats, Detective Hiroshi Shimizu is dragged from the safe confines of his office into the street-level realities of Pacific Rim politics. 

With help from ex-sumo wrestler Sakaguchi, Hiroshi searches for the killer from back alley bars to government offices, through anti-nuke protests to military conspiracies. When two more bodies turn up, Hiroshi must choose between desire and duty, violence or procedure, before the killer silences his next victim. 

The Moving Blade is the second in the Tokyo-based Detective Hiroshi series by award-winning author Michael Pronko.  

Awards for The Moving Blade

Named One of Kirkus Reviews Best Indie Mysteries and Thrillers (2018)

Grand Prize Winner Chanticleer International Book Awards Global Thrillers (2018) 

Gold Award Literary Titan Book Award (2018) 

Five Star Honoree B.R.A.G. Medallion (2018)  

Gold Award Independent Publisher Awards for Mystery (2019) 

Finalist Best Book Awards (2018) 

Finalist The Wishing Shelf Book Awards (2018) 

Honorable Mention Reader Views Literary Awards (2018-9)