People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo―and the Evil That Swallowed Her Up

True crime books don't represent a genre I normally read, but having spent quite a lot of time travelling to Japan for work, particularly Tokyo, "People Who Eat Darkness" piqued my interest mainly for its potential to explore social and cultural aspects of Japan. I'll be the first to admit that my expectations were only slightly high because of all the positive editorial reviews I'd seen, but I was a bit skeptical these were mainly from those who like this genre. While Richard Lloyd Parry's book is about the disappearance of Lucie Blackman, British national (former BA flight attendant) who moved to Tokyo with her friend Louise to work as a "hostess" in one of Tokyo's many clubs catering to Japanese salarymen. For Lucie, she felt this represented a chance to earn some quick money and pay off the debts she accumulated back in England living in one of the more expensive cities in the world, London, working on entry level wages. Parry does a wonderful job introducing us to the Blackman family, mother Jane, father Tim, younger sister Sophie and younger brother Rupert. Tim and Jane endured a bitter separation and divorce leaving wounds that ran deep through this family. A brilliant aspect of this book is the undercurrent of these scars through the Blackman's from Lucie's disappearance, the search for her and the eventual trial of her suspected abductor and murderer. As a reader, you hold out some hope that somehow this tragedy will bring the family closer and heal some of the wounds created by the divorce, but it is quite the opposite, particularly for Tim and Jane as well as Jane and Sophie. Parry does a masterful job of bringing the reader deep into the heart of Tokyo and aspects of life in this teeming metropolis --- one that is extremely clean and with the lowest crime rate in the industrialized world. For the uninitiated this can be both puzzling and part of the appeal given the relative homogeneity of the country. One such area are clubs with "hostesses", women who provide companionship to Japanese salarymen, although these are not sexual, where Lucie and her friend Louise went for work. Parry's coverage of this world and particularly the Roppongi district are exceptional in demystifying this cultural uniqueness, bridging Western and Eastern culture. With all the relevant and deep context before Lucie's disappearance, Parry embarks on deconstructing in excruciatingly detail the search for Lucie by her family, the bumbling police investigation, the bizarre and mysterious suspect, Joji Obara, arrested for Lucie's death and a spate of other deviant and horrendous sexual crimes. Parry captures the fear present in every parent, the disappearance and death of a child, with brilliance. We see the struggle of Lucie's family to get closure through the byzantine legal and judicial system in Japan and the already frayed Blackman familial relationships further stretched to the breaking point. While "People who Eat Darness" is a story about Lucie, Parry's book excels because it is a broader character study of Lucie, Joji, Tim, Jane and Sophie, against the backdrop of cultural dissonance when East meets West.

Richard Lloyd Parry's true crime book, "People Who Eat Darkness: The Fate of Lucie Blackman" has many elements that peaked my interest. First, I love true crime stories. I had never heard of the Blackman case, which made it an even more interesting read. It's actually surprising, since the case seemed to have been big international news and it's quite a horrific story. Second, I love stories set in foreign countries, especially ones that deal with cultural differences. This story, centers around English Born Lucie Blackman, who in her early twenties moved to Japan to work as a hostess in the nightclubs of Roppongi. She disappeared and many months later, her dismembered body was found in a cave on a beach. A man named Joji Obara was arrested and it led to a rather unusual trial by Japanese standards. Third, I purchased a Kindle edition of this book to take with me on my first trip to England. It was a bit of themed travel reading. One of our unplanned/last minute excursions on the trip was to the Isle of Wight. The Isle of Wight happens to have been where Lucie Blackman's father lived during the trial and was featured fairly prominently in the book. I love that I was able to visit the Isle and have it in my frame of reference. The events of Lucie Blackman's death are horrific, creepy and bizarre. I found it to be completely fascinating and the book a compelling read. Although, I would not recommend this book for the easily squeamish or those that cannot handle graphic details, both regarding the murder and the sex industry. The book goes deep into the dark side of Japan in exploring the various sex clubs and the world of hostessing. It comprises approximately a third of the book. Equally fascinating is the last portion of the book, which explores the Japanese justice system, both through the police investigation and the subsequent trial. It's very different than the Western judicial system and is heavily influenced by the Japanese culture's ideas of honor and shame. The accused, Joji Obara is a very bizarre and mysterious man. Parry spent a lot of time researching Obara as he attempted to piece together Obara's life and motives. Beyond being strange, Obara was very intelligent and wily when perpetrating his crimes. However, he also stood out in a culture that values the ability to blend in. His strange behavior and defiant attitude made him appear cocky and aggressive towards journalist, families of the victims and even his own defense team. The book could have just been a character study on Ibara, as it contained a wealth of interesting information. My only complaint about Parry's book, was it needed tighter editing. In parts, the information felt repetitive. It dragged and occasionally seemed unfocused. I felt this especially to be true towards the end of the book, when Parry wrote about his own bizarre communication with Obara, including threats towards the author. This would have best been stated in an afterward or maybe kept to a paragraph. I felt like it was not so pertinent to the story. I also felt like Lucie's family dynamic was talked about to death. It was important to state the impact of her death on her relatives, but it could have been done more succinctly or kept to a particular chapter. The information felt receptive, rather than fresh. Despite the repetition, Parry's book is a compelling read and Lucie's story is one that needs to be told. Please visit my blog for more book reviews and a trip reports from my England vacation!

This book popped up on several "best of 2012" lists. I was intrigued by the story and hooked by the sample, but it was a bit verbose. Parry starts out with a gripping description of Lucie Blackman's life in Japan and the details leading up to her death. He really develops the reader's sense of empathy for this young woman and her family. You feel like you really know all the characters and get a sense of what it's like to be in Japan. Especially in the hostess clubs. The descriptions of the Japanese police investigation were very interesting too. However, some of the details are very long winded and not all of them necessary to the story. As the book went on, the author places himself into the story much often more than was necessary. The part about his interactions with Joji Obara and his lawsuit/ stalking was poorly written and dull. It really ruined the book for me. Also this might be my American bias, but the trial scenes fell flat. Like other reviewers, I feel like the last 25% of the book wrecked the story.

korean japanese で検索したときに（北朝鮮帰国事業に関心があった）なぜかこの本が表示されるので不思議に思って本の紹介を見たら、あの世間を騒がせた事件と知り、購入。そのうちに読もうと３か月が過ぎた日曜日に日経の日曜版の書評に訳本「黒の迷宮」が出ていたので、ずいぶんありきたりなタイトルにしたもんだと思いながら読み始めた。people who eat darkness という原題（ the man who eats darknessではない）の所以は被害者の家族や幼馴染み、同犯人によって同様に死に至らしめられた別の被害者と家族、犯人の描いたシナリオに沿った証言をしたヤクザ、家族の弱みにつけこんで一儲けした詐欺犯などなどを含めているからだと思う。厳しい見方をすればこの事件の責任の半分は彼女の両親と彼女自身にあったのではないかという気がする。在日の御曹司である犯人については初めて聞くことばかりで、日本人ライターには書けなかった本をよくぞ書いてくれました。本文434ページのこの本の訳本は端折ったりしていないといいのですが。

While dealing with an area most of us are not familiar with Lloyd parry has done. A brilliant job of making not only the horror of the story but also the strangeness of Japan the book brings it alive .makes the people very human and sympathetic.Looking out for his next book

Such a good read. Sad story. I was living in Tokyo when this happened 3 months after I arrived and glad I could read about the details of the case. I like the way this author writes and recommend his other book Ghosts of Tsunami too.

i could hardly leave it unread, a page turner, the author will skilfully lead the reader through the life of Lucie Blackman, and the investigation of her murderer, she being a beautiful young girl somehow a bit naive, easily accepting the image of a very safe society while it might not be so. with many details of the Japanese way of life, its most drab and shady aspects and how Justice/Investigation works (or not) in Japan, we closely participate in the drama of her family and friends. sometimes we feel like we belong to her family. the book beats many thrillers on the same topic. a must read.

scary and creepy at the same time, the hostess world in Roppongi Tokyo back in the day, it was stained and disturbed by a psychopath killing an innocent young woman. sadly true story