this was such a strong and solid start to a new series within this mafia universe, and after over 10 books i have to admit this still felt fresh, even though it used tropes that the author has done before in prior stories. regardless of my opinion about some of the previous books, both taylor’s and now her twin’s stories are some of, if not the best work of jagger cole, in my opinion. he knows how to write badass fmcs, i have to give it to him. plus, i spent the good majority of the first 20% of the book laughing, their banter and individual personality was so funny and charming. i swear every line of both dialogue and inner monologue of annika put a goofy smile on my face. she might be my new favorite female lead within this universe. but above all, it was refreshing to read a good mafia book that truly focused on the yakuza, was set it japan, and didn’t involve the italian mob. even the little details about lesser known syndicates, such as korean and serbian criminal factions feed my forensics academic heart.