Mr. Moto Is So Sorry

Mr. Moto Is So Sorry is a 1938 spy thriller by John P. Marquand, first serialized in the Saturday Evening Post before being published as a novel. The story takes place on a train journey from Japan to Mongolia, where American traveler Calvin Gates encounters the mysterious Japanese intelligence agent Mr. Moto. The novel follows Gates, who is fleeing legal troubles in America, as he becomes entangled in international intrigue aboard the trans-continental railway. The plot centers on a seemingly ordinary cigarette case that attracts dangerous attention, drawing Gates and a female sketch artist named Sylvia Dillaway into Mr. Moto's complex web of espionage. Written after Marquand's own travels through Asia in the 1930s, the novel captures the period's fascination with the Far East through its depiction of rail travel across Japan and into mainland Asia. The work stands as a reflection of pre-World War II tensions and Western perceptions of Asia during a time of growing global uncertainty.

Online reviews indicate readers found this Mr. Moto adventure entertaining but not as strong as other books in the series. The plot delivers solid spy intrigue and exotic 1930s Chinese settings. Readers appreciated: - Complex espionage elements and political maneuvering - Period details of pre-WWII China - Mr. Moto's clever manipulation of events Common criticisms: - Less action than other Moto novels - Romance subplot feels forced - American protagonist not as engaging as Mr. Moto himself - Some dated cultural portrayals Ratings: Goodreads: 3.69/5 (93 ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (12 ratings) Several readers noted they would have preferred more scenes focused on Mr. Moto rather than the American lead character. As one Goodreads reviewer wrote: "Moto steals every scene he's in - wish the whole book was from his perspective instead."

The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers This pioneering spy novel follows an English yachtsman uncovering German naval preparations in the North Sea, delivering the same blend of travel detail and pre-war espionage found in Mr. Moto's adventures.

The Mask of Dimitrios by Eric Ambler Set across Europe and Asia Minor, this tale traces a crime writer's investigation into a dead criminal's past, incorporating the railway journeys and international intrigue that mark Mr. Moto's world.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie Christie's railway mystery captures the essence of 1930s transcontinental train travel and East-meets-West intrigue that Mr. Moto readers appreciate.

Lost Horizon by James Hilton The story of a hijacked plane that crashes in Tibet presents Western travelers encountering Eastern mysteries, mirroring the cultural intersections in Mr. Moto's adventures.

Journey Into Fear by Eric Ambler This tale of an engineer pursued by assassins through Istanbul combines the elements of foreign travel, pre-war tension, and international espionage central to the Mr. Moto series.

🔍 The Mr. Moto series was one of the first major American literary works to feature an Asian protagonist as a heroic character rather than a villain during the 1930s. 🏆 John P. Marquand won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1938 for "The Late George Apley," written during the same period he was publishing the Mr. Moto novels. 🎬 Peter Lorre portrayed Mr. Moto in eight Hollywood films between 1937 and 1939, though these adaptations often diverged significantly from Marquand's original stories. 🌏 Marquand's detailed descriptions of 1930s Mongolia and China came from his experiences as a journalist for the Christian Science Monitor, where he worked as an Asia correspondent. 📚 The novel was first serialized in the Saturday Evening Post before being published as a book in 1938, a common practice for popular fiction during that era.