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Sumotori: A 21st Century Samurai Thriller
Yokozuna: the best of the best, the highest possible ranking in Japan's national sport of sumo. To be awarded this title, you need to go above and beyond, showing strength, agility, and plenty of discipline. The only remaining Japanese individual with this title is Tatsuyama, who shares the honored rank with two foreign wrestlers. The mild-mannered fighter is suddenly suspended from competition, however, after he steps in to subdue an obnoxious drunk who is harassing a performer from an all-girl J-Pop ensemble. Despite his best intentions, he ends up with assault charges and a trip to the slammer. As it turns out, the concert creep may have connections in high places. In the struggle to clear his own name and protect those he cares for Tatsuyama then finds himself in the crosshairs of Yamada Hideyoshi and the Yamada clan, who are looking to exact complete control over Japan's national sport-and they will stop at nothing to bring down the sumo champion. This action-packed, international adventure follows the affable fighter as he works with young detective Kobayashi Kobi in an attempt to ward off the corrupt individuals and enemies lurking in unexpected places who are threatening him and those closest to him, however not everyone is who or what they seem. A page-turner from start to finish, you'll find yourself rooting for the instantly likable Tatsuyama the entire way-but can he stop Yamada and the corruption that is threatening to end him before it is too late?
252 pages, Paperback
First published July 19, 2013
4 people are currently reading
244 people want to read
About the author
G.P. Hutchinson
31 books50 followersThree-Time Winner, Readers' Favorite International Book Awards
"GP Hutchinson has the gift to tell a compelling tale, enlighten you without preaching and keep you on the edge of your seat. He takes you on unexpected trails populated by flesh and blood characters of depth and substance," says Western TV & movie star Alex Cord. Nick Wale of Novel Ideas says, "With great mastery GP Hutchinson paints a West I can see, feel and smell. [He] knows how to write, and he knows instinctively."
Hutchinson's first Western novel, "Strong Convictions," won the Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award for Best First Western of 2015, as well as a gold medal from the National Indie Excellence Awards. "Strong Suspicions," the second volume in the Emmett Strong Western series, garnered a gold medal in the 2016 Readers' Favorite International Book Awards. And "Strong Ambitions" took silver in the 2017 Readers' Favorite Awards.
In addition to his interest in the Old West, GP Hutchinson has been a longtime enthusiast of baseball, America's first true national pastime, a game played from coast to coast by the late 1800s. While he enjoys the game as it is played today, his most recent novels are tales of players caught up in life-and-death struggles during the early years of professional baseball. Steeped in the actual history of the game, as well as societal realities of the times, these stories feature both fictional and actual characters, teams, and leagues.
A graduate of Louisiana State University and Dallas Theological Seminary, Hutchinson has lived in Costa Rica and Spain. He currently resides in upstate South Carolina with his wife, Carolyn. Besides writing, he enjoys spending time in the mountains and horseback riding whenever the opportunity arises.
"GP Hutchinson has the gift to tell a compelling tale, enlighten you without preaching and keep you on the edge of your seat. He takes you on unexpected trails populated by flesh and blood characters of depth and substance," says Western TV & movie star Alex Cord. Nick Wale of Novel Ideas says, "With great mastery GP Hutchinson paints a West I can see, feel and smell. [He] knows how to write, and he knows instinctively."
Hutchinson's first Western novel, "Strong Convictions," won the Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award for Best First Western of 2015, as well as a gold medal from the National Indie Excellence Awards. "Strong Suspicions," the second volume in the Emmett Strong Western series, garnered a gold medal in the 2016 Readers' Favorite International Book Awards. And "Strong Ambitions" took silver in the 2017 Readers' Favorite Awards.
In addition to his interest in the Old West, GP Hutchinson has been a longtime enthusiast of baseball, America's first true national pastime, a game played from coast to coast by the late 1800s. While he enjoys the game as it is played today, his most recent novels are tales of players caught up in life-and-death struggles during the early years of professional baseball. Steeped in the actual history of the game, as well as societal realities of the times, these stories feature both fictional and actual characters, teams, and leagues.
A graduate of Louisiana State University and Dallas Theological Seminary, Hutchinson has lived in Costa Rica and Spain. He currently resides in upstate South Carolina with his wife, Carolyn. Besides writing, he enjoys spending time in the mountains and horseback riding whenever the opportunity arises.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 22, 2019
An excellent novel that is really an old fashioned tale of the mob trying to muscle in on the fight game, only this time it's modern sumo instead of boxing.
The only Japanese Yokozuna takes his girlfriend to a concert, where he is framed for an assault charge and suspended from the big tournament. It turns out that his girl friend is the daughter of a yakuza chief.
The Sumo allies himself with a police detective and a security guard to fight back, and foil the gangsters. It's an old story, but it kept the pages turning.
I wouldn't mind seeing another book with these characters, that's for sure.
The only Japanese Yokozuna takes his girlfriend to a concert, where he is framed for an assault charge and suspended from the big tournament. It turns out that his girl friend is the daughter of a yakuza chief.
The Sumo allies himself with a police detective and a security guard to fight back, and foil the gangsters. It's an old story, but it kept the pages turning.
I wouldn't mind seeing another book with these characters, that's for sure.
March 4, 2015
I loved it! I can see this story as a movie. Maybe have Takeshi Kaneshiro be Detective Kobayashi. I can't think of any Japanese actors as Tatsuyama. The book was fast paced and informative and had lots of action scenes. Isn't that a good formula for a movie?
My only complaint is that I didn't have enough time to read the story in one setting. Any book that's 400 pages or less I can finish in a few hours, but I had to read this in between and it seemed like it was always when the good parts where happening.
So to the story: Tatsuyama. Honarable character, national hero in sumo wrestling. He gets framed and bad guys made sure bad things happened to him so they can "control" him. He doesn't budge, at all. I mean he's a sumo, it'll take a lot to make one move. :o)
I'm happy to say that Coach and Naoki are actually good guys. Kinda irked me to wonder if they were or weren't they but that's part of the fun reading this kind of story.
It had some laugh out loud moments, some cheesy scenes, mystery, and of course sumo wrestling. lol.
I had a great time learning new words but it did slow me down in my reading due to pronunciation of the words.
I'd recommend this story to anyone.
My only complaint is that I didn't have enough time to read the story in one setting. Any book that's 400 pages or less I can finish in a few hours, but I had to read this in between and it seemed like it was always when the good parts where happening.
So to the story: Tatsuyama. Honarable character, national hero in sumo wrestling. He gets framed and bad guys made sure bad things happened to him so they can "control" him. He doesn't budge, at all. I mean he's a sumo, it'll take a lot to make one move. :o)
I'm happy to say that Coach and Naoki are actually good guys. Kinda irked me to wonder if they were or weren't they but that's part of the fun reading this kind of story.
It had some laugh out loud moments, some cheesy scenes, mystery, and of course sumo wrestling. lol.
I had a great time learning new words but it did slow me down in my reading due to pronunciation of the words.
I'd recommend this story to anyone.
February 4, 2015
I received this book in exchange for an honest review and I'm so pleased I had the opportunity to read it. I'm a writer and I studied Japanese culture at university. I have also worked with the Japanese people for many years so I was very impressed by GP Hutchinson's ability to capture the essence of Japan in this intriguing story. This book was a real page turner, the plot was carefully crafted, the characters were delightful and this author is an expert at writing dialogue. The world of Sumo is a very difficult area to tackle yet Hutchinson has portrayed this Japanese tradition in a way that is enlightening and extremely interesting, even if you don't have any knowledge of this subject. If you have an interest in Japan or if you're just looking for a great read then you should give this book a go.
August 4, 2013
Fast paced, intriguing thriller set in Japan! I am a fan of Lisa See and Amy Tan! Now I can add Gary Hutchinson to my list! I was hesitant at first having little knowledge and interest in Sumo wrestling....but was I wrong! I fell in love with Tatsuyama (main character) the sport and culture! I actually YouTubed a video of a match because the final chapter drew me into the arena! I felt like I was sitting dohyoside (ringside)! The characters were endearing and authentic. The storyline was well executed and the intriguing thriller side of story left me unable to put my Kindle down. I am looking forward to meeting up with Tatsuyama, Shiori and Kobayashi in a sequel. Download this book you will not be disappointed!
March 19, 2017
This book was advertised to me as a ‘Young Adult’ but it isn’t really. The hero is a 29 year old Sumo champion. On the other hand it’s a straight forward clean read, so any age group could enjoy it. Probably best for boys as it was full of action and set piece fights, but females will find the romance unconvincing. The Japanese sumo wrestling background was fascinating, and you got to care about what happened to the hero...
February 4, 2015
I received this book in exchange for an honest review and I'm so pleased I had the opportunity to read it. I'm a writer and I studied Japanese culture at university. I have also worked with the Japanese people for many years so I was very impressed by GP Hutchinson's ability to capture the essence of Japan in this intriguing story. This book was a real page turner, the plot was carefully crafted, the characters were delightful and this author is an expert at writing dialogue. The world of Sumo is a very difficult area to tackle yet Hutchinson has portrayed this Japanese tradition in a way that is enlightening and extremely interesting, even if you don't have any knowledge of this subject. If you have an interest in Japan or if you're just looking for a great read then you should give this book a go.
July 25, 2014
All in all, I enjoyed reading Sumotori.
I learned quite a few things about sumo that were interesting, and I would have liked to feel even more connected with the japanese culture portrayed in the book. However, I noticed the american culture (in the way that the language was used and the conversation were conveyed).
I learned quite a few things about sumo that were interesting, and I would have liked to feel even more connected with the japanese culture portrayed in the book. However, I noticed the american culture (in the way that the language was used and the conversation were conveyed).
April 26, 2014
One thing I like about reading, is "traveling" through the books I read.
I felt like I was on the scenes for every bit of the action. Loved the characters... Loved the surprises... and loved how he wrapped up everything at the end. So much fun to read !!!
I felt like I was on the scenes for every bit of the action. Loved the characters... Loved the surprises... and loved how he wrapped up everything at the end. So much fun to read !!!
September 23, 2014
I'm not sure what to say about how poorly this book was written. There were a few times where I double checked to see if perhaps the author was Japanese and not writing in his first language. The plot was no better than the writing. Boring, contrived, just awful.
June 2, 2015
Informative Sumo Mystery
I chose this rating because the book has several interesting aspects. The characters are believable, story line good, easy to follow and most of all I learned a lot about Japan. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good read.
I chose this rating because the book has several interesting aspects. The characters are believable, story line good, easy to follow and most of all I learned a lot about Japan. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good read.
August 19, 2016
This was such a thrilling story. I couldn't stop reading this story. I had to see if it ended well for Tatsuyama. While reading, I kept rooting for the good guys. I hoped Yamada and his yakuza would be caught.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews