A crime classic from the Japanese Golden Age, The Honjin Murders presents amateur sleuth Kindaichi with a perplexing mystery involving samurai swords, mysterious strangers and blood-soaked wedding nights.
In the winter of 1937, the village of Okamura is abuzz with excitement over the forthcoming wedding of a son of the grand Ichiyanagi family. But amid the gossip over the approaching festivities, there is also a worrying rumour - it seems a sinister masked man has been asking questions about the Ichiyanagis around the village.
Then, on the night of the wedding, the Ichiyanagi family are woken by a terrible scream, followed by the sound of eerie music - death has come to Okamura, leaving no trace but a bloody samurai sword, thrust into the pristine snow outside the house. The murder seems impossible, but amateur detective Kosuke Kindaichi is determined to get to the bottom of it.
Publisher: Pushkin Press
ISBN: 9781782275008
Number of pages: 192
Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm
Plenty of golden age ingredients... with a truly ingenious solution - Guardian, Best New Crime Fiction
Readers will delight in the blind turns, red herrings and dubious alibis... Ingenious and compelling - Economist
At once familiar and tantalisingly strange... It's an absolute pleasure to see his work translated at last in these beautifully produced English editions - Sunday Times
With a reputation in Japan to rival Agatha Christie's, the master of ingenious plotting is finally on the case for anglophone readers - Guardian
The Japanese Agatha Christie - Sara Cox, on BBC2's Between the Covers
The perfect read for this time of year. Short and compelling, it will appeal to fans of Agatha Christie looking for a new case to break - Irish Times
A classic murder mystery... Comparisons with Holmes are justified, both in the character of Kindaichi and Yokomizo's approach to storytelling - mixing clues, red herrings and fascinating social insight before drawing back the curtain to reveal the truth - Japan Times
The premise alone is dazzling [and] the solution to this mystery came as a complete surprise - exactly what I asked for - New York Times
For lovers of classic mystery and mayhem, these newly translated offerings are a must - Tokyo Weekender
A delightfully entertaining locked room murder mystery... There are plenty of twists, red herrings, and suspects in this monkey puzzle of a story... An ideal book to curl up with on a winter's night - NB Magazine
A classic locked room mystery... Its intricate thrills just as exciting as they were 70 years ago - CrimeReads
Essential reading for fans of detective and historical fiction... [the] solution to the whole mystery does actually make your jaw drop - Deccan Herald
A wickedly fun time. Its short length, quirky cast of characters, engaging mystery, and theatrical setting and plot make for a fantastic murder mystery tale. - Books and Bao
The master of Japanese crime - Tuttolibri
The perfect gift for any fan of classic crime fiction or locked room mysteries - Mrs Peabody Investigates
A perfect puzzle... Doesn't fail to deliver in its extremely fun and chilling premise. You'll be reading way past your bedtime! - Litreactor
We will be introduced to Detective Kindaichi. An unusual character, not what you might expect. Somehow he must search for answers and unravel this complicated case.
Combining a quirky writing style. This story draws...
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Published in English for the first time, we finally get to read about the popular detective that has captured Japanese readers’ attention and imagination for decades.
I don’t usually read much crime fiction...
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With Japanese fiction taking up the majority of my reading material, the prospect of diving into Seishi Yokomizo's work was tantalising. Published for the first time in English by Pushkin in recent months, this... More
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