City of Refuge

He killed 2 gangsters for the woman he loves, for Makiko. The sensation of the murder on Koji's hands is still fresh. Now he's running from the police as well as the mob.

Unlike your ordinary hero, Koji kidnaps a boy during his getaway. On his trail is "the Old Dog" Detective Takagi.

Another unique gem from the master stylist!". While Kitakata does not yet have the movie-based appeal of Koji Suzuki, his tales of gangsters and artists take the elements of American crime fiction and substitute culturally adventurous choices for readers who like to have their worlds upended. And since the world of crime fiction is essentially all about having your world upended, it stands to reason that these novels will offer some dark delights. " - Ain't It Cool News


Award winning author of The Cage, Winter Sleep, and Ashes, Kenzo Kitakata is the undisputed don of hardboiled and mystery writing in Japan. Of his more than one hundred novels, none have gone out of print.

Awards and Honors:
1982, Japan Adventure Writing Association Award ; Yoshikawa Eiji Award for Sleepless Nights
1983, Japan Adventure Writing Association Award for The Cage
1984, Japan Mystery Writers Association Award for Thirsty Town;Kadokawa Fiction Award for The Past: Remember
1985, Bungei Award for The Street With No Tomorrow
1990, Shibata Renzaburo Prize, Vanquishing Star
2005, Shiba Ryotaro Prize for Tales of the Water Margin