This is a tale of death, suspense and intrigue. Having lost his job Ray leaves the UK makes a home for himself in Japan where he works as an English teacher and forms a relationship with Tomoe who is like nobody her has ever met before. Life is good, exciting even until events take a regrettable turn when Tomoe’s father is discovered dead and the circumstances surrounding his death are suspicious. Tomoe is convinced that his death was no accident therefore, full of courage and conviction she sets off to uncover the circumstances surrounding her father's death. Unfortunately she doesn't return which forces Ray too to become embroiled in this story of death and deception where he encounters crime, drugs, gangsters and prostitutes and begins to questions his actions and whether he'll come out of all of it alive. This was a good read. The criminal side of Tokyo was nothing I'd ever read about before. It was intriguing and very enlightening. I loved the references to law abiding Tokyo also. It's a beautiful city, one I have never forgotten. I enjoyed this read and won't forget it.

I am a sucker for Japanese books so the cover and synopsis of this pulled me straight in.
Although fictional a fascinating insight in to the Japanese underworld Yakuza is shown as our main protaginist searches for his missing girlfriend Tomoe after her father dies in what she believes are suspicious circumstances and then she disappears. It is certainly action packed, violent but then pretty as we get to see Japanese culture, folklore of the past and present as 'The Floating Worlds' of the brothels/red light district and then the entertainment are described.
You can tell the book is well researched and the story kept me hanging on until the bitter end.
A very enjoyable powerful read.
My thanks go to the publisher, author and Netgalley in providing this arc in return for a honest review.

A great way to get to know Japanese culture.

Ray loses his job in London and decides to start a new life in Japan.He finds a job as a teacher and finds himself a mysterious girlfriend,Tomoe.

Things immediately change when Tomoe’s Father dies,however his daughter does not believe he has killed himself.

The story starts slowly but it gets more intriguing page after page.
The cultural references to the traditional Japanese are multiple,I felt almost compelled to go and look them up as I love anything Japan-related.The descriptions are beautifully written and you can easily see that a deep research on Japanese culture and traditions were done.

I would say that this book is a good mix of romance/adventure and mistery.I could not put it down as I wanted to know how the plot developed.

Mystery,passion,tradition and violence mix up in a great tale!

This is a brilliant trip into the world of Japanese sub-culture.

It's from the point-of-view of the protagonist, a gaijin, of whom gets laid-off from his job and searches into himself for qualities and skillsets that will allow him to pick himself up and continue daily grind of working life.

Fortunately, from previous experience in Japan, he can move back there for work; he does so and descends into a downward spiral of gangster hustling trying to investigate the story to why his girlfriend has gone missing.

There's a familial story behind her absence between his girlfriend and her father that involves a dream-world, the yakuza, a nuclear-energy power-plant, and a loss of body parts.

Behind it, exists a plot of romance between boyfriend and girlfriend, and the lengths of which one will go for love.

Word of warning for Japanophiles like myself, read the paperback. If you read the e-book you'll spend ages burning through this awesome read as there are beautiful pieces of traditional art and a million cultural references throughout to keep you heavily distracted from the story itself; in a good way.

Thumbs-up!

There’s novels with a sense of place and novels where place is a character. Both are true here and especially the last one. This is a novel about Japan in every sense of its being; the folklore, the red light district ie floating worlds, the yakuza gangs and the language. Not many novels can boast all of these ingredients and more and still have a coherent and interesting plot - but this one can!

It was like looking into a kaleidoscope of colour and seeing the various images, lines, drawings and carvings from yesteryear all at once. That’s the setting. The plot is a visit to the floating worlds of the title and one man’s search for his Japanese girlfriend. He speaks the language and understands the culture so this is not an outsider visiting and getting lost - but a man who hopes to be able to navigate his way through the maze of confusion and ultimately violence.

If this were an Asian dish, it would be an infusion of sweet and sour - you never know what you’re going to get with your next page turn. Ray gets drawn further and further into the Japanese underbelly and takes you, the reader with him. It’s quite the experience. And if immersion into a violent society can still be lyrical? Then this is it. It’s quite a remarkable read.

Life when you come across a member of the Yakuza gangs is dangerous enough, but when you’re a gaijin - foreigner - it’s worse still. (weird fact - they seem to be semi- legal and have their own offices!) The world of entertainment such as these floating worlds is as horrifying as it is fascinating. Oh and wait until you learn how people here can fall on hard times and become homeless…honour runs deep.

Nick Hurst knows the culture and country like the back of his hand. He’s done some amazing research and conjures up a world of Japanese culture, texture and more. There’s so much to this novel - multilayered and textured - it’s impressive in more ways than one.

This is quite the visit and an immersive experience in Japan

I thought this was beautifully written I didn’t really like the male main character a lot but I did like this book and the romance aspect of it this book is worth giving a try

Ray is a bit of a baby, he once walked away from a bungee jump through fear and just wants a life of mundanity……ha !

He meets Tomoe, a beautiful, spontaneous girl who he falls for instantly, but he finds out she has a secret life….and they argue….Tomoe goes missing and Ray-san realises he loves her and is intent on finding her, no matter what!

It’s violent and yet beautiful, with the wonderful insight into Japanese culture, past and present and of the Floating World, which is the world of play, brothels and entertainment in Tokyo (and some other cities in Japan). The descriptive writing is so good, I could feel the menace from Kurotaki and The Beast, the beauty of Tomoe and the desperation of Ray……brilliant.

This is a stunningly written tale of power, grace, honour and love…..oh and a bit of Yakuza lore too. There’s also some corporate wrong doings and a plan to bring this to light, in all a masterful and totally captivating thrill of a read. I loved it.