Reviews

Tokyo Traffic

US Review Recommended (October 15, 2020)
“Combining old-fashioned gumshoeing with modern-day social conventions, Pronko’s tale is as much a Tokyo detective’s diary as it is a gritty underworld whodunit.”

The Wishing Shelf 5/5 (September 16, 2020)
“He understands how important it is not to just simply describe Tokyo but, rather, have the characters interact with it in a natural and unobtrusive way. It’s all very dark; all very gritty, and ALL totally gripping.”

Reader’s Favorite 5 Stars (September 13, 2020)
“The worldbuilding is impeccable and I enjoyed the complex environment the protagonist navigates.”

Reader Views (September 9, 2020)
“Pronko’s immediate style puts you into the guts of the action but will pull at your heartstrings at the same time.”

California Bookwatch (August 2020)
“Mystery readers who enjoy their detective pieces firmly rooted in reality will find Tokyo Traffic an excellent read.”

Crime Thriller Hound (August 2020)
“If there’s a better crime series set in Japan, I’ve not yet read it.”

Diane Donovan Midwest Book Review (August 2020)
“Pronko’s familiarity with Japanese culture in general and Tokyo atmosphere in particular enhances a story that once again excels in exploring both while presenting a murder mystery and romance that holds reader attention to the end.”

Feathered Quill (July 30, 2020)
“Adroitly takes readers on another outstanding Detective Hiroshi thrill ride into the streets of Tokyo.”

Crime Fiction Lover Review of Tokyo Traffic 5 Stars (July 8, 2020)
“It makes for uncomfortable reading at many points, but it’s a necessary discomfort. Tokyo Traffic exposes what is wrong with the new global economy, and does it in the form of a tense, compelling mystery.”

Best Thrillers (bestthrillers.com) ( June 22, 2020)
“The Bottom Line: A first-rate hardboiled crime novel set at the nexus between porn, human trafficking, crypto-currency fraud, and murder. Hiroshi is one of the most distinctive and intrepid detectives in contemporary crime fiction.”

Review from SPR Review: Tokyo Traffic 5 Stars (June 21st, 2020)
“As both a love letter to Japan and a bold condemnation of certain human rights crises still alive and well in our modern world, Tokyo Traffic is a superlative addition to the Detective Hiroshi series.”

Literary Titan 5 out of 5 stars (June 10, 2020)
“The way in which these two genuinely intriguing characters riveting storylines come together is something that I rarely see and makes Tokyo Traffic the most thrilling book I’ve read this year.”

Foreword Clarion Reviews 5 out of 5 (June 8, 2020)
“The beginning, middle, and end all share the same quality of sociological commentary and cynicism. This is a captivating mix executed to perfection by taut and terse writing.”

IndieReader 4.5/5 (June 3, 2020)
“Its indictment of the human trafficking industry, and lax government policies and laws that allow it to continue, is fierce, righteous, and not at all subtle, but does not end up being preachy or interfering with the storytelling or the plot.”

Blue Ink Review Starred Review (June 2020)
“It’s clear the author knows Japan deep in his soul. Pronko is also a masterful storyteller. As the narrative’s tension builds, readers will find themselves racing toward the inexorable moment when police, victims, and villains collide.”

Advicesbooks (May 25, 2020)
“Indeed, the novel is not an erotic mystery. It is a literary work with a well-arranged background, where the borders between good and evil are perfectly outlined and never granted!”

Kirkus Review (May 8, 2020)
“A dark and striking thriller with an indelible cast and setting. The Japanese city is instead rather lively and appealing, like a vivid character standing “amid the grid of apartment blocks, gyudon shops, manga cafes, and family restaurants.”

Booklife Review
“A sophisticated, humane, and compelling take on the modern police procedural.”

Booksplainer Review
“Tokyo Traffic, the third in the series is a mature thriller, a nice melding of suspense elements, an engaging detective team, and a mystery with a few twists.”

Reedsy Discovery 5 Stars
“The action scenes aren’t exaggerated which was a relief and the climax is fast-paced and nail-biting. The ending ties up all the loose ends beautifully and provides a satisfying closure to the whole story.”

Pacific Book Review
“His uses of neighborhoods, streets, and sections of the city from gleaming high-rises to teaming underbelly drop readers right into the middle of one of the world’s most interesting metropolises. Crime and mystery fans should definitely get to know Detective Hiroshi and the town he calls home.”

San Francisco Book Review 4.5/5
“Pronko’s characters are fully developed, his dialogue is authentic, and his writing is clear and concise.”

Chanticleer Review of Tokyo Traffic 5/5
“In a dangerous and evolving world of human trafficking and porn, one man returns to make certain the Tokyo streets remain safe. Pronko delivers another breath-taking, action-packed thriller you won’t be able to put down! Highly recommended.”

The Bookbag
“It’s a great page-turner with real tension towards the end and I hope that it won’t be too long before we hear more about Hiroshi.”

The Moving Blade

Indie Reader 4/5 (September 21, 2018)
“This smoothly written and fast-paced police thriller is populated with colorful characters. The writing is compact and sometimes quite elegant.”

Kirkus Reviews Starred Review (October 1, 2018)
“A tight, rock-solid installment in a series that’s only getting better.”

Midwest Book Review (October 2018)
“The Moving Blade is well steeped in Japanese history and culture: an unexpectedly delightful backdrop to an investigative ‘whodunnit’ mystery.”

Reader’s Favorite 5 Stars (September 22, 2018)
“Great attention to detail in setting, lifestyle, and characters create an atmospheric, tense, and engaging read. Plots, protests, questions, and secrets drive the reader forward.”

Bookpleasures.com Review (September 22, 2018)
“Pronko manages to arouse the reader’s curiosity about who, what, where, when, how and why?”

Literary Titan Five Stars (September 21, 2018)
“This book made it to my favorites list before I even finished reading it.”

IndieReader 4/5 (September 21, 2018)
“Pronko’s smoothly written and fast-paced police thriller is populated with colorful characters.”

Booklife Prize Judges Assessment 9.25 out of 10 (September 8, 2018)
“A stellar novel with a unique storyline and setting.”

Best Thrillers (September 9, 2018)
“One of the year’s best thrillers.”

The Wishing Shelf Book Awards 5 Stars (September 5, 2018)
“A powerfully written crime novel; often stark and unsettling. Highly recommended!”

SPR Review (September 5th, 2018)
“As a detective story, this novel knocks it out of the park. This book succeeds as both an homage to Tokyo and a savagely entertaining mystery.”

Blue Ink Starred Review (September, 2018)
“With its well-crafted plot involving credible, menacing threats, The Moving Blade is sure to captivate mystery fans.”

Reader Views (August 30, 2018)
“Pronko brought this story to life so much that I found myself hoping that none of the negative aspects could possibly be true.”

US Review of Books (2018)
“Ripe with surprising plot twists that take the reader into the deep underbelly of Tokyo, Pronko’s mystery/thriller offers an intriguing story of murder, mystery, and maleficence.”

Chanticleer Book Reviews 5/5
“A rich serving of a thriller, The Moving Blade is a well-cooked and tasty sukiyaki of a novel, written by an American who knows Japan well.”  

Publisher’s Daily Reviews (2018)
“Five-plus stars to The Moving Blade. We say to readers, come for a satisfying story — but stay for an immersive experience in Japanese ways and a better-than-Frommer’s guide to Tokyo.”

Hollywood Book Reviews Excellent Merit (2018)
“This is a crime thriller that will stimulate your head, your heart, and your adrenal glands simultaneously. And really, isn’t that the best kind?”

Foreword Clarion Reviews 5 out of 5 (2018)
“Fun and thrilling throughout, The Moving Blade is an excellent potboiler—an exciting modern mystery that focuses on the chiaroscuro of international diplomacy and organized crime.”

The Last Train

Book Review from What Cathy Read Next (December 15, 2017)
“In three words: Atmospheric, compelling, mystery.”

Midwest Book Review (August, 2017)
“A standout story of not only intrigue, but ways in which crimes are solved, influenced, or supported.”

Feathered Quill Spotlight Reviews (July 2, 2017)
“The most compelling aspect of this thriller is not the typical whodunit that lingers on the minds of readers throughout the story (in fact the murderer is revealed early on), but the motivation behind the decision to murder, and who will be the next target.”

Reader Views ( June 8, 2017)
“The Last Train by Michael Pronko is a five-star detective read, the first in the series. It is unique, intriguing, and will hook the reader from beginning to end. I highly recommend it to all mystery lovers

Foreword/Clarion Review 4 out of 5 (June 6, 2017)
“In The Last Train by Michael Pronko, Detective Hiroshi Shimizu and the Tokyo homicide unit go on a thrilling hunt for a murderer of rich men. Theirs is an utterly page-turning adventure.”

Indie Reader (June 5, 2017)
“The Last Train is a heartfelt, thoughtful ode to a strange and beautiful city, in the way that so many classic detective novels are. Lyrically written, with plenty of suspense, this a novel that aims to please, and can’t really help but do so.”

Best Thrillers (May 25, 2017)
“With The Last Train, Michael Pronko takes his adopted hometown and uses it as the setting for this unconventional take on the whodunit, which turns the genre on its ear and focuses not on the who, but the lightning-fast chase to the finish line.”

Kirkus Reviews (May 24, 2017)
“An absorbing investigation and memorable backdrop put this series launch on the right track.”

Literary Titan Five Star (May 22, 2017)
“The story behind Michiko Suzuki is compelling and engaging, you can’t help flipping the pages to see what she is going to do next and find out why her victims were chosen.”

Booklife Critic’s Report 10/10 (2017)
“Gripping and suspenseful, this fast-paced thriller unfolds on the streets of Tokyo, where a clever and cold-blooded killer exacts revenge.”

Motions and Moments

Feathered Quill (April 23, 2016)
“Motions and Moments is a terrific series of essays that captures the essence and allure of Tokyo with a lot of heart infused in the work.”

Bookpleasures.com (April 9, 2016)
“Michael Pronko has a natural talent to spin out words and astute perceptions in concise, steady and refreshing prose wherein every word counts and nothing is extra. One of the joys in reading these essays is that the language is precisely crafted.”

Independent Publisher Indie Groundbreaking Book (April 2016)
“The groundbreaking facet of Motions and Moments—and, I presume, the same quality that made his previous two essay collections award winners and reader favorites—is that Pronko takes the sweeping size, bustle, and chaos of Tokyo and makes it small, introspective, and personal.”

Doing Dewey 5 Stars (March 6, 2016)
“Although I suspect that Michael Pronko’s observations of Tokyo are possible in part because he’s an expat living there, I would be just as happy to read essays he wrote about any country.”

Big Al’s Books and Pals 5 Stars (March 4, 2016)
“Michael Pronko has that rare voice of one who has lived and studied long enough in an “exotic” environment to get it right, but is still able to present a fresh vision.”

Review from Midwest Book Review, D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer (March 2016)
“More so than almost any other treatment, it captures the nuances Westerners find puzzling about Japan and translates them into digestible, vivid insights no visitor should be without.”

Indie Reader (February 17, 2016)
“Motions and Moments captures the personality and vigor of Tokyo with its thoughtful and perceptive essays.”

The Bookbag (December 2015)
“The thing to remember, Pronko emphasises, is that Tokyo is never just one thing: generalisations don’t work perfectly; it’s a city of multiple layers, both literally and metaphorically.”

Publishers Daily Reviews Five-plus stars
“This is a memoir to be savored like a fine red wine, crafted with supreme care by a man who clearly has fallen in love with his adopted city — and we are the beneficiaries of his lyrical reflections, making us want to visit and absorb the rich megalopolis of Tokyo for ourselves.”

Tokyo’s Mystery Deepens

For Novel Lovers Five Stars (June 25, 2016)
“I wanted to say before I begin this review is going to be slightly longer than some of the other ones I do …I really loved being about to learn more about the cultural and social side of my favourite country in the world, some of the things Pronko talks about like the hanko, slight hand gestures and social awareness I never knew before but reading this book has helped me understand better.”

Midwest Book Review (July 2015)
“If Michael Pronko’s prior Beauty and Chaos captured the exquisite essence of the urban heartbeat that is Tokyo, then this follow-up essay collection, Tokyo’s Mystery Deepens, is its soul, offering up pieces of Tokyo’s psyche through the observations of a visitor who became immersed in its culture.”

Beauty and Chaos

Kirkus Review (April 20, 2015)
“A clear-eyed but affectionate portrait of a city that reaches beyond simple stereotypes. An elegantly written, precisely observed portrait of a Japanese city and its culture.”

SPR Review 5 Stars (April 8, 2015)
“Beauty and Chaos is a spectacular read. Its essays are long enough to be cohesive and provocative while remaining short and sweet, never rushing points but never falling too far off track. The collection is masterful and unique.”

Midwest Book Review (April 2015)
“Beauty and Chaos is a rare gem of exploration that holds the ability to sweep observer/readers into a series of vignettes that penetrate the heart of Tokyo’s fast-paced world. Anyone planning a trip to the city (and many an armchair reader who holds a special affection for Japan) must have this in hand – and, in mind. Very highly recommended.”

Readers’ Favorite 5 Stars (March 21, 2015)
“Every small thing that makes Tokyo what it is gives the book a unique and special tone. Whether it is the cherry blossoms, the bars and restaurants, the standing libraries or clothing, the author has researched the place well and revealed to readers a Tokyo not captured so intensely by travelers. The author’s love for the city is evident in the manner in which he has explored the place and soaked up every small detail that covers everything about life in Tokyo.”

The Bookbag 4/5 (November 2014)
“Pronko’s topics are varied and surprising. He notices the kinds of things that might be taken for granted by the Japanese and overlooked entirely by visitors…These pieces feel flowing and natural, perhaps because many arose simply from walking around, people-watching.”