Kenzo Kitakata is the undisputed don of hardboiled and mystery writing in Japan. Immensly popular wiht mature readers both male and female, his works have won numerous literary awards.
Ashes is a fascinating look at the largely hidden world of the yakuza, Japan's mafia. -- Japan Visitor <br> This yakuza fable reads like a treatment for a Takeshi Kitano film, and its aging mobster Tanaka evokes Beat's sullen screen ennui. - Mary Jacobi, The Village Voice