What a queer beginning in both ways: very modern setting and talk of a bunch of dead guys—one being broken up with a trans girl for not appearing “straight” enough. Her name is Coco and she flies an aging American PI over to Japan, where she’s seemingly yakuza-stalked. He’s our MC, a bit dumb and lazy (would he do any research or ask any follow-ups if it weren’t for his overly generous client), and he was the estranged friend of her ex.

How are you gonna go have breakfast in a glass box cafe after threatening the guy across the street and knowing your client needs to lay low from them and a dozen other random goons? He’s such an American boomer stereotype: severely ignorant espec for his profession, brash, gluttonous, free-loading. He just gives strangers so much sensitive info and vice versa.

Things are described pretty with cute metaphors, so you get a good feel for Tokyo districts. Weird similes galore: “Both of them jumped like they’d sat on a citrus juicer.” I’m glad there’s discussion of Bitcoin and hostess bars albeit rather surface level. The love hotel he lodges is very fun w/ all its themes from railcar to BDSM toilet. His inadvertent peeping tomness is also memorable for its music-synched furrydom. I didn’t know there are rarely public trash cans in the city since a bomb attack.

Yet the dialogue is very unnatural, like copy-pasted Google directions and cultural facts, all robotically high-brow from Coco who has to jostle two language (barrier)s. Or maybe Coco is autistic like many trans. But then I see all the Japanese women info dump like English professors, like there’s only one mold for non-MC dialogue here. Then all the civilians act pretty nonchalant about all the murder in front of them—some women just chill moving a body or altering a crime scene? At least make them have reservations or tremor or gag.

And then they eat at McDonalds right after, not thinking they’ll get caught or feel sick with guilt? No one reacts when a pop star at a cafe—let alone when he is called a murderer based on a hunch? And then the dude, who probably doesn’t know his medical procedure involves people getting hurt, nonchalantly agrees to help the spectacle dunce detective like he asked to get ice cream. Dumbest part of the book. Beyond cartoonish. One of the Jersey Shore kids would’ve “detected” better. They would’ve at least known what the internet or mics are in 2024. The “This ends here” line made me queasy, it’s so cheesy.

The pace is quick but silly enough to latch me back when I feel like bailing. I didn’t know silencers producer more gun residue but it makes sense with the kickback grinding. Another thing I like about the book is how summery and feminine Coco dresses, with straw hats and ruffle skirts. Or the casual irony of all the perverted places, people, and sub-pops. The humor is meh, takes things to an abrupt halt usually. The diction can be pretty good w/ a handful of cute words I never heard before like fribble and catchy Ch titles like Whitecoat Whispers.

The puzzle pieces equaling something so bawdily funny/whacky but possible was good. The name Geisha Confidential, though it got me to pick up this book, doesn’t make much sense since we only see one for a minute towards the end and don’t get to see any of her ceremonies. Nor Coco hostessing. Or how her ex/his friend mysteriously died as mentioned in ch 1. Nothing interesting in-scene with confirmed yakuza either unfortunately. The main plot was tied up well enough with a bit of comedy.

Geisha Confidential is the 8th August Riordan mystery by Mark Coggins. Released 4th March 2024 by Down & Out, it's 256 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a very well written PI story set in modern Tokyo. The plotting and story arc are precise, controlled, and well orchestrated, with a dash of horrifying, nail biting, crime subplot. It's fast paced and action filled. This is a PI novel in the proud tradition of Chandler, Hammett, Runyon, and the rest, though none of their femmes (fatale or otherwise) were like Coco, depicted in this story.

It would work moderately well as a standalone, but it's such a very high quality read, that readers are encouraged to seek out the other books in the series first; there's a moderate amount of continuity between the books. The author is prolific, and he's *good*. This is one for readers who love old school gumshoe PIs which hearken back to rain-slicked mean streets of 1940s black and white cinema. There are even punch ups between the protagonist and assorted bad guys and our guy comes out on top, bruised but unbowed, despite nearly being gutted and shot (several times).

For particularly sensitive readers, it bears mentioning that this book contains a fair bit of direct physical violence with on-page descriptions, and several of the characters are nonbinary/gay/or transsexual. There are mentions of organized crime, and medical crime, as well as sex work. The author does a good job of treating the characters with respect and discretion.

Four and a half stars, solidly entertaining.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

San Francisco PI August Riordan travels to Tokyo, Japan to help a friend of his late buddy Chris. A trans bar hostess, Coco Ono is being attacked & doesn't know why. Riordan & Coco quickly find themselves immersed in a Japanese conspiracy involving warring yakuza clans, shady doctors, bitcoin exchanges, washed-out pop stars, the Japanese adult video industry, soapland brothels & inflated male egos. Despite being a fish out of water, Riordan manages to team up Coco, a Tokyo police sergeant & a retired sumo wrestler to stop the bad guys.

Another entertaining read in the August Riordan PI series.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Down & Out Books. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

This was a nice surprise and I went into this blind!
What intrigued me was the cover and it is set in Tokyo Japan, a place I would love to visit one day!

I love reading books by new authors I have found! This story is based on a crime in Tokyo, a PI from San Francisco called August Riordan is hired by Japanese trans bar hostess called Coco. Someone keeps attacking her and she isn’t sure why.

The story is very fast paced and it keeps you wanting more, it’s mysterious with great characters.
I can’t wait to read more from this author!
Thank you Netgalley for my ARC.

American Private Eye August Riordan ventures out to Japan to Investigate a true crime, hired by Coco Ono. Having never travelled out of the USA, August is learning and experiencing the Back streets of Tokyo. Coco is being Targeted and They team up to find out who is behind the threats and murder trail.

A fast paced, plot driven story. Explore the language, the culture, the Yakuza/Clan/Mafia. Packed with everything from: Sex hotels, Shibari Masters, Soapland, and Sumo wrestling. Fun, Humorous, Mysterious and refreshing read.

Thank you Netgalley and Down & Under Books, for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

It is always fun to find a new author.
I enjoyed this book for quite a few reasons, the main one being the protagonist, August Riordan, a PI from San Francisco. He has been hired by a Japanese trans bar hostess , Coco, to find out who is attacking her. I wanted to review this book because it takes place in Japan, and though I have been there many times,I certainly learned a lot . The main crime is one I doubt any reader has read before!!
Coco has Riordan staying at a love hotel, and the descriptions seen through his eyes are quite funny. It is his sense of humor and intelligence that had me appreciating him so much. This is a fast-paced mystery, with great characters and an introduction to Tokyo. I am really thankful to NetGalley for the ARC because I may not have encountered this book on my own. I am so glad to have discovered Coggins, and plan to read all of his books starring August Riordan.

This was a great overall entry in the August Riordan series, it had everything that I enjoyed from the previous books. The characters felt like they belonged in the world and how everything worked together to tell the story. I enjoyed that this was in a different country and how it was used to tell the story. Mark Coggins always does a great job in writing this and the characters.

Wow, I raced right through this. The crime at the center of the plot is wild, and I didn’t see it coming. The book takes you on a thrilling tour Tokyo’s back streets with a grizzled American (and culturally naïve) private eye as guide. I enjoyed the varied cast of characters, including a sumo wrestler, the president of a Bitcoin exchange, a retired yakuza clan leader, a broken-down Tokyo police sergeant, and, of course, the private investigator’s client, a trans hostess club hostess. Highly recommended. I only wish the bad guys’ comeuppance might have been a little more complete, but I think the ending fits with the time and place of the book.

In the heart of Tokyo's neon-lit labyrinth, danger looms for Japanese bar hostess Coco Ono, targeted by an unseen assailant. Frustrated by the transphobic indifference of Tokyo's police, Coco turns to the enigmatic American private eye, August Riordan. Despite being a stranger to Japan, grappling with an unfamiliar language and a culinary clash with sushi, Riordan is renowned for making things happen.
Riordan and Coco unravel a complex conspiracy involving warring yakuza clans and influential celebrities. The unsettling core of the mystery shakes the very foundations of Japan's power dynamics, placing their lives in jeopardy. Geisha Confidential unfolds with elements of love hotels, cryptocurrency scams, soapland brothels, and the intriguing world of Japanese Adult Video industry. It is an excellent novel that immerses readers by skillfully combining classic private investigator storytelling with a keen exploration of international crime, delivering a masterful narrative that showcases Tokyo's diverse landscapes and the enigmatic dance between tradition and modernity.

To preface this review, I did not realize that this is a book that is the 8th volume in a series. With that in mind, I decided to give it a chance anyway.
For the review:
I honestly really enjoyed the setting, the author is quite atmospheric and he piqued my interest as a lover of Japanese culture. You can tell that the author spent a great deal of time making sure his references were sound and vivid enough to allow a clear picture to form in your mind. I found the host bar concept to be very intriguing and I'd love to read more novels within that setting.

I'm fairly new to the mystery thriller genre, so I didn't know where the story was going, which did provide for a fun experience. I haven't lost myself in a mystery novel quite like this since I read the DaVinci Code for the first time over a decade ago.

I wish that I could be more direct with my review, and this is absolutely a me problem and not on the author, but I hope that my review will pique your curiosity and that you will give this book a chance. I can honestly say that I'm going to work on reading the previous novels in the series so that I can better enjoy the full magnitude of the story within its proper context.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mark Coggins, and Down and Out books for the opportunity to read this digital arc for this review!