Welcome to Litsy!

This is a good locked-room mystery with an interesting detective who, my manga-reading daughter tells me, she felt may have been, in part, an inspiration for the Death Note detective, L.
I liked the metatextual discussion of locked-room mysteries by the narrator & by the characters, which bore directly on the story itself: very clever. The setting and cultural insight was interesting, too.
I've ordered the second in the series from the library 😊

This is a good locked-room mystery with an interesting detective who, my manga-reading daughter tells me, she felt may have been, in part, an inspiration for the Death Note detective, L.
I liked the metatextual discussion of locked-room mysteries by the narrator & by the characters, which bore directly on the story itself: very clever. The setting and cultural insight was interesting, too.
I've ordered the second in the series from the library 😊

#TuesdayTunes @TieDyeDude

A koto plays a part in the plot of "The Honjin Murders", though as I'm near the beginning of the story, quite what its significance is I've yet to discover. However, the mention of the instrument immediately made me think of the sublime "Koto Song" by The Dave Brubeck Quartet, so their album "Jazz Impressions of Japan" is now my soundtrack ❤️ ??❤️

https://youtu.be/LbdD9gPnhhM?si=mh0jsYkKny4gLWLQ

#BooksAndMusic

Absolutely fantastic! The first book in the Kosuke Kindaichi series, written by one of Japan‘s most famous authors, is a fun one which has held up over time (it was first published in 1946 I believe). Death, a katana, & a “locked room” present Kindaichi with a formidable task & how he solves the crime, & subsequently presents the solution to everyone, leaves you eager to read how he will tackle his next case. I‘ll definitely read more.

Going with a mystery from Japan for tonight‘s reading. This one is generally regarded S a classic. Excited to see what it‘s all about!

First published in 1946, this is a classic Japanese mystery. This is a locked room mystery. A man and his bride are murdered on their wedding night, with no evidence of how the killer escaped.

I liked the setting in Japan. Japanese culture is fascinating to me. The book was well written and the young detective was intriguing. I understand there are many more books that feature this detective, although only a few were translated into English.

Seishi Yokomizo‘s locked room crime novel (the first in a series) was published in Japan in 1946 and first translated into English in 2019 by Louise Heal Kawai, who has done a wonderful job. I thoroughly enjoyed Yokomizo‘s slow reveal of the Ichiyanagi family‘s secrets, while Kindaichi is a fascinating detective (almost in the Columbo mode) and the solution is ingenious such that I will check out the other translations of Yokomizo‘s work.

I'm happy to continue in this series, especially since it's unlikely the disturbing reveal featuring in this first book will be repeated.
I enjoyed the framework of faux old timey true crime: 'this guy told me about a murder that actually happened, here are the gathered details...' You can feel the author's love for classic murder mysteries, several mentions gave me a good reading list for early 20th century mysteries to check out. 1/?

You call it values, I call it an oppressive social structure. 🤷🏼‍♂️ PotAto, PotatO.

When the male author chooses "obedient to her husband" as the woman's only descriptor: YIKES.

Have now added "upstart...water goblin" to my repertoire of insults...

My lovely #staycation trip to Japan by @jenniferw88 🩷🩷🩷 thank you so much for the lovely package! I am excited for the books and love the cute gifts🥰🥰
And I love the Bookmark! I learned how to read Katakana a few years ago, so it‘s even cooler as I can actually read it 🤗🤗

#staycationswap @Chrissyreadit @DinoMom

Clever and convoluted locked room mystery with a lot of nods to the early classics. The long list of characters in the front gave me pause, but each character is introduced well enough that I had no need to refer back to the list. The English translation flows really well, and manages to explain specific Japanese items and customs in a smooth way. Will definitely read more of this series.

A classic, locked-room mystery in the style of Agatha Christie. I found this entertaining and undemanding, and I enjoyed the slightly different flavour the Japanese context gave the story.

Bonus book for the Asian readathon. I requested a digital copy of this from the library and didn't think it would come in time, so I chose another book for the challenge. Then this book became available, so I added it as a bonus. This book is a locked room murder mystery that was first published in 1946. #asianreadathon #asianreadathon2023

Set in 1930s rural Japan, this was modeled after classic (traditionally British) murder mysteries. It felt sort of like a Poirot novel, but the murder weapon was a katana. It was a short, quick read with a satisfying conclusion.

I went to an awesome bookstore - Old Fox Books & Coffeehouse when visiting Annapolis, MD recently. I picked this up - I‘ve heard about newly translated classics from Japan. I picked up a couple of vintage Agatha Christie books too. I seems Scout my beagle was just as excited to “devour” these mysteries. Thankfully I was able to get a copy from the library to finish it.

When Kenzo and Katsuko are found dead on their wedding night, suspicion falls on a mysterious 3-fingered man who had been seen hanging around the house earlier. The bride's uncle calls in renowned PI Kosuke Kindaichi to investigate.

3/4 of the way through I was thinking, “ingenious but maybe a bit too ingenious for its own good“ but then the explanation for the ingenuity came along and made it into something quite excellent.

#coffeeandabook

I originally requested this in order to maybe read during #cloakanddaggerchristmas, but there were few copies in the library and it didn't arrive until this week. Which is fine, as I wouldn't have gotten to it in December and it makes solid lunch fare. Accompanied today by grilled ham and cheese and fries, because a) Friday and b) it's been one of of those weeks 😏

I very much enjoyed this first mystery featuring the private detective Kosuke Kindaichi and which was only recently translated into English. The solution was fine, but what I particularly liked was the set up of the characters and intricate plot and learning a little bit about historical and post WWII Japan. A locked room mystery, newlyweds are found murdered the morning after their wedding. Suicide? But why and how?

#12Booksof2022

Enjoyed this as a locked room mystery even though the ending was a little convoluted. It does give a view into the Japanese feudal and honour system.
Contemplating getting the other books by this author. 🤔
My last #roll100 for the year

Great read of a locked room mystery.

Sort of a meta detective story. The narrator is a writer of detective novels who gets evacuated to a rural village following the Allies' bombing of Japan, which happens to be the site of a "real life" locked-room murder mystery that occurred years earlier. The story is the narrator's attempt at reconstructing what happened based on the recollections and notes of various individuals, some of whom had more direct involvement in the case than others.

Finally finished this. It took me forever because it was a snooze to be honest… It‘s apparently a classic of Japanese murder mysteries but I don‘t plan to keep reading the series 🤷🏻‍♀️

Why hello there… (just another photo of a book cover taken while working the circulation desk)

Enjoying this short suspense novel. Unusual narrator's voice but engaging all the same...

Aaaaand finally... December's #12booksof2021 pick has got to be The Honjin Murders.

I'm a sucker for a locked room mystery and although this one was as ridiculously convoluted as Dame Agatha Christie's efforts, I really enjoyed it and will be ordering the next one.

Happy New Year, all of you!

Lots of Love 💕💕💕

I love this kind of thing. Taking inspiration from the greats, Seishi Yokomizo gives us a compelling and enjoyable locked room mystery.

It gives nothing away to say that the solution is - as always with these golden age dramas - completely batsh*t crazy, but who cares? Highly recommended for fans of Agatha Christie.

#cloakanddaggerchristmas - read a mystery with an amateur sleuth

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Love it when a murder mystery has a map so I can pretend to get my amateur sleuthing cap on... 🧐🤔

#cloakanddaggerchristmas

Locked room mystery in 1930s rural Japan 🇯🇵 This is a classic mystery novel with a bit of metafiction, translated by Louise Heal Kawai. #Japan

Another great read of Japanese crime fiction inspired by Golden Age authors. A bridal couple are found dead in a locked annexe, the family nearby hear their screams, as they rush across the garden to witness the gruesome scene, there are no footprints on the freshly fallen snow, how did the killer get in or out?

An elaborate 1946 puzzle box murder mystery that launched a quirky private investigator & his long-running series. I was enthralled by the intricate crime and its framing - a mystery writer is retelling the events after the fact, referencing classic detective fiction. Cheeky.

But I found the ultimate solution so disturbing it marred my enjoyment. The novel‘s characters being disturbed right along with me was the difference between a pick & a pan!

In the opening chapter, the narrator tells us that the locked room murder mystery is “a genre that any self-respecting detective novelist will attempt at some point.” First published years ago in Japan, this twisty puzzle of a novel has only recently been translated into English by Louise Heal Kawai. Perfect for fans of classic locked room mysteries. #translation

“The ground was carpeted in those red spider lilies sometimes known as equinox flowers. I couldn't help thinking that they were soaked in the blood of poor, sweet S---.“

(Photo courtesy of my friend Rika in Yokohama.)

Unlike other kinds of musical picks or plectrums, the koto pick resembles a false fingernail attached to a ring. If you were wearing koto picks, your fingerprints would be obscured.
(That‘s me in the photo, learning how to play a koto.)

The collection comprised every book of mystery or detective fiction ever published in Japan....

(I've not heard of any of the Japanese authors.)

I quite liked this book, translated by Louise Heal Kawai. It‘s a bit formal and breaks the fourth wall in a couple of odd ways, but I exclaimed out loud when the solution was revealed, enjoyed the shout-outs to Carr and Leroux, and ended up looking for videos of koto playing so I could hear what it sounded like. So a good read!

Gosh I've been reading a lot of Golden Age crime novels recently! It's nice to have one from a different cultural background, and this has some fun Japanese quirks, despite its deliberate use of Western crime novel tropes. I loved the detective Kosuke Kindaichi, and the villain, and crime, are suitably chilling. The resolution is ingenuous, and there are nice digs at the injustice of feudal attitudes and traditional class arrogance too ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It was interesting to read a non-Western mystery story! I always find reading in translation a little stilted, though, and this one is so powerfully inspired by e.g. John Dickson Carr (it's even in the plot). It didn't do wonders for me, I'm afraid.

It‘s a three day holiday weekend thanks to the emperor‘s birthday so I‘m reading away! I‘ll pop out for a walk tomorrow but in the meantime catching up on the TBRs. This book is the first of a long series with the tousle haired Japanese cross between Colombo and Holmes that spawned tv series & movies all with dreaded family secrets and bizarre murders. It‘s classic golden age but I found it stilted and stiff compared to the movies it inspired.