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The Tokyo Zodiac Murders
The Tokyo Zodiac Murders | ????
"Intricately constructed and entertainingly exotic."--The Japan Times Astrologer, fortuneteller, and self-styled detective Kiyoshi Mitarai must in one week solve a mystery that has baffled Japan for 40 years. Who murdered the artist Umezawa, raped and killed his daughter, and then chopped up the bodies of six others to create Azoth, the supreme woman? With maps, charts, and other illustrations, this story of magic and illusion, pieced together like a great stage tragedy, challenges the reader to unravel the mystery before the final curtain. The Tokyo Zodiac Murders joins a new wave of Japanese murder mysteries being translated into English. Soji Shimada, author of over 100 mystery novels, is a designer, musician, and astrology writer. From the publisher: for more mystery from Japan, check out The Inugami Clan by Seishi Yokomizo.
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Ast_Arslan
Tokyo Zodiac Murders | Soji Shimada
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#SuperSeptember #Readathon
Hosted by @Andrew65 and @EadieB that tagged me ❤

I didn't reach the goal 😣 Super busy period, I'll do better next time!

EadieB Thanks for participating and congrats 🎉 on finishing 2 books 📚 3y
Ast_Arslan @EadieB thanks! 💞 3y
20 likes2 comments
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Ast_Arslan
Tokyo Zodiac Murders | Soji Shimada
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#SuperSeptember #Readathon
Hosted by @Andrew65 and @EadieB that tagged me ❤

Really few progress during these days, maybe I'll read more today 🤷🏻‍♀️

EadieB @Ast_Arslan You still have 4 more days left in the readathon! 3y
Ast_Arslan @EadieB 😊👍🏻 3y
Andrew65 Every little helps, can‘t have read less than me. 3y
Ast_Arslan @Andrew65 how do you feel? Are you getting better? 3y
22 likes4 comments
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Ast_Arslan
Tokyo Zodiac Murders | Soji Shimada
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I relate with this 💯% 😅😅

BookDadGirlDad I call "curating a library".??? 3y
Ast_Arslan @BookDadGirlDad 🙌🙌😂😂 3y
22 likes2 comments
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Ast_Arslan
Tokyo Zodiac Murders | Soji Shimada
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#SuperSeptember #Readathon
Hosted by @Andrew65 (I wish you to feel better soon!) and @EadieB that tagged me ❤

I planned to read these books from the 11th September to the 19th September.

I really hope to reach the goals even if I'm kinda busy 😅

1. Tokyo Zodiac Murders - I'm at his half
2. Interview with the vampire is a re-read for me ❤
3. La neve se ne frega is an italian graphic novel

I still have to start the other 4 books 😅

EadieB @Ast_Arslan Thanks for participating. Enjoy your reading! Hope you reach your goals! 3y
Ast_Arslan @EadieB thank you 🤩😊 3y
23 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
RainyDayReading
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Pickpick

An interesting locked room mystery reminiscent of Agatha Christie with the reasoning of a Sherlock Holmes story. The crime itself is bewildering and at times frustratingly confusing but when the solution is revealed it hit me in the same way several Agatha Christie novels did, with an “omg” and a “how did I not see that?” The “Holmes” in this story was more likeable than the narrator “Watson”, but the mystery was too intriguing for me to mind 👇🏻

RainyDayReading Too much. Some of the pacing felt odd and there were definitely times where I was wanting the characters to hurry up with the case. Since this is mostly two characters talking and figuring out the case. But it was enjoyable none the less. If you‘re wanting a locked room mystery, give this a shot. This is my #bookspin for August! @TheAromaofBooks 3y
33 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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erzascarletbookgasm
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Pickpick

A classic Japanese locked-room mystery, this is well crafted and pays homage to the Golden Age detective fiction (Think Dickson Carr, A.Christie..) Kiyoshi and his friend Kazumi are a bit like Holmes and Dr.Watson. Amidst the astrology, alchemy, longitude and latitude confusion, the mystery itself is very clever and grisly. There‘re charts, drawings of murder scenes and an interlude where the author challenges the reader to solve the puzzle. 🔽

erzascarletbookgasm .. Engaging story, and once you get familiar with the vast list of Japanese names, you‘ll be thoroughly enjoying it! 3y
JazzFeathers Oh, l bought it last year but haven't read it yet. I was fascinated with the Japanese setting and the astrological theme. 3y
erzascarletbookgasm @JazzFeathers I‘ll be curious what you think of it..😊 3y
67 likes4 stack adds3 comments
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Ast_Arslan
Tokyo Zodiac Murders | Soji Shimada
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I am posting one book per day from my to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it. Some will be old, some will be new - don't judge me, I have a lot of books.

Day 42th

Join the fun if you want!

#tbrpile

JazzFeathers È anche nella mia lista deiibri da leggere. Sembra moooolto strano. Allora lo leggiamo il libro che dicevamo? 😁 3y
Ast_Arslan @JazzFeathers certo! Partire lunedì ti sta bene? 😉 3y
JazzFeathers @Ast_Arslan Ciao, scusami. Ti dispiace se rimandiamo? Il mio micio sta per attraversare il ponte e sono a pezzi. 3y
See All 6 Comments
Ast_Arslan @JazzFeathers nessun problema. Fammi sapere tu quando te la senti. So cosa vuol dire (ci sono passata). Mi dispiace davvero moltissimo, è uno dei dolori peggiori perdere qualcuno di famiglia (solo chi non ci è passato può dire il contrario). Un abbraccio fortissimo ❤❤❤❤ 3y
JazzFeathers @Ast_Arslan Grazie 💙 3y
Ast_Arslan @JazzFeathers assolutamente di nulla 😉❣ 3y
18 likes6 comments
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Ast_Arslan
Tokyo Zodiac Murders | Soji Shimada
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#CuriousCovers
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
@Eggs

I have plenty #redandwhite covers 🤣
Two of these books are still in my tbr list 😅🤣

Day 2

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ❤️📚🤍 3y
Eggs Great covers ❤️⚪️❤️ 3y
19 likes3 comments
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AutumnRLS
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And now I begin my #spookyreads.

10 likes1 stack add
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suvata
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Mehso-so

Continuing my TBR project:
This is one the oldest selection on my TBR list - Originally added September 19, 2015.

I‘m usually all in for a Japanese crime novel but this was just not for me — too much astrology — and nothing like the American Zodiac Killer. I don‘t know what I was expecting.

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Erofan
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Imagine that on the table in front of you are files related to the mass murder of forty years ago. The investigation has long been at an impasse, and possible suspects died. You have an identical set of information as the private detectives who took the case. The author challenges the reader in an intellectual game and offers to find the murderer before his heroes. This is the main feature of the genre "honkaku": feel like a detective! ? #Japan

Gina This sounds fascinating! 5y
Smrloomis Wow! And also that cover is really frightening 😱 5y
Erofan @Gina Yeah, I can't wait to read this book! 5y
Erofan @Smrloomis Yep, when I looked closely, the female figures on the cover scared me! 😨 5y
76 likes4 stack adds4 comments
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grumpygirlbooks
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Mehso-so

This one is a solid three stars. I definitely enjoyed it, and I really like mysteries where the reader has a chance to solve it too. There were a few things I didn‘t love - like way too much focus on the first part of the case, and it was a big exposition dump - by design - to give enough info to have the clues to solve it.

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BiblioNyan
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This is an OwnVoices JPN crime thriller about a guy in the mid-1930s who‘s found in a locked room dead w/a testament that explains how he‘s going to kill 7 women. Shortly afterwards the remains of 7 women are found chopped-up & dispersed all around rural Japan, all who died after the guy in the room. Flash to 40 years later & everyone‘s still baffled at how it was done & who the culprit is. But 2 random dudes are determined to solve the mystery!

vivastory I really liked this one 5y
8leagueboot This sounds so cool! 5y
15 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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mrozzz
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Can‘t believe September is over already... here is my #Booked2018 3rd quarter wrap up! I have yet to finish the tagged for Japanese thriller, but I should finish in a couple of days! 🤗

The rest include:
Blame it on Litsy— The Kiss Quotient
Beach Read— When Katie Met Cassidy
Set in a school— Dare Me
Diverse Nonfiction— My Beloved World
LGBTQIA+ MC— Leah on the Offbeat

Reviewsbylola I loved When Katie Met Cassidy! 6y
vivastory I loved the tagged book 6y
mrozzz Me too @Reviewsbylola 😊 I really like Camille Perri 6y
See All 6 Comments
mrozzz @vivastory woohoo! I hope I end up loving it too. It‘s... interesting. 6y
Cinfhen Yay!!! Thanks for posting & sharing!!! 6y
mrozzz @Cinfhen ☺️💜 6y
95 likes1 stack add6 comments
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megantargaryen
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Visiting my moms in North Fort Myers and reading on the lanai is incredibly relaxing. Let's stress ourselves out with a really disturbing murder, shall we?

WordWaller Hahaha this is exactly how I feel when I bring a horror novel on vacation. Like what am I even doing? 7y
megantargaryen @WordWaller lol it's probably masochistic. I was wide awake and horrified for hours reading this. 7y
17 likes2 stack adds2 comments
review
KimmyM
Pickpick

I was really confused for a while and I definitely did not figure this one out! Very entertaining.

14 likes1 stack add
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KimmyM
This post contains spoilers
show me
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I confess, I am thoroughly confused. But I'm enjoying the journey! I love that the author left this note to readers.

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KimmyM
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This book has been highly recommended several times by fellow readers so I'm going to start reading it tonight!

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Amy_H
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Pickpick

Fun mystery. I usually don't go in for these locked room puzzle kind of mysteries, but I enjoyed it. I need to find more mysteries in translation. The ones I've read recently haven't disappointed.

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bookwrm526
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Pickpick

This was not at all what I was expecting, but for what it turned out to be it was pretty great! It's a murder mystery focused almost entirely on the intricate plot of the crime itself, with no political analysis and very little about the characters except as it relates to the crime. Once I understood what it was doing, I really enjoyed it!

Marchpane Sounds fascinating 8y
13 likes1 comment
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DiruVamp
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this one! The beginning was a little (ok a lot) overwhelming with the amount of information presented. But a true mystery! Now that I know how it ends I want to read it again! Very very good.

BookishFeminist I enjoyed this too! Interesting set up that was a bit different than a lot of American detectives. 8y
DiruVamp I agree. Very Holmes/Watson but I enjoyed that. 8y
sleuthsandspies I'm glad you enjoyed this! I recommended it to someone who HATED it, so it's nice to see others recognize Shimada's genius. 8y
DiruVamp @sleuthsandspies I actually read this after seeing your post about it and was not disappointed at all! 8y
amazingmavis Love this cover! 8y
12 likes5 comments
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DiruVamp
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It was a good mail day! 🤓

callunakeep Looks like it!! 👏🏼👏🏻👏 8y
DaveNeufeld Can't wait to start Hex! 8y
DiruVamp @DaveNeufeld I'm only 3 chapters in but I'm loving it so far! 8y
DaveNeufeld Awesome, luckily my current book is pretty good too, all the great stuff I'm hearing about Hex is making it really tough to wait haha... 8y
13 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
sleuthsandspies
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Pickpick

Despite its overt homage to Conan Doyle, The Tokyo Zodiac Murders is no mere recasting of Holmes and Watson as Kiyoshi Mitarai and Kazumi Ishioka. Rather, by blending the locked-room mystery with an arcane mysticism and self-reflexive narrative, Shimada creates a unique form of logic problem.

sleuthsandspies Full review at www.sleuthsandspies.wordpress.com 8y
squibblesreads this is hardcore on my TBR!! 8y
6 likes3 stack adds2 comments