Lea O’Harra

Lea O’Harra is the pen name adopted by Wendy Jones Nakanishi for the publication of her so-called ‘Inspector Inoue mystery series’ including Imperfect Strangers (2015), Progeny (2016), Lady First (2017) and Falling Leaves (2026). Each book is linked to a season and all are set in rural, present-day Japan. Dead Reckoning (2022), a standalone set in the author’s hometown in the American Midwest, was published in September 2022, and another standalone, this one set in rural Japan again, entitled Sayonara, My Sweet, in May 2025. She has also had a short story included in a Kitaab collection of Best Asian Short Stories (2022). Her books have won numerous awards. In autumn 2017 Lady First was awarded finalist status in the crime fiction category of the Beverly Hills Awards and it was also a finalist in the National Indie Excellence Awards in 2018. Dead Reckoning was selected as a Book Excellence Award finalist in 2023 in the thriller category, and Sayonara, My Sweet, was a Book Excellence Award finalist in 2025 in the mystery category. In May 2026 Falling Leaves was the Maxy Awards runner-up in the thriller and crime category.

According to the author, who has lived in Japan for more than forty years, her books represent dissections of the dark underbelly of Japanese society. Her website is: http://leaoharra.com

Click here to read more about the publications.

Click here to watch the YouTube video consisting of interviews of the authors of the short stories included in the publication.