Mika Ito

by Peter Foley

You Love Her. Her Father Wants You Dead

British investigative journalist Dylan Solly is in Japan to cover the trial of three infamous Yakuza kingpins, but he has a nagging feeling that something’s wrong. This will not be a normal assignment, and today will not be a normal day. He visits the park, hoping a stroll will calm his nerves, but collapses on the grass.

That’s just the start of his trouble.

Mika Ito, a local schoolteacher, comes to his aid. Minutes later, an earthquake hits, followed by a monstrous tsunami. The impact is devastating, and a major nuclear emergency is declared.

Now, they have no choice but to lean on each other and flee. As they head north, they fall in love. But this relationship is so dangerous it might just destroy them both.

214 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 22, 2022

About the author

Peter Foley grew up in Langley, a small, rough town in North Manchester, and went on to study criminology at MMU. Deciding not to pursue a career in criminology, he went back to college to study music production. He spent the following ten years travelling the world with some of the best rock bands of the era, such as Radiohead, Coldplay and Franz Ferdinand.


Peter hung up his headphones in 2016 and began writing upmarket thrillers inspired by the people and places he encountered while travelling across the globe.

Reviews

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was asked by the author if I would consider reading his latest book before publication. I was sent the blurb & was immediately fascinated.
I won’t repeat all of it, that’s pointless, but to whet your appetite- Dylan Solly is a British investigative journalist in Japan covering the trial of three key Yakuza members. He is uneasy about the assignment, rightfully so, & becomes entangled with a local school teacher as well as caught up in an earthquake & subsequent tsunami.

Not really a crime novel, although there is some, along with a few gory asides. But these are not too detailed, your imagination can fill in the blanks.
Our intrepid duo flee across Japan with few resources but huge spirit & plenty of luck. Oh, and I loved Betty! Hilarious.

An adventure which is easy to read & a bit different to my usual genres. A good plot, well told & recommended. Roll on book 2 next year.

[David Perrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a strange story with a style which is probably an acquired taste. It was actually the strangeness of the story that held me. At under 200 pages it was very short and I doubt I would have seen it through if it was much longer. The atmosphere of the story kept flipping and it was hard to figure whether it was really a thriller, a crime novel or a comedy! A lot of it was very non-plausible and a little silly and childish in places. Will still give it 3 stars for originality though.