Six Four

A Novel

By: Hideo Yokoyama

Narrated by: Richard Burnip

Length: 24 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

The nightmare no parent could endure. The case no detective could solve. The twist no listener could predict.

For five days in January 1989, the parents of a seven-year-old Tokyo schoolgirl sat and listened to the demands of their daughter's kidnapper. They would never learn his identity. They would never see their daughter again.

For the 14 years that followed, the Japanese public listened to the police's apologies. They would never forget the botched investigation that became known as Six Four. They would never forgive the authorities for their failure. For one week in late 2002, the press officer attached to the police department in question confronted an anomaly in the case. He could never imagine what he would uncover. He would never have looked if he'd known what he would find.

©2012 Hideo Yokoyama (P)2017 Macmillan Audio

Not your typical detective story.

I was surprised to see negative reviews of this novel and I think their disappointment stems from what they thought the story would be, as opposed to what it actually is, and that should not reflect on the book itself. If you are looking for car chases and shoot-outs or thought you found a Japanese version of "Harry Bosch" then you will be disappointed so maybe look up "Jack Reacher" or find a old episode of "Criminal Minds" to watch.

On the other hand, if you go into it with a open mind, understand that you are reading about a different culture where the dynamics between the police and the press are completely different than you are accustomed to, then you will find a fascinating story with plenty of twist and turns and a ending you won't expect.

Story Unfolds slowly but is satisfying

I do not know enough about this genre of Japanese crime fiction to compare it to others, but in its deliberateness and psychology it seems very within what one would expect. I found myself enjoying the secondary characters more than the story’s protagonist. This may be due at least in part to the narrator’s imaginative rendering of their voices.

Make up your mind, narrator!

It's not enough that the Japanese names are mispronounced, but the reader can't decide which mispronunciation to choose and so varies wildly. Plus, that stupid male ready trick of reading all women in the same high, weak voice--only men get distinct voices. The story's fascinating (so much interior politics to crime), but the terrible narration makes me wish I'd chosen something else.

Excellent story, but the narrator is a bit slow

I loved this book, but for the first hour or so I found the narration to be a bit too slow. If you get the book and feel the same, I found 1.3x was the sweet spot where the narration picked up to a more enjoyable pace while still sounding natural.

Difficult to know what to make of this book..

Yes, there was a mystery.
Yes, it was quite a twist..
But was it worth ploughing through 25 hours of what was predominantly a guide to Japan’s regional police force?
...or a perpetual struggle to remember the multiple characters’ names, many of which sounded identical to one another?

I don’t really know..

terrific story thread and reader

complex, really enjoyable. so many layers. enjoyed the japanese customs and the numerous relationships. solid writing and ending. rich - subtle

A smooth easily understood translation.

A good story, not easily figured out. Great narration with good pronunciation of the Japanese words.

Lackluster

Not that shocking of a twist. I was hoping for something more intriguing. I like the position of the characters, not just a detective on the hunt but a former detective now press director investigating internally. I got bored with the story though.

Terrible performance seriously impairs story.

What made the experience of listening to Six Four the most enjoyable?

The listening experience was nearly ruined by having someone with a British accent narrate a Japanese story. He can't even pronounce Japanese names correctly.

What did you like best about this story?

Excellent story development

What didn’t you like about Richard Burnip’s performance?

He ruins a great Japanese story. Plodding narration. Destroys great opportunities for building tension as wonderful story unfolds.

Any additional comments?

I will never buy another book narrated by Richard Burnip

Finished but not fulfilled

Perhaps it was just the culture of the subject matter, it was my first experience with Japanese characters and subject , I found it hard to connect with any of the characters. The story seem to have great in-depth description, and I believe that the author attempted to fully develop each character, however I just couldn't get into it.