A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing by Emily Midorikawa

I owe huge thanks to Emily Midorikawa for ensuring I received a copy of her debut novel A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing. I was unable to share my review earlier as I was away, but it’s my pleasure to have my review today. You’ll also find Emily appearing here on Linda’s Book Bag on several occasions. Published by Bonnier imprint Manilla on 23rd July 2026, A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing is available for purchase through the links here. A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing Anna has never met anybody like Loll: a British hostess at the Moonglow bar in the Japanese city of Osaka. With her blonde wigs and shimmering dresses, Loll cuts a mesmerising figure. But Anna is troubled by the secrets Loll hides; the identity of her best client with shadowy links to the city’s crime underworld; and the sight Anna witnesses one afternoon: Loll teetering on the edge of a railway track, caught in the deafening rush as a train hurtles by. Whereas Anna has come to Osaka to learn more about her half-Japanese heritage, Loll has no clear reason for being there and no easily discernible past. And so when she disappears, there are only the barest clues as to where she might have gone. Soon...