In Tokyo's old quarter, the past doesn't fade. It gets stolen.    A frail woman is hit by a motorscooter on a quiet street in the Shitamachi district—one of Tokyo's last neighborhoods untouched by the high-rises and commercial sprawl. To Detective Hiroshi Shimizu, it seems more than an accident. And then the money starts to move.    As Hiroshi digs deeper, he uncovers a slick network of scammers targeting Tokyo's elderly—con artists draining savings, pensions, deeds, and lives. With his mentor Takamatsu , his razor-sharp colleague Ishii , and the grizzled ex-sumo detective Sakaguchi at his side, Hiroshi finds that scammers don't only work at the bottom of the heap.    The old Tokyo of Shitamachi—the one with shopkeepers, alleyways, customs, and public baths—is disappearing. Urban renewal would beautify Tokyo, but at what cost? What begins as low-level fraud twists into something far darker: a city-wide grift on Tokyo's most expensive currency—real estate.    As the case unravels, Hiroshi realizes the low-level criminals aren't the only ones cashing in on Japan's aging society. Every lead takes him deeper into the narrow backstreets and fading lives of Shitamachi , and into the corporate boardrooms and government offices where the powerful work to clear the old to make way for the new.     Shitamachi Scam is Tokyo noir at its most human—a slow burn through the city's forgotten alleys, where modern crime runs on smooth talk, and justice doesn't always arrive in time.   Winner Mystery Independent Press Award (2023) Best of 2024 Mystery/Thriller Booklife Prize (2024) First place Category Chanticleer CLUE (2024) Finalist Best Thrillers (2024) Finalist SPR Book Awards (2023) Finalist Chanticleer International Book Awards (2024) Silver Award Reader Views Reviewers Choice Awards Gold Award Literary Titan (2023) "As in his other books, Pronko succeeds in delivering yet another dimension of the megacity that is Tokyo. He uses shitamachi for great atmospheric effect, gradually building a sense of darkness and claustrophobia while erecting a landscape primed for white-knuckled physicality." BestThrillers "The pacing of this story is pitch-perfect, and the conflicts are well-conceived and executed. It's a simple story told in intricate layers. But even in the gritty storytelling, you get a sense of positivity. He makes Tokyo come to life for readers who are curious about the city and wonder what it's like there." Reader Views Five Stars "Michael Pronko lives, breathes, and captures the streets and culture of Tokyo as the story evolves, one of the strengths of the Detective Hiroshi cases in general and Shitamachi Scam in particular." D. Donovan Midwest Book Review "If you are a fan of thrilling crime and mystery novels, you will certainly enjoy how this series lifts the veil and reveals the criminal behavior behind some of the perceived politeness, formality, and mystique of Japanese culture." Reader's Favorite Five Stars "Another winning story complete with corruption and murder, yet balanced with thoroughly developed characters that seasoned readers have grown to love and appreciate. Pronko truly has a gift for superb storytelling that is well-crafted, entertaining, and thoroughly captivating." Feathered Quill "Balancing revelatory character development and relationship building with hard-nosed investigation, this sixth installment of the Detective Hiroshi Series is brimming with well-strung tension. This well-paced procedural is entertaining and eye-opening, delivering an authentic portrait of Tokyo life, as well as a glimpse at the city's seedy underbelly. Pronko continues to craft believable contemporary crime fiction with enrapturing plots that work both as a cultural study and page-turning thriller." Self-Publishing Review "Pronko's meaty thriller takes time building up the backstory and confidently shifts between the tireless footwork of Hiroshi and team and Takuya's quest to confront the swindle threatening to swallow up his own. Towering above the human drama is the vibrant, chaotic character of Tokyo itself." Independent Book Review "Pronko's sixth novel in the Detective Hiroshi series showcases his ability to weave a gripping crime story with his deep knowledge and appreciation of Japanese culture and society." Blue Ink Review Starred Review Michael Pronko is a Tokyo-based writer of murder, memoir and music. His writing about Tokyo life and his character-driven mysteries have won awards and five-star reviews. Kirkus Reviews selected his second novel, The Moving Blade for their Best Books of 2018. The Last Train won the Shelf Unbound Competition for Best Independently Published Book. Michael also runs the website, Jazz in Japan , which covers the vibrant jazz scene in Tokyo and Yokohama. During his 20 years in Japan, he has written about Japanese culture, art, society and politics for Newsweek Japan , The Japan Times , and Artsc