Criminals

356 pages. Selected by Kirkus Reviews for Best Books of 2022. It's 1991. Young gay American Conner has found refuge in Tokyo after a rough coming out in Los Angeles. But a spectacular economic meltdown has crushed Japan's high-flying dreams, and now Tokyo is going sour for Conner, too. He's turned to crime to bail out an ex-boyfriend, he's alienating friends and he's started sleeping with a woman. When his crime scheme goes south, he scours Tokyo's dimly lit night scene for a solution. Conner and fellow lost soul Marika, who has fled a failing suburban marriage for her own big city ambitions, agree to a shady caper that may save or doom them both. As gangsters, grifters and police close in, the two must grapple with questions of crime and honesty, and to whom—and whose laws—they should be loyal.

"An entertaining crime yarn full of sly humor and unexpected uplift. … Karpa's comic noir has the feel of an Elmore Leonard novel … The mysteries are psychological and spiritual as well as conspiratorial … Karpa renders amusing action and intricate procedures in spare, observant, and mordantly funny prose … Readers will root for Conner and Marika to make it through."

—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)