Greedy

Callie Kazumi’s follow-up to her debut novel, Cuckoo, again combines elements of the thriller and horror genres. Centred on unemployed antihero Ed, Greedy is the tale of an Englishman living in Japan with his native wife. When Ed develops a bad habit playing pachinko, (a cross between pinball and slot machine), it lands him in hot water with the local yakuza. Faking his credentials, Ed finds employment as a private chef working for billionaire recluse, Hazeline Yamamoto. Ed’s employer’s tastes turn out to be for the rare and unusual, the exotic, taboo, and downright dangerous. As Hazeline increasingly insists Ed cater to her curious culinary quirks, things get strange, then odd, then downright dark.

Written with a severed tongue firmly in cheek, this satire on beauty, taste and desire, is a darkly humorous blend of Japanese and English experiences to create an East meets West culinary curio that ups the horror quota from Cuckoo and left me hungry for whatever Kazumi cooks up next. Not for the squeamish, Greedy is a delight for those who appreciate their humour thoroughly twisted and served with a side of fascinating characters, mounting tension, and enough thrills, chills, and ghoulish culinary skills to keep the pages turning late into the night.