Imperfect Strangers

by Lea O'Harra

When President Nomura, head of a small private university in southern Japan, is found in his office with his throat cut, the quiet provincial town of Fujikawa comes alive with conspiracy and secrets.

Why are official university documents missing from the crime scene?

And what is the meaning behind the Japanese doll left on Nomura’s desk by the killer?

Darkness and deceit begin to rise to the surface, shattering the everyday façade of peace and conformity.

Chief Inspector Inoue of the local police force soon learns that the victim had a number of enemies.

It’s not long before Inoue discovers that nearly everyone involved in the case is harbouring their own secrets and lies.

However, when a second university employee is murdered on campus in the dead of night, Inoue’s Commanding Officer – Superintendent Takenaka – takes over the case and makes a sudden arrest, eager for the high profile case to be closed as soon as possible.

But whilst everyone is convinced they have caught the murderer, Chief Inspector Inoue is certain that they have the wrong man.

Inoue faces his greatest challenge to date – risking professional ruin and disgrace in a race to find the killer.

But with everyone around him a potential suspect, who can he trust?

Can the small town of Fujikawa ever return to normal?

Or is it impossible to find perfect justice in an imperfect world?

‘Imperfect Strangers’ is a gripping murder mystery and an intriguing dissection of modern day Japan.

'A thrilling page-turner.' - Tom Kasey, best-selling author of 'Cold Kill'.

Lea O’Harra, an American by birth, has lived in Japan for over 30 years. This is her first novel and marks the first book in the Inspector Inoue series.

Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Asia, Japan

250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 20, 2015

About the author

Lea O'Harra is the pen name adopted by Wendy Jones Nakanishi for the publication of her so-called Inspector Inoue mystery series including 'Imperfect Strangers' (2015), 'Progeny' (2016), and 'Lady First' (2017), all published by Endeavour Press (UK) and set in rural present-day Japan. Sharpe Boooks (UK) has recently reissued the series, along with a fourth thriller titled 'Dead Reckoning,' a standalone set in the American Midwest which was published in September 2022. Black Rose Writing (Texas) will publish her fifth crime fiction novel titled 'Sayonara, My Sweet' in May 2025. According to the author, an American by birth who has lived in Japan for forty years, her books are as much dissections of the dark underbelly of Japanese society as murder mysteries.

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Imperfect Strangers” which I won through Goodreads Giveaways is an intriguing and entertaining murder mystery set on the island of Kyusha, Japan where the President of a small private University has been killed. The only clues to the murder, a blood splattered porcelain doll with the word “forbidden” across its head, the victim’s missing computer as well as the disappearance of official university documents.

Chief Inspector Inoue of the local police force is called in to investigate, discovering financial constraints and changes on campus that have created a number of enemies for the victim. As the suspect list grows each harbouring secrets and lies, and a case of financial impropriety is uncovered that results in another death, Kenji Inoue’s Commanding Officer, Superintendent Takenaka steps in making unwarranted arrests in this high-profile case. As tension in his police office and at the University grow the Chief Inspector begins to unravel pieces of a puzzle that point him in an unexpected direction and to the College President’s own involvement in a crime.

Lea O’Harra brings to life the quiet provincial town of Fujikawa with its renowned University that over the years has catered to the physically disabled and social castes, sprinkling the flavour of Japan in the story with the language and culture. Skilfully she weaves an enthralling plot filled with intensity and suspense as Chief Inspector Inoue who’s facing tension from the arrival of his Commanding Officer at work as well as a mysterious murder races to find a killer with few clues and a host of potential suspects. Slower-paced than other murder mysteries but thrilling in its realism and emotional power, Kenji Inoue not only follows an intricate trail of evidence to the surprising identity of the murderer but uncovers financial corruption, and sexual promiscuity.

Chief Inspector Kenji Inoue of the Fujiawa police force likes the adventure, excitement and challenge of his work but not the political chaos of his interfering Commanding Officer. In love with and married to the smart, considerate and amiable American Ellie, the Inspector tends to be resourceful, intuitive and dogged at getting at the truth. Andrew Thomas the Canadian foreigner fearful of losing his job at the University is naive, vulnerable, shy and kind; a gentleman with an unfaithful, hostile wife. Professor Hasaki Nomura, the victim could be amiable, approachable and an efficient administrator, but the death of his American wife left him antagonistic and bitter and hiding secrets that have gained him enemies. All these characters and many more infuse the story with passion, depth and drama, making it hard to put down until the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed “Imperfect Strangers” a highly intriguing page-turner that keeps you engaged from the beginning to a thrilling climax. I wouldn’t hesitate to look for more books in the Inspector Inoue mystery series in future.

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started off so well but rapidly went down hill. I think I lost interest when the ex-pat guys were all drinking at a bar and their level of conversation was immature and they were so insulting to each other I an surprised any of them were friends. I work with all men training from 20 = 60 and absolutely none of them would have conversations remotely like this. The gang of women who all got together was much on the same scale. Laking substance and interest

Once again we had the tired old cliche an officer hight in the food chain , who is totally incompetent
taking over the proceeding, failed to make the correct arrest and the local copper shining through
(sigh). How he even came to guess who the murderer was beggars belief and and the other protagonist, Carl, why he was doing what he was doing seems to have been made uo out of thin air.

Thi woman seems to have an obsession with cat vivisection as it is mentioned in this book and is (cat toture) I believe subject of her next book, which I won't be reading for that very reason ieven if she was the most brilliant author on Earth, which sadly she is not. However she has tried hard and good on her. I think just had to tidy up her style if writing a bit

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a long time resident of Japan myself, I think Lea O'Harra has written an exciting and carefully crafted mystery yarn that presents abundant insights into Japanese life, even ones that many Japanese may not see or want to see. As her love of the country is clear, the controversial observations (i.e regarding Buraku, predatory male academics, the Christian presence ...) will clearly be seen by open-minded readers as based in fact, and as discussion points.
The characters are well-developed, in particular some of the minor ones, and the rivalries, competitions and affairs between them are told in an effective, entertaining fashion.
The plot is realistic and develops effectively.
I did not like the two chapters with foreigners out eating and drinking, and from my own experience, feel that they were not realistic, but worse, these two chapters and two others in the middle of the book slowed the story down a little. Nevertheless, when the action got back on track, it was gripping and highly entertaining.
I highly recommend this book and hope that some of the characters that I have come to like, especially all four cops, continue on in further installments.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The Japanese cultural elements provided some additional layers of interest for me. I have a complaint that in my edition the glossary was at the back which meant that I had to use Google a bit to look up some of the Japanese words used. Maybe better at the front.

The drinking expat guys were annoying for me. That detracted from the book a little.

I did not guess the murderer.

[Leyla Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really enjoyable book, not only was it a murder mystery, but being set in Japan it added another layer to the story. I found the background story just as intriguing as the crime. The mystery was good and I would never ha picked the murderer until the person was revealed - having said that, whilst the deed was pretty bloody, the story was a gentle one and moved along at a slower pace than some of the general crime fictions - very different yet very readable. I would certainly read more by Lea O'Harra.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good enough to keep me reading, but it was just so tedious for most of it. Way too many characters, most of them caricatures without any depth. I guessed the villain early on. Using first and then last names and then first names was very confusing for the first half of the book.

[Myriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. What I like most is that one gets a good glimpse of the japanese culture and the sometimes difficult relationship foreigners have with the Japanese and vice versa.

[charlotte a pals · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cap

As I started this book, I wasn't sure if I was going to continue. But then I got caught up in mystery and intrigue. Loved it

[Lizzie Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chief Inspector Kenji Inoue commands the police station in Fujikawa, a small town with a low crime rate in rural Japan. One swelteringly hot morning in July, his peace is shattered when Professor Nomura, the president of Fujikawa University, is discovered in his office with his throat cut.

Aided by two young sergeants, Kubo who is smart and efficient, and Ando who is scruffy but understands people, Inoue starts investigating. There is no shortage of suspects. The Professor’s plans to change the charitable, Christian ethos of the university and to make lecturers redundant by closing the English department have made him unpopular. Added to which there were rumors that he, or an obedient minion, had been syphoning off money from the university’s kitty for their own nefarious uses. On the personal side he was seen as a lecherous individual who preyed on young, female students, and his younger brother hates him.

Andrew Thomas, a Canadian professor of English, becomes the prime suspect for several reasons: he was discovered covered in blood with the dead man’s body in his arms; he is likely to be made redundant; and his wife Alyson was having an affair with the Professor. A second death followed within the week. Hideo Akamatsu, from the accounts department, was attacked and subsequently died. Whilst all this is happening, Inoue has his boss, the ambitious Superintendent Takenaka, breathing down his neck. Thankfully, Takenaka is not based in Fujikawa, but at a much larger police station in the nearby town of Ishizaki.

Whilst Imperfect Strangers works perfectly well as a murder mystery, its main interest for me was the insightful and fascinating glimpses it provided into Japanese culture and institutions. The characters, and the manifestations of what might be viewed by many of us as employees unacceptably hierarchical relationships with each other, are portrayed with admirable clarity alongside the darker, less acceptable, subservient side of domestic society. Originally published in 2015, and set in the present day, much of the behaviour described seems to have been derived from a distant epoch. Overall, this is a book that can be read on many levels, but whatever one’s approach, it makes an interesting, informative and enjoyable read.
--------
Reviewer: Angela Crowther
For Lizzie Sirett (Mystery People Group)

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author O'Harra ventures into the world of crime fiction with this first installment of her Chief Inoue series. Chief Inspector Inoue is head of the local police department in the small town of Fujikawa. Inoue finds his job to be very dull, his most "exciting" case being the occasional shoplifter and he often finds himself wishing he lead a more exciting life in a larger city like Tokyo or Osaka. But a horrifying scandal at the local university that leaves the town shaken may just be enough to change his mind. President of Fujikawa University, Professor Nomura is found dead in his office with his throat slit. Foul play is suspected as Professor Nomura had had plan to make big changes at the university and was known for having more enemies than friends. The murderer strikes a second time and Chief Inoue is in a race against time before they strike again. O'Harra's book is sort of like an Agatha Christie book set in Japan. Having lived and worked as a university professor in Japan for many years, O'Hara uses her personal experience to help give readers an interesting look into Japanese culture and society. The plot is a bit slow at points with the author choosing to focus more on the characters rather than the story's pacing. An overall entertaining read for those looking for a change from the normally fast-paced thrillers/mysteries.

[Purnima Khanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imperfect Strangers by Lea O' Harra is of crime fiction genre. The plot is built around an incident of murder at the campus of a private Japanese University. Inspector Inou is given the responsibility of investigating the case.
The book is a fictional murder mystery, so I will try to avoid spoilers.
Title of the novel is deeply meaningful. It reflects that japanese society is highly influenced by various sociological, economic and religious factors. Japanese people, inspite of being familiar and known to each other, are in fact imperfect strangers to each other.
An invisible gap exists between them, which doesn't seem to be easily abridged.
The author gives a vivid and genuine peek into the Japanese society and it's culture, customs, nuances and complexities.
The character development is genuine and relatable. The plot and prose is engaging and suspenseful.

[a u d r e y ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall the story was good but the character development and plot fell short. Most of the story didn't make any sense and for a crime/ mystery novel it was quite obvious who did what and the pieces fell together. As someone who is completely unfamiliar with Japanese culture the book did well to incorporate and induce many of the religious and cultural traditions.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this through a giveaway. I found it more so a critique of Japanese/ex-pat culture than a murder mystery. I was disappointed but it wasn't horrible. I'm sure others would enjoy it more than I did, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

[Tomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were some editing issues - the story seemed to be missing several pages a couple of times. It wasn’t much of a story, anyway…I like to learn more about other places/cultures and this didn’t have much information.

[Scot · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this murder mystery because of the setting—I thought it would be nice to learn more about Japanese cultural practices and traditions while trying to figure out whodunit. Also, it is set in a university, and I work at a university, so it’s always fun to read mysteries set in places we can relate to, comparing or contrasting the way the bureaucracy works there with our own. I was heartened to see it was in the classical detective tradition, a mode in which we are more interested in figuring out through deduction based on carefully assembled and analyzed evidence how the crime was committed and by whom rather than in the style of the more popular variants that have evolved from the hard-boiled detective approach in which action and intrigue during the investigation take center stage. As rational thinking gets less attention in our culture, we tend to see fewer classical style mysteries rising to the top in popularity, and I haven’t read one in quite some time.

Then when I saw the author was not Japanese, but an ex-pat, I got a bit nervous. How would I know how honest the portrayal of Japan was? Might not bias or misunderstanding on the part of the author misrepresent pertinent elements of Japanese culture embedded in the novel? I am pleased to say, once I started reading it, I saw that in this case, the ex-pat perspective actually helped make for a better story. The mystery, set at a small private Christian college in western Japan, includes several characters who are ex-pats from the U.S., Canada, the U.K., or Ireland. Also, the author is an American who has lived in Japan for more than 30 years, and her being an outsider who knows well both that culture and my home culture makes her an excellent go-between to explore the range of interactions of different ex-pat characters with the many varied Japanese characters in the novel.

The president of the university has been murdered, and Inspector Inoue, who is initially in charge of the case, has an American ex-pat wife who is friends with the mild Canadian instructor found collapsed in shock next to the dead body by the office secretary. A domineering and irritating supervisor comes in to take over the case due to its political ramifications, and Inoue must try to solve it and find justice, aided by his two young and fairly untried assistants, as this higher ranking administrator offers bombast and makes arrests that might be expedient but are probably not correct. Well written, interesting, and informative—a very pleasant combination for some edifying leisure reading, and not bad at all for a first novel. I do think the ending could have been tightened—we get an epilogue that becomes nearly a one person soliloquy, a bit heavy handed on telling us the philosophical and moral lessons we are to learn. Such didacticism, if it must be there at all, goes down better when done more subtly.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the only books I've read where I haven't guessed 'whodunnit'. A good read.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look into Japanese culture

This was not a bad plot, good character development, and a fairly well paced narrative. My core criticism was with the prose and the somewhat stilted writing style - maybe because it was or seemed translated. The redeeming part of this book was the ending - even the writing improved at that point. Also, I enjoyed the glimpses into the Japanese culture woven throughout the narrative.

[Lily A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the president of Fujikawa University, Professor Nomura, is murdered in cold blood before introducing reforms at the institution, Chief Inspector Inoue is hell-bent on finding those behind the murder that seemingly some above his rank do not want him to discover. He begins to unearth a series of lies and deceptions that makes him question even his own friends and workmates. When another murder occurs, the detective has to race against time to find the culprits and at the same time, save his career which is also thrown into jeopardy.
O'Harra has crafted a wonderfully atmospheric police procedural that develops the inner sleuth in you. The novel begins with a volcanic pace as the reader begins connecting the dots. With a perfect balance of Japanese culture and a riveting plot that is culturally diversified, this whodunit is difficult to put down. The book takes a step-to-step process from deception to truth culminating in a great reading experience.
O'Harra nails the moment, characters, and mood perfectly. The book successfully brings the modern world to view as readers inevitably ponder over some of the characters' choices in the story. "Imperfect Strangers" by Lee O'Harra is certainly a deeply absorbing nail-biter that fans of the related genre will enjoy poring over.

[David Tarasevich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a good whodunit in the Agatha Christie tradition. Has all the requisite elements along with the integration of the Japanese cultural traits. Well edited and translated. The flavored insertion of the differing philosophies added a unique dimension to the overall strengths of the story. I would want to read more by this author and his strong, robust characters.

I recommend this book to all readers of this mystery genre. I will watch this author in the future for another

[Archana Aggarwal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Net Galley. A well written murder mystery which is made more interesting by the setting and the detailed analysis of modern Japanese society. A perfect companion for a lazy weekend.

[Diane Nagatomo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun romp into the wheeling and dealing of a rural Japanese university with a murder thrown in to boot.

[EndeavourPress4 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is published by Endeavour Press.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of "Imperfect Strangers" by Lea O'Hara through the "Good Reads First Reads Giveaway".

This is more than the usual detective novel, since it deals with the evolving Japanese culture. We are informed about the current attitudes of this nation and I find this very enlightening.

This is an enjoyable read with a few minor concerns. The reader is unaware that there is a useful "Glossary of Japanese Terms" at the end of the book. These are helpful, since the greetings often include these foreign terms and they tend to confuse the average reader.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in Japan or detective stories.