“I am not usually a fan of the sort of thriller/mystery that spends a lot of time on the main character being chased around by bad guys, but if you’re going to chase her through the streets and subways of Tokyo and through an idol concert, accompanied by a loyal convenience store clerk, and have the climactic scene involve a big pot of curry at the top of Tokyo Skytree on opening day… OK, you got me. I finished this in one sitting. Way more than worth the ridiculously low Kindle price.”
Linda Lombardi on Year of the Talking Dog
“As with all good thrillers, the author takes us on a ride where we wonder with the main character just what on earth is going on and what will happen next. There is murder, there is abduction, there is a priest in Elvis garb and there is, above all, a compulsion to keep turning the pages. There are also some fantastic details about life in Japan which give a great flavour of the country and which will have anybody who knows this place smiling in recognition. Reading the first book will give readers a better understanding of Hana’s background but is no means necessary. This volume is perfectly able to stand alone and it is a thoroughly enjoyable read!”
Japan Resident on Year of the Talking Dog
“There has been talk of having a Black James Bond for the next few movies, however if they want to completely buck the trend and go for a young Asian female as the next 007, Hana certainly has the chops. She takes almost as many beatings as Daniel Craig and endures that staple of being tied to a table while the main bad guy – who shares some characteristics with the villainous Dr No – explains his whole dastardly plan to her before failing to kill her quickly enough. As with Hana’s previous outing, the book takes place in a Japan that will be instantly familiar to residents. Hana’s flight from the bad guys being slightly interrupted by her remembering to drop her rubbish in the correct section of the bin, musing on the ubiquitous of face masks as hay fever season blends into flu season and perhaps my own personal favourite: ‘You don’t walk around with red hair in a black-haired world without getting used to being stared at.’ A missing child, a murdered fiance and Japan’s unremembered wartime history blend in a tale that rarely takes its foot off the action pedal and will be enjoyed by lovers of action, thrillers, spy stories and Japan itself.
J.C. Greenway on Year of the Talking Dog
“Hana is an engaging heroine – tenacious, stubborn, brave and humorous. We’re given many insights into her back-story and thought processes, making her a likeable and rounded heroine. The details of Japanese life and customs are fascinating. Keep your smartphone handy if, like me, Japanese culture is something you don’t know much about, because I guarantee you’ll want to google things like pachinko parlours, tatami, natto and unit 731. The novel also makes a point about the stupidity of racism as Hana – half Japanese and half British – encounters curiosity from some people she comes into contact with and blatant hostility from others. We’re kept guessing about the motives and trustworthiness of the other characters – knowing only as much as Hana herself. This adds to the tension as the story reaches its peak. It’s a good read. I’m looking forward to the third in the series.”
L. Davison on Year of the Talking Dog
“This is a fun way of celebrating Leicester’s success. It’s a feel good, stress buster for any Leicester City fan! Thanks for the unique idea.”
Jane on The Zen of Ranieri
“If this is prose, it is almost poetry, at least if you have been up there. His style kind of reminds me of the rocks out there in the Pacific… Again, the watercolours help me remember how amazingly beautiful the Tohoku coastline is. And why some people elect to stay. Much recommended.”
Martin J. Frid on Children of the Tsunami. Read the full Q&A here.
“This is a good read. More of an illustrated essay than a full book, the tone is light but the material is food for much thought. It’s a reminder that disasters don’t end when the news crews pack up and go home. The Kindle edition can be had immediately, but do yourself a favor and spend the extra few bucks for paper, you’ll love the illustrations.”
Rod Van Meter on Children of the Tsunami
“Sherriff writes in way to that recalls Bill Bryson. Recommended reading.”
Michael Gillian Peckett on Children of the Tsunami
“This is a very-well written story of the author’s visit to the disaster zone of the 2011 earthquake in Japan, four years after the event . He drives to three of the worst-affected towns and talks with people who survived; teenagers who have lost parents, a mother who lost her young child, a grandmother who lives alone in a tiny prefabricated house hundreds of miles from any remaining family members. It avoids being maudlin but you can’t help but be moved by the stories of the victims of the quake and tsunami on that dreadful day.”
Japan Resident on Children of the Tsunami
“I always enjoy reading Mr Sherriff’s work, fiction and non-fiction alike. I find his style quite unique. It’s like walking alongside him as he tells his story. He offers up his own opinions sparingly, merely pointing towards his conclusions and allowing the reader to reach their own.”
Aerliss on Children of the Tsunami
“Well-written and moving. The juxtaposition of the two funerals, different cultures, different traditions is very interesting. Sherriff writes about Japan without being too “gimmicky” for want of a better word, and he manages to convey the sense of both events in a moving way but without relying on melodrama to do so.”
Bill Cooney on The Short Goodbye
“I will be thinking about this story for some time to come. A few threads running through the story hit very close… trying to rush home from Japan for a sick family member, not sure if you can make the flights and get back in time… attending funerals for neighbors, family, friends who have died way too young (happily, not recently)… differences in how death is handled in the cultures I have lived in. As to the other question raised, whether it is better to burn briefly but brightly, or long and (eventually somewhat) forgotten, is not one I’ve had to consider.”
Bruce on The Short Goodbye
“It includes details that you thought no one else had noticed. Captures nuances of conversation that you’ve never seen reproduced so sharply. And it has the kind of smart, young heroine rarely seen these days without a vampire breathing down (or biting into) her neck.”
Sandra Barron on Half Life
“I love that the main character was bi-racial and though not the brightest still accomplished some impressive things. I appreciated the seriousness of the March 11 disaster a long with bits of humor that perhaps only foreigners in Japan would pick up on. I am looking forward to another book by this author!”
Tracy Koide on Half Life
“I loved this. It was quirky, fast paced, and kept me on my toes. I love how everything connected together; sometimes in very profound ways, other times in random ways. The characters were all very real, and Hana had a strong voice. I really admired her. The setting of Abiko was very easy to imagine, and I often had the scenes playing out in my head like a movie. This was one of the best books I’ve read all year!”
Molly Kruko on Half Life
“The subtle and not-so subtle details of Japanese lifestyle and customs was my favorite area. The foreign-born author clearly has an understanding of these and the formidable ability/talent to convey these to the readers while making it seem first nature to characters who were raised amid it.”
Baye McNeil on Half Life
“I took this as my holiday read, and I’m so glad I did! Wonderful and engaging story that had me laughing out loud so many times. Such a natural humour, I loved it. The story is exciting, moving, paced well and there were times I really couldn’t put it down.
The dialogue is awesome, oh if only it could be a play…”
Katsura Katsura on Half Life
“This book is so wonderful, quirky, strange and OMG YAKUZA. Hana is such a lovely protagonist, and the ending made me SO HAPPY AND SO SAD, and just I have all the feelings in the world. Hana’s voice felt so real, and I really adored the structure of this story. The twitterfeed aspect was wonderful to follow, and I just couldn’t get over how incredibly methodical this book truly is. Read it, it’s worth the experience.”
Sam on Half Life
“It seems there are two ways for a gaijin to write a story set in Japan: the lying-piece-of-shit method (resulting in the sort of false Japan of Memoirs of a Geisha) or the honest way. This is the latter. Humility, it seems, led the author to forego all claim to being more-Japanese-than-the-Japanese by making the hero “half” Japanese and the others pulp caricatures. This mechanism eliminates pretense and, perhaps ironically, creates its own authenticity. Having lowered expectations, the author proceeds to delight us. Insights on the Japanese become gems stumbled upon on the way to a good yarn rather than culture lessons. Such humility allows the author to over deliver and the reader to sit back and enjoy the ride. I can envision the movie version: low budget (it’s Abiko for gods sake) and directed by a young version of Itami Juzo — in Japanese with English subtitles. Can’t wait to see what trouble Hana gets herself into next.”
R. Hamilton on Half Life
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Patrick Sherriff 