The Bang Devils

By Patrick Foss

If you commit a crime and nobody catches you -- is it really wrong? For Chris Ryan and Jessica Romano, two Americans living in Japan, life is like a movie. Money comes easy when you're an "exotic" Westerner. Sex comes even easier. With every need instantly satisfied, the greatest worry is growing restless. Because when your life is a movie, it doesn't take long before you decide you need to do something ... cinematic. So when a wealthy Japanese businessman, overcome with too much whiskey -- and too much Jessica -- boasts that he secretly keeps a fortune in cash in his home, Jessica enlists Chris and her boyfriend, Taro, to help her execute the perfect kidnapping. But they soon learn that the money might not be the only secret the businessman is keeping. As the stakes start to rise, the three friends begin to question their motives -- and one another. It doesn't take long for them to realize that while the surest way to survive is sticking together, the surest way to get rich is betrayal. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060554770
• ISBN13: 9780060554774
• Release Date: September 2003
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 305 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Unique noir--Americans in Japan

Here's a nifty update of American noir set in Japan, following in the groundbreaking footsteps of Samuel Fuller's House of Bamboo and Crimson Kimono. This time, it's early 21st century so things have changed dramatically since the time of pachinko parlors run by Robert Ryan as a front for crime operations. Greed is more personal these days. It's typified by Jessica Romano, a sexy femme fatale who makes a nice chunk of change...

cut off's and testosterone

a good read and insightful into the viewpoint of a foriegner in Japan. a peek into the cultural nuances that makes Japan a temptation. character building is excellent and is the backbone of Foss's writing style. easy to get into but tinged with a highschool testosterone air of excitement and danger. the ending is dissapointing if you hate cut offs, but the characters satisfy. would make a great movie, in America or Japan.

Real, gritty, and believable.

The Bang Devils: Where can I start? Patrick Foss creates believable characters that draw out real emotions. The world he portrays comes to life with a rich palette of characters and settings. Every path leads deeper into darker places. And, every place is more interesting than the previous. Raw and real characters like these evoke a neo-classic sense of cinema that kept me on the edge of my seat right up to the last word and...

An excellent, quick read

"What's being good ever got you?" Jessica asks Chris as she convinces him to join her in kidnapping and extortion-- in the first chapter. The tone of THE BANG DEVILS is set early and Foss does a stellar job at it. With wit and style we're drawn into a world of 'love hotels' run by old ladies behind smoked-glass windows and night clubs where the women get paid ungodly sums to simply flirt. He also goes into wonderful detail...

Entertained Fan

Patrick Foss is an absolute genius. His writing style is refreshing...I highly recommend this book if you're interested in Japan and want to learn more about what goes on below the polite surfaces.