People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo--and the Evil That Swallowed Her Up

Richard Lloyd Parry

May 2012 · Sold by FSG Originals

About this ebook

Lucie Blackman—tall, blond, twenty-one years old—stepped out into the vastness of Tokyo in the summer of 2000, and disappeared forever. The following winter, her dismembered remains were found buried in a seaside cave.

Richard Lloyd Parry, an award-winning foreign correspondent, covered Lucie's disappearance and followed the massive search for her, the long investigation, and the even longer trial. Over ten years, he earned the trust of her family and friends, won unique access to the Japanese detectives and Japan's convoluted legal system, and delved deep into the mind of the man accused of the crime, Joji Obara, described by the judge as "unprecedented and extremely evil."

The result is a book at once thrilling and revelatory, "In Cold Blood for our times" (Chris Cleave, author of Incendiary and Little Bee).

The People Who Eat Darkness is one of Publishers Weekly's Top 10 Best Books of 2012

Ratings and reviews

This book not only recounted everything that happened to the Lucie Blackman case but its also a crash course to Japan's culture and history. At times its even philosophical. Amazing work by the author - Mr Parry. I only read fiction novels and I never thought reality can be more grim than fiction. This book has put me in a lot of stress. My heart goes out to the Blackman family and victims of Joji Obara.

Definitely a page-turner and worth a read for those who are interested in the genre.

Fantastic all the way

About the author

Richard Lloyd Parry is the Asia editor and Tokyo bureau chief of The Times (London) and the author of In the Time of Madness.