In Tokyo, there isn't always respect for the aged. Sometimes, it's the opposite.

After the suspicious deaths of a seventy-something woman and a student recluse, Detective Hiroshi tracks down a gang of scammers who target retirees, robbing them of their life savings. Hiroshi teams up with Detective Ishii, who's been running a women's crime task force. Together, they find out who has been ripping off the pensions, retirement accounts, and even the deeds to homes. The gang focused on shitamachi, the older, eastern side of the city, a place just waiting for urban renewal. With his personal life on hold (almost), Hiroshi finds out how complex the traditional life of Tokyo still is. With old-school Detective Takamatsu and ex-sumo wrestler Chief Sakaguchi watching his back, Hiroshi searches for who's behind the scams--and who's behind the scammers.

In Tokyo, there isn't always respect for older people. Sometimes, it's the opposite.

Winner Mystery Independent Press Award (2023)

Finalist SPR Book Awards (2023)

Gold Award Literary Titan (2023)

Editor's Choice AudiobookBlog.com (2023)

After the suspicious deaths of a seventy-something woman and a student recluse, Detective Hiroshi tracks down a gang of scammers who target retirees, robbing them of their pensions, life savings, and even the deeds to their homes. Hiroshi teams up with Detective Ishii, who's been running a women's crime task force. Together, they find out who has been ripping off the pensions, life savings, and deeds to homes in shitamachi, the older, eastern side of the city.

With his personal life on hold (almost), Hiroshi finds out how complex the traditional life of Tokyo still is. With old-school Detective Takamatsu and ex-sumo wrestler Chief Sakaguchi watching his back, he finds out who's behind the scams, and who's behind the scammers.

"Pronko's knowledge of Japanese life is simply extraordinary-with painstaking care, he limns its shadowy contours and ambiguities. An absorbing drama conveyed with incisive intelligence."-Kirkus Reviews

Shitamachi Scam is the sixth book in the Tokyo-based Detective Hiroshi series by award-winning author Michael Pronko.