"The Informer"
Book 3 of "Cloak & Dagger"
Published: 1965
Plot: After the stock market collapse costs him his position as a trader, Shigeo Segawa is left desperate for stability. So when a shadowy contact offers him highly paid work as an industrial spy, the temptation is impossible to resist. His first assignment is as personal as it is perilous: rekindle a romance with a former girlfriend and extract a valuable chemical formula from her husband, a powerful executive at a major firm. But the scheme spirals out of control when the husband turns up dead—and Segawa, with motive and access, suddenly finds himself the chief suspect in a murder he may not be able to escape.
Trivia: This novel was inspired by a real event.
The readers were surprised at how much they enjoyed this novel. Off the bat, they said they loved the setting and how real and fleshed out it felt. They appreciated how it put them right in the middle of post-war Japan in the business world. “I felt immersed in Japanese culture,” one reader said.
One reader said he thought a lot about the act of translation throughout the novel. They imagined that there was a lot of things that might not translate directly, but the translator did a good job of keeping a consistent tone and voice throughout the novel.
As a group, they liked the procedural aspects of it. “It felt familiar,” one reader said. “Even though it was a different time and place and we didn’t know where it was going.” One reader showed me the front of his book and he had a character web drawn! He had eery character listed, their job, and their relationship with one another. It was incredible! I wish I could share a picture of it.
Overall, the group really enjoyed it. They did wonder, however, if The Informer was the best title. “I wish it was more enticing or exciting.” They said it was a fun entry in the Cloak & Dagger group because it wasn’t what they were expecting.
Well, that does it for this week. Thanks for reading along. Our next book is a satire: Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene. We’ll see you then. Hope you’re reading something good!
And for fun, here are some Utah authors hoping the youth of today read more, and what they’re doing about it. Enjoy!
Take care,
E.
If you would like to read The Informer, here are some links: