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Matthew Legare - Thriller Author

Website for Matthew Legare, writer of historical, thriller, and noir novels, including the Reiko Watanabe/Inspector Aizawa series set in 1930s Japan.

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History

Terror in Japan: The October Plot, Blood Brotherhood, & May 15 Incident – Japanese History

May 14, 2021 by Matthew Legare 6 Comments

The years of 1931-32 were a turning point in Japanese history, typified by military coups, invasions, and political assassinations. Although this era only gets a fewNissho Inoue and the Ketsumeidan sentences in English language history books, the specific details of three events – the October Incident, the Blood Brotherhood Incident, and the 5-15 Incident – are fascinating in their own right and read like a thriller novel. I’ve taken information from various sources to create a thoroughly researched and detailed account of these events that changed the course of Japan.

[Read more…] about Terror in Japan: The October Plot, Blood Brotherhood, & May 15 Incident – Japanese History

Tagged With: History, Japan, Japanese History, Japanese Military, Tokyo, World War II

Japanese Songs from the 1930s – Music of the Reiko/Aizawa Series

April 17, 2021 by Matthew Legare 16 Comments

I am often asked if the musical references and songs that I include in the Reiko Watanabe/Inspector Aizawa series are real. Well, the answer is ‘yes’ and I have the reciepts to prove it. [Read more…] about Japanese Songs from the 1930s – Music of the Reiko/Aizawa Series

Tagged With: Japan, Japanese History, Japanese Military

Otto Eckhart’s Ordeal Review

August 23, 2020 by Matthew Legare Leave a Comment

Otto Eckhart’s Ordeal is a historical novel by Nail Edworthy, dealing with the Nazi hunt for the Holy Grail. It answers the question, ‘what if Indiana Jones was told through the Nazis’ point of view?’

[Read more…] about Otto Eckhart’s Ordeal Review

Tagged With: Berlin, Book Reviews, Germany, historical fiction, Secret History

City of Devils Review & Paul French Interview

June 19, 2020 by Matthew Legare 2 Comments

city of devils cover1930s Shanghai has long captivated people for its lurid underworld, usually presented in the form of the notorious Green Gang. However, there was a brief period in Old Shanghai where a new batch of gangsters rose to prominence, and their story is told in Paul French’s City of Devils.

[Read more…] about City of Devils Review & Paul French Interview

Tagged With: Author Interviews, Book Reviews, China, noir, Shanghai, World War II

China Dawn by Robert L. Duncan Novel Review

April 18, 2020 by Matthew Legare Leave a Comment

China Dawn Robert L DuncanChina Dawn by Robert L. Duncan is a historical epic novel from 1988, spanning the years of 1931 to 1981, moving through various locations, from Tokyo to Shanghai, to Manchukuo, to Singapore, to Paris.

[Read more…] about China Dawn by Robert L. Duncan Novel Review

Tagged With: Book Reviews, Forgotten Fiction, historical fiction, Japan, Japanese History, Japanese Military

Babylon Berlin Season 3 Review

March 15, 2020 by Matthew Legare 16 Comments

Babylon Berlin returns for a third season, taking us back to the hectic and hedonistic days of 1929 Berlin. This season (or series as the Brits Babylon Berlin Season 3say; staffel fur die Deutschen) follows Detective Gereon Rath and his assistant/sidekick Charlotte Ritter as they investigate the strange murders on a movie set, committed by a mysterious and nightmarish Phantom. With them are enough side characters and subplots to give Deadwood a run for its money.

[Read more…] about Babylon Berlin Season 3 Review

Tagged With: Berlin, Conspiracy Thrillers, film noir, Germany, historical fiction, movie reviews, noir, Reviews. Weimar Republic, Thrillers, Weimar Republic

5 Japanese War Movie Recommendations

December 15, 2019 by Matthew Legare 6 Comments

Japan's Longest Day DVDJapanese cinema has never gained widespread acceptance in the West, save for Godzilla and Kurosawa films. But those are only a tiny pinprick of Japanese films, which cover all genres, including war. Aside from Tora Tora Tora and Letter From Iwo Jima, there haven’t been many movies that show war from a Japanese perspective that have gained traction in the West. I’d like to change that with 5 Japanese war movie recommendations.

[Read more…] about 5 Japanese War Movie Recommendations

Tagged With: History, Japan, Japanese History, Japanese Military, movie reviews

Memoirs of Japanese Assassins (1969) Movie Review

October 29, 2019 by Matthew Legare Leave a Comment

Memoirs of Japanese Assassins Movie PosterMemoirs of Japanese Assassins in an anthology film from 1969 and directed by Sadao Nakajima, which dramatizes famous assassinations in modern Japanese history. Needless to say, I loved it.

[Read more…] about Memoirs of Japanese Assassins (1969) Movie Review

Tagged With: Japanese History, Japanese Military, movie reviews

The March Incident of 1931 – Japanese History

March 20, 2019 by Matthew Legare Leave a Comment

General Ugaki reviewing troops

1931 was an important year in Japanese history. Casual research of this era will have a brief overview of the invasion of Manchuria in September, and vague references to a coup d’état which put the Army in charge. In truth, there was no armed coup d’état in 1931, at least none that were successful. However, the March Incident (Sangatsu Jiken 三月事件) came close.

[Read more…] about The March Incident of 1931 – Japanese History

Tagged With: Japan, Japanese History, Japanese Military

7 Edogawa Ranpo Recommendations

October 29, 2018 by Matthew Legare 2 Comments

Edogawa RanpoEdogawa Ranpo has become synonymous with Japanese horror and mystery fiction. Using a pen name based off of Edgar Allen Poe, (try saying it three times fast), the author Taro Hirai wrote many short stories and novels as Edogawa Ranpo (sometimes Romanized as Rampo). Like his namesake, Ranpo wrote mostly horror and mystery stories, basically introducing the genres into Japanese literature. While Ranpo has a plethora of material to choose from, here are my recommendations on where to start with his writing and films based off his work.

[Read more…] about 7 Edogawa Ranpo Recommendations

Tagged With: Book Reviews, horror, Japan, Japanese fiction, mystery, Pulp

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