Matthew Legare

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About Matthew Legare

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved reading, writing, and history. Now, I've combined my passions to tell stories set during little-known, but fascinating, events of the past. My style is a smooth blend of old pulp magazines and contemporary thrillers, which makes for a pulsating read.

I would love to hear from my readers! Please contact me at:

Website: https://matthewlegare.com

Twitter: @mlegareauthor

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Shadows of Tokyo (Reiko Watanabe/Inspector Aizawa Book 1) May 22, 2018

by Matthew Legare

( 195 )

$2.99

Tokyo, December 1931

As Japan expands its empire in China and unemployment ravages the economy, Police Inspector Kenji Aizawa receives an anonymous call about the imminent assassination of a leading statesman. The secret informant is Reiko Watanabe, geisha mistress to the plot’s mastermind.

Headstrong and outspoken, Reiko prefers a “modern” life to being a geisha and is horrified that her lover, the American-educated descendant of samurai, Masaru Ryusaki, has become a fascist firebrand. Together with his allies in the Imperial Army, Ryusaki plans to overthrow the civilian government and establish a military dictatorship.

Torn between honor and duty, Reiko and Inspector Aizawa must forge an unlikely alliance in order to stay one step ahead of Ryusaki and a fanatical Army officer. All the while, they uncover a shadowy conspiracy that reaches into the upper echelons of government, international finance, and even around the Imperial Throne itself.

Set during the intersection of the Japanese invasion of Manchuria and the Great Depression, Shadows of Tokyo brings the turbulent and dangerous world of prewar Japan to vivid life.

Shadows of Tokyo is the first book in a noir historical thriller series set in pre-World War II Japan.

""Shadows of Tokyo" portrays the somber zeitgeist of Japan's capital in 1931, where rightist assassins armed with swords, handguns and bombs stalk key political and business figures." --The Japan Times

"Legare's story reflects conscientious research into historic detail." --The Japan Times

"Five Star Reviewers Have It Right: This Series Sizzles" --Amazon Review

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback

Treason in Tokyo (Reiko Watanabe/Inspector Aizawa Book 3) Oct 3, 2020

by Matthew Legare

( 99 )

$1.99

Tokyo, January 1933

On New Year's Day, one of the Emperor's closest advisers is gunned down by the Red Terror Society, a gang of bank-robbing Japanese Communists. Police Inspector Kenji Aizawa and his geisha spy, Reiko Watanabe, are drawn into the investigation but soon find themselves swallowed by a fog of treasonous intrigue.

As Aizawa hunts down any leads, he must ally with Inspector Tezuka of the infamous Tokko, the Japanese Thought Police. Adding to his troubles is a budding romance with the daughter of his commanding officer, the moga Minori Miyake.

Meanwhile, Reiko enters the Japanese film industry and draws closer to a movie director who has ties to the Red Terror Society's leader, the former actress Utako Natsume. Now a violent radical, Utako promises a bloody Communist Revolution and is secretly aided by an old enemy, operating from the shadows.

Despite the danger, Aizawa and Reiko unmask dark secrets about the Imperial Army, the Emperor, and themselves. The third book in the Reiko Watanabe/Inspector Aizawa series, Treason in Tokyo pushes Inspector Aizawa, Reiko Watanabe, and Japan itself, to the breaking point.

Other Formats: Paperback

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Smoke Over Tokyo (Reiko Watanabe/Inspector Aizawa Book 2) Nov 29, 2018

by Matthew Legare

( 112 )

$1.99

Tokyo, May 1932

Japan is still plagued by economic depression, scandals, and assassinations. A prominent politician mysteriously commits suicide while dining with Chizuru Okamura, the daughter of a yakuza crime family. Leading the investigation, Police Inspector Aizawa tasks his geisha spy, Reiko Watanabe, to go undercover into the world of the dreaded Okamura Gang.

Reiko soon finds herself at the center of a power struggle between Chizuru and her brother, Lieutenant Katsuro Okamura, for control of the gang. Using bribery and deceit, Chizuru is poised to take over the government, while Katsuro seeks to launch a coup d’état and install a military dictatorship. As they try and thwart both schemes, Reiko and Inspector Aizawa must untangle a web of conspiracies involving the Army Secret Service, opium dens, corruption, Charlie Chaplin, and assassination, while all Japan hangs in the balance.

Merging historical fact with fiction, Smoke Over Tokyo is the second installment of the Reiko Watanabe/Inspector Aizawa series. As they enter the dark underworld of 1932 Tokyo, filled with danger and intrigue, Reiko Watanabe and Inspector Aizawa soon find themselves fighting for their lives and the future of their city.

"Memoirs of a Geisha meets The Maltese Falcon." --MJ Lee, author of the Inspector Danilov series and Where The Truth Lies

"This is a Japanese answer to Bernie Gunther." --Goodreads Review

Other Formats: Paperback

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Shanghai Twilight: A Noir Thriller (Tom Lai Book 1) Jul 31, 2019

by Matthew Legare

( 92 )

$0.99

Shanghai, January 1932

As tensions between Japan and China reach a boiling point, Chinese-American expat Tom Lai has troubles of his own. A successful nightclub owner and supporter of the Chinese Nationalist Party, he's about to start a new life with his mistress, the glamorous Mei-chen. But when Shanghai's crime syndicate - the infamous Green Gang - accuses Tom of being a Japanese spy, he's given just forty-eight hours to prove his innocence or face a gruesome death.

Scouring glitzy and decadent Shanghai, Tom uncovers evidence suggesting that his best friend – an American Consulate officer – is the real spy. But in the netherworld of espionage, he's unsure what to believe anymore. Tom will have to rely on an ally in the Chinese Army, his personal bodyguard, and Mei-chen to clear his name and survive. However, he'll also have to avoid corrupt cops, Japanese agent provocateurs, and a sadistic Chinese gangster, while a full-scale war threatens to engulf the entire city.

Shanghai Twilight is a fast-paced noir thriller, about a man and a city, both running out of time.

"A stunning achievement of a gripping, fast-paced thriller within a larger, frightening battle of nations, "Shanghai Twilight" kept me guessing to the end." --Alexa Kang, author of the Shanghai Story Trilogy and the Rose of Anzio series

"An exciting story and worth reading." --DS Kane, author the Spies Lie Series

"A gripping noir evocation of Shanghai in the age of joy, gin and jazz." --MJ Lee, author of the Inspector Danilov series and Where The Truth Lies

Other Formats: Paperback

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Reiko Watanabe/Inspector Aizawa (3 Book Series)

( 2 )

$6.97

From Book 1: Tokyo, December 1931

As Japan expands its empire in China and unemployment ravages the economy, Police Inspector Kenji Aizawa receives an anonymous call about the imminent assassination of a leading statesman. The secret informant is Reiko Watanabe, geisha mistress to the plot’s mastermind.

Headstrong and outspoken, Reiko prefers a “modern” life to being a geisha and is horrified that her lover, the American-educated descendant of samurai, Masaru Ryusaki, has become a fascist firebrand. Together with his allies in the Imperial Army, Ryusaki plans to overthrow the civilian government and establish a military dictatorship.

Torn between honor and duty, Reiko and Inspector Aizawa must forge an unlikely alliance in order to stay one step ahead of Ryusaki and a fanatical Army officer. All the while, they uncover a shadowy conspiracy that reaches into the upper echelons of government, international finance, and even around the Imperial Throne itself.

Set during the intersection of the Japanese invasion of Manchuria and the Great Depression, Shadows of Tokyo brings the turbulent and dangerous world of prewar Japan to vivid life.

Shadows of Tokyo is the first book in a noir historical thriller series set in pre-World War II Japan.

""Shadows of Tokyo" portrays the somber zeitgeist of Japan's capital in 1931, where rightist assassins armed with swords, handguns and bombs stalk key political and business figures." --The Japan Times

"Legare's story reflects conscientious research into historic detail." --The Japan Times

"Five Star Reviewers Have It Right: This Series Sizzles" --Amazon Review

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