Overview
A harrowing tale of murder and retribution.
Young, pretty Junko Aoki has an extraordinary ability-she can start fires through sheer force of will. When she begins using her gift of pyrokinesis to take the law into her own hands and punish violent criminals, her executions attract the attention of two very different groups: the Guardians, a secretive vigilante organization that tries to recruit her, and the arson squad of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Soon the police are on Junko's trail, most notably Detective Chikako Ishizu, a rationalist who must come to terms with the existence of paranormal forces. As Junko's crusade against evil escalates and she finds it harder to control her power, we are taken on a breathtaking and brutal journey through the urban landscape of Tokyo on a journey that challenges us, along with Chikako, to think about what's right and what's wrong in the name of justice.
Atmospheric, suspenseful, provocative, and even romantic, Crossfire is a tour de force sure to secure Miyuki Miyabe's place in the pantheon of today's top mystery writers.
Synopsis
Young, pretty Junko Aoki has an extraordinary ability she can start fires through sheer force of will. When she begins using her gift of pyrokinesis to take the law into her own hands and punish violent criminals, her executions attract the attention of two very different groups: the Guardians, a secretive vigilante organization that tries to recruit her, and the arson squad of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Soon the police are on Junkos trail, most notably Detective Chikako Ishizu, a rationalist who must come to terms with the existence of paranormal forces. As Junkos crusade against evil escalates and she finds it harder to control her power, we are taken on a breathtaking and brutal journal through the urban landscape of Tokyo. . .a journey that challenges us, along with Chikako, to think about whats right and whats wrong in the name of justice.
Publishers Weekly
This provocative paranormal police procedural from the prolific Miyabe, like her two previous crime novels translated into English (All She Was Worth and Shadow Family), examines the dark side of Japanese society. The complex story is seen through the eyes of two very different women: Junko Aoki, who's afflicted/blessed with pyrokinesis, the ability to start fires through willpower, which she uses to avenge unsolved crimes, and Sgt. Chikako Ishizu of the Tokyo police department's arson squad, a pragmatic skeptic. Chikako and her partner gradually piece together a series of baffling cases in which suspected criminals, cars and even buildings are inexplicably incinerated. Their investigation leads to those with supernatural powers, including a troubled young girl, as well as to an underground citizens' organization of justice seekers. Despite uneven pacing and some unlikely coincidences, this startling genre mix keeps the reader turning the pages right up to the breathtaking climax. (Mar.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble ReviewTwo women from opposite sides of the law -- one a vigilante killer with terrifying pyrokinetic abilities, the other an intrepid arson investigator with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department -- seek the same thing, justice, in this novel by Japanese crime fiction author Miyuki Miyabe.
Unassuming waitress Junko Aoki is a "walking flamethrower, a perpetually-armed assassin" whose mission in life is to hunt down and murder every single gang member who was involved in a series of senseless and brutal thrill killings involving innocent young women. Chikako Ishizu is a sergeant on the arson squad of the Tokyo Police Department who has been tracking a string of unexplainable deaths where the victims' bodies have been burnt to ash -- no sign of smoke damage, accelerants, etc. In their very divergent pursuits of justice, the two tenacious women are both drawn to a shadowy vigilante group known as the Guardians, whose members just may include top-ranking police officers and government officials…
An intriguing amalgam of horror, dark fantasy, and police procedural mystery, Crossfire is a genre-transcending tour de force. A rare literary work that almost effortlessly merges extremes, it is as restrained as it is audacious, as rational as it is outrageous. Fans of authors like Ed McBain, Ruth Rendel, and Stuart M. Kaminsky who are looking for a little supernatural spice in their police procedural will surely enjoy this fiery Japanese whodunit. Paul Goat Allen