I know. That was one of the clues that I picked up on before anyone else did. Who wouldn't notice weird names like "Quarter Queen" or "Backyard Bottomslash?" The only two people who had normal names in the story were Raye Penber, and Naomi Misora.
And what was the deal with all those Japanese things. Sure, the book was written in Japan, for Japanese readers, but it's taking place in L.A. Voodoo dolls would be more likely to be used than Japanese Wara Ningyo.
