Sins as Scarlet

Obregón’s gripping sequel to 2017’s Blue Light Yokohama takes former police officer Kosuke Iwata from Japan to Los Angeles, where he spent his teen years, to become a private investigator. When his late wife’s mother, who blames him for her daughter’s and granddaughter’s deaths, asks him to investigate her other child’s murder, he feels unable to decline. Clues he uncovers in L.A.’s Skid Row lead him to Ciudad Cabral, Mexico, where he discovers a complex, sinister, and far-reaching conspiracy that preys on vulnerable immigrants. Obregón raises a range of cultural and social issues, from corrupt border patrol officers and high crime rates against trans women to the lucrative black-market organ trade, though the plot moves so quickly that the treatment feels cursory in places. Insights into Iwata’s backstory and troubled relationship with his mother, who has her own painful secrets, add depth to the characters. Despite minor flaws, this is a satisfying effort from a writer to watch. Agent: Daniel Kirschen, ICM Partners. (Dec.)