Lady Joker: Volume 1

The Million Copy Bestselling 'Masterpiece of Japanese Crime Fiction'
One of Japan's great modern writers, Kaoru Takamura, makes her English-language debut with Lady Joker, the million copy bestselling Japanese phenomenon.

*THE JAPANESE CRIME CLASSIC - ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD*

'One of the great masterpieces of Japanese crime fiction and one of the must-read books of this or any year' David Peace

Tokyo, 1995. Five men meet at the racetrack every Sunday to bet on horses. They have little in common except a deep disaffection with their lives, but together they represent the social struggles and griefs of post-War Japan: a poorly socialized genius stuck working as a welder; a demoted detective with a chip on his shoulder; a Zainichi Korean banker sick of being ostracized for his ethnicity; a struggling single dad of a teenage girl with Down syndrome. The fifth man bringing them all together is an elderly drugstore owner grieving his grandson, who died in suspicious circumstances.

Intent on revenge against a society that values corporate behemoths more than human life, the five conspirators decide to carry out a heist: kidnap the CEO of Japan's largest beer conglomerate and extract blood money from the company's corrupt financiers.

Inspired by the unsolved true-crime kidnapping case perpetrated by "the Monster with 21 Faces," Lady Joker has become a cultural touchstone since its 1997 publication, acknowledged as the magnum opus by one of Japan's literary masters.

'A novel that portrays with devastating immensity how those on the dark fringes of society can be consumed by the darkness of their own hearts' Yoko Ogawa, author of The Memory Police

'Takamura's prismatic heist novel offers a broad indictment of capitalist society' New York Times

'Lady Joker is a work you get immersed in, like a sprawling 19th century novel or a TV series like The Wire' NPR

Contributor: Allison Markin Powell (Translated by), Marie Iida (Translated by)

Translator: Allison Markin Powell, Marie Iida

UK Delivery:

• Free delivery on all orders of £10 or more.
• £1.49 delivery fee on orders below £10.
• UK orders are shipped via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

International Delivery:

• Flat rate delivery charges vary by country.

Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

View our full delivery infomation here.