It was a story that shocked Japan.
In the remote village of Izumi five high school friends died within the space of a fortnight.
The circumstances were never explained.
Four years later a British paranormal researcher travels to Izumi in an attempt to unravel the mystery.
There he encounters much more than culture shock.
He encounters the dark side of Japanese culture - the side they don't talk about in guidebooks.
He encounters Reiko.
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["Japanese ghosts are different. Your ghosts would not feel at home here"]***
(Independently Published, 25 April 2013, 304 pages, ebook, Kindle Lending Library)
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This is my first time reading the author. I really enjoyed this book. Despite the book's subject matter it's not gory or gruesome and very little happens for a large chunks. I would normally hate a book that's so slow burning but Reiko: A Japanese Story is so well written and engaging this isn't an issue. What makes the book work and makes it really unsettling is the hint, the possibilities of something terrible behind the façade of Izumi, the most haunted village in Japan. The final few chapters are most enjoyable when James finds out the shocking truth about what happened to Reiko and why the other students died.
