Publisher: Pushkin Vertigo (September 3, 2014
Language: English
Paperback: 320 pages
ISBN-13-1782278870
4 Stars
This book was a fun who-done-it read. The book takes place in a small village in Japan c. 1955. Thirty years prior, there were some murders in the village that were never solved and Kosuke Kindaichi a detective on vacation, is asked by a friend of his to spend it in the village and see what he can make of it. And more deaths occur in the time he is there. As a mystery it’s pretty good, but as a read about the life in a small village, it’s marvelous. And how the police interview people where manners and ‘caste’ are important in the extreme. Definitely not according to the police procedurals one American/European tv.
I’m not sure who did the translation into English. But I found several places where the pronouns were not consistent, and a few other little things that threw me out of the story for just a second or two, but throwing me out of the story didn’t help.
I think this could be called a ‘Japanese cozy’ type murder mystery. It was my bedtime read. No graphic drawn out described in detail murders, hence, no nightmares. If you like Agatha Christie type murder mystery books, try this one. There are Japanese words here and there, but they are explained by context. Just be patient with the translator.
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