"Sherwood peeks into the seedier side of Japan in his U.S. debut, a clever, fast-paced noir. Aozora Fujiwara, an apathetic student at the University of Kyoto, finds himself deep in debt to a local gangster who runs an illegal mah-jongg parlor. Luckily, Aozora learns that a distant aunt has named him and his sister, Mai, as heirs of her estate. In order to redeem the inheritance, Aozora must track down Mai, who has disappeared from opera school. Aozora finds her performing as an entertainer in 'Amsterdam,' a creepy Dutch-themed amusement park (tourists can visit 'Harry Potterdam' and eat an 'Oranje Burger'), but getting her out proves to be troublesome: Gondo, a yakuza boss, is forcing Mai to 'entertain' his clients and will not let her leave. Determined to free his sister (and solve his financial crisis), Aozora hatches an improbable plan with help from some unlikely friends. Sherwood has a firm handle on red-light personalities, and his narrator dazzles as the self-aware antihero in this thriller for the Facebook generation. (June)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Filled with motorcycle gangs, phony samurais, high-tech love dolls, and a selection of manga, "Escape from Amsterdam" paints an offbeat portrait of contemporary Japan and introduces a strikingly original author. Illustrated.