Nicolas Obregon: Sins as Scarlet, 9781405926935, paperback, Michael Joseph (Penguin Random House UK)

(German edition: Goldmann published the first Iwata novel: Schatten der schwarzen Sonne (Blue light Yokohama), new publication no German pub date yet  

If you are searching for a modern follow up to Raymond Chandler’s noir crime novels, I would say Nicolas Obregon comes very close. In my opinion not since Chandler did anyone create a modern character as close in mood to Marlowe as Obregon did with his homicide Inspector Kasuke Iwata, an American of Japanese heritage living in California with a dark past.  

I missed the first Kasuke Iwata novel "Blue Light Yokohama" which is set in Japan but this didn’t matter. During the course of “Sins as Scarlet” his previous life, his traumatic experiences in Japan and the reason why he is now working as a private investigator come to light and one begins to understand his utter disregard for his own safety and his dark, sombre mood. 

When his mother in law demands his help in investigating the disappearance of his dead wife’s sister Meredith Nichol, Iwata knows he cannot refuse and needs to honor her request even if it means facing the demons of the past. Meredith, a transgender woman, is found strangled on skid row between old train tracks. Iwata’s search leads him into a brutal underworld of gangs in LA and Mexico, seedy transgender bars, the exploitation of Mexican immigrants and transgender people, corruption and some particularly vile criminal activities. I will not reveal more as it would give away the plot. It  gets pretty hairy and graphic at times.

Obregon has created a very complex, likeable character with Kasuke Iwata, a broken man trying to redeem his mistakes. I don’t think I give away too much when disclosing the novel finishes with an uplifting ending.