# Lady Joker Volume 1

\***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 Wir_e'** _NPR_

## Details

- **Price:** 0.0 GBP
- **Vendor:** John Murray Press
- **Type:** Kaoru Takamura

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 0.00 GBP | In stock |

## Images

- Lady Joker Volume 1

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> Source: [Somiibooks](https://somiibooks.com/products/lady-joker-volume-1)
> Updated: 2026-09-08