'Imperfect Strangers is a novel that probes the society in which its characters live. As such I commend it highly and wish it well on its voyage across the choppy seas of international crime fiction.' Paul Johnston, author of the Alex Mavros series Japan 2012. It’s a bright hot morning and Professor Nomura, the president of Fujikawa University, has high hopes for the day. He has put in motion a plan for sweeping changes in the university and expects finally to wrest control from colleagues. But the academic, hated and feared in equal measure, has his throat slit in his office. For Chief Inspector Inoue, head of the local police force, the challenge is to find the murderer of a man with far more enemies than friends. Inoue is shocked by the murder in his alma mater. As the investigation proceeds, he uncovers a web of lies and deceit. He finds Nomura was suspected of lechery and corruption. When another murder occurs, Inoue is in a race against time to find the killer before he murders again. The suspects are multiplying, including Nomura’s own brother. Under pressure from his superiors and university authorities, Inoue must uncover how all the events are connected and bring the perpetrators to justice — or face professional ruin. Lea O’Harra lived in Japan for thirty-six years, working as an English professor at a private university in western Japan. 'Lea O'Harra offers us a whodunnit set in a Japan labouring under the weight of cultural imperialism, a country where the characters find that their friends and lovers are really strangers - and imperfect ones at that...' Nick Sweet, author of the Inspector Velázquez series 'With her deep knowledge of Japanese culture, superb writing, and sensitivity to human foibles. O’Harra has crafted a cross-cultural whodunnit sure to please Japanophiles and mystery lovers alike.' Suzanne Kamata, author of Losing Kei ‘An accomplished crime series which gives an insight into Japanese culture... The Inspector Inoue thrillers grip and inform.’ Thomas Waugh