Big Drop Books

After killing a yakuza in self-defense, an ex-military translator owes a debt that is payable only one way: take the dead man’s place searching for a missing woman in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. Fusing gritty yakuza action with elements of classic noir in the city that started it all, the novella smashes Johnny Ban into a rarely explored corner of Los Angeles, sending him in search of two distinct parts of his past: his long-buried Americanness, and his first love—a Japanese woman up to her neck in trouble.

After finally locating Emi Sato, Johnny Ban loses her just as quickly as he found her. Their too-brief reunion sends him careening after her once more—this time setting him up for a chain of surprises that will forever change how he sees himself and those he trusts most—as his doomed rescue mission spirals to its horrific conclusion.