When violent intruders interrupt a film shoot in a Tokyo pornography studio, they brutally murder three people but overlook a young actress hiding in the cavernous building.

Sukanya is an illegal Thai immigrant who was smuggled into Japan and lured into the business with the promise of big money and transit to the United States. She makes her escape with cash from the dead director’s wallet and a leather bag containing a computer and iPad. Penniless and friendless, she wanders aimlessly through the streets of the megalopolis; though she’s lost, she’s not undetected. Unknown to her, the digital devices she’s taken contain sensitive information as well as trackers that reveal her location.

Kenta, a shady businessman and loan shark wants those devices back. The information they hold could compromise him and his relationship with Yoshitaka Kirino, the ruthless mastermind of the criminal enterprise he’s involved in. Kenta assigns three street punks the task of recovering the priceless data as well as the only person who witnessed the crime.

Detective Hiroshi Shimizu was trained as an accountant in America. Now he’s a Tokyo detective specializing in deciphering the finances of criminal activities by examining bank records, statements, spreadsheets, and cryptocurrency. Money trails extend “like spokes from every murder,” and Shimizu has the expertise to grasp their implications.

As Sukanya tries to elude the men sent by Kenta, she’s assisted by Chiho, a young Japanese woman who empathizes with her predicament. Together they manage to stay one step ahead of their pursuers. But for how long? It’s a race to see if Hiroshi and his colleagues can unravel the motive and identify the murderer(s) before they catch up with Sukanya and the evidence in her possession.

While being a tightly plotted, well-structured murder mystery, Tokyo Traffic, provides insights into criminal activity surrounding pornography, the sex trade, human trafficking, and to some extent how organized crime uses cryptocurrencies to transfer and conceal profits from illegal activities.

Equally engaging is author Michael Pronko’s knowledge of contemporary Japanese culture including food, fashion, entertainment, and the environs of the world’s largest city.

Pronko’s characters are fully developed, his dialogue is authentic, and his writing is clear and concise. An ambitious novel, Tokyo Traffic at times feels bogged down with the excessive Tokyo travelogue, a confusion of characters, and plot minutiae; however, realistic detective work, action, romance, and even humor make for an overall entertaining and enlightening story.

Michael Pronko's short stories about Japan's culture and oddities are the next best thing to a visit, but don't expect a travelogue, here. The pleasure of Motions and Moments (as in his other writings) lies not in the usual 'things to go/places to see/I was there' approach, but in an attention to cultural dichotomies and a depth of detail that is difficult to find elsewhere.

Take the opening, for example, with begins with a note about its glossary. One might be surprised that information explaining the glossary's importance prefaces the collection, but in fact this is key to enjoying the work, and shouldn't be skipped over lightly, because: "All Japanese words that work better in Japanese have been given in italicized Roman alphabet form, called romaji. The reader can flip back to the glossary to find those, or read on and experience the confusion of being in Tokyo. Check the back for the fun words, the crucial ones and sometimes the strange."

Tokyo living doesn't just involve a light dose of inconsistency. It embraces it. Pronko outlines this right away, letting readers know that they should be prepared for a production less linear and predictable than the usual treatise on Japanese culture.

This collection is in keeping with Pronko's other exquisite essays about Japan, so prior fans will be thrilled, while newcomers need have no previous familiarity in order to see how he captures the subtler nuances of Japanese living with crystal clarity.

From Tokyo's own peculiar brand of cell phone addiction and how it differs from other countries to the bigger picture connecting Tokyoite decisions with how the rest of the world functions, insights are thought-provoking reflections of the particular choices this modern world makes, and their impact.

From the city's unusual undercurrents of silence compared with the din of other urban cities in Asia to symphonies of sound, taste, and a marathon feel in which life seems to move faster and faster, nobody captures the feel of Tokyo quite like Pronko.

His writings aren't just designed to 'show and tell', but to dissect the psyche and heartbeat of a city to pinpoint its unique culture, from business rituals and formalities to intersections where Tokyoites relax.

Anyone with an interest in Japanese culture in general and Tokyo in particular must acquire Motions and Moments. More so than almost any other treatment, it captures the nuances Westerners find puzzling about Japan and translates them into digestible, vivid insights no visitor should be without.