The Honjin Murders (Detective Kindaichi Mysteries)

I am on my sixth book of the series, and so far I am enjoying this style of writing!

Detective Kindaiichi was not an unfamiliar name but it was my first time reading a book featuring him. Quite an charming character.This story features an intriguing a locked room mystery.Although the conclusion is a bit outlandish (I suppose to make an "impossible crime" work, it has to be like this somehow), but it does not decrease my enjoyment.The simple and clear prose moves the story forward nicely. And it is a nice touch to have the narrator break to fourth wall and talk to the reader directly.The skills of the translator is also praiseworthy.

I think I like the idea of a murder mystery set in early 1900s, rural Japan more than I do the actual story. Also, the author got annoyingly self congratulatory at the end.Kosuke Is a fun character, though.

The story revolves around an impossible crime very much in the classic John Dickson Carr tradition. Two newlyweds are found dead and blood-soaked just after their wedding in a building securely locked from the inside.The bridegroom’s family members are inordinately proud of their ancestry as owners of an inn where nobles stayed in the Edo period. Old feudal attitudes from the time of the Shogunate find echoes in the present mystery.The police are befuddled by misdirection and false clues. The murderer is too clever for them — but not for the amateur sleuth invited to the scene by the dead bride’s grieving uncle. Kosuke Kindaichi is not an impressive investigator. He’s only twenty-five or -six. His clothes are wrinkled, his hair is wild and shaggy, and he stutters. But somehow he manages to charm the police inspector, who lets the young man snoop around to his heart’s content. In no time Kindaichi is directing the investigation!There is a highly sinister three-fingered man in the neighborhood at the time of the double murder. This is fun. And Japanese koto music is somehow involved with the crime. The bride plays the koto, and we wonder if perhaps the murderer does too.This novel, like its scruffy amateur sleuth, has a peculiar charm. The mix of Western crime fiction conventions with Japanese traditions makes for a very engaging mystery.

I found this book to be an interesting read. I had no problem becoming engaged in the story, despite the facts that it was written almost 50 years ago and took place in a Japan that I know nothing about.

This turned out to be surprisingly short - I read it easily in less than a day. Certainly the complexities of how the locked room murder was done are intricate, and it's ironic that Yokomizo has one of his characters talk about mechanical approaches to the locked room murder as a kind of cheating when he then has his characters do the same thing!The complexities are intriguing; the motives for the murder perhaps less so.Yokomizo seems to be telling the story himself but produces various other characters whose testimonies are included, which nicely gets over some of the problems as to how the fictional 'author' managed to hear so many conversations he wasn't party to.I think, perhaps, the whole thing has a tongue-in-cheek air about it, and that Yokomizo basically does it how he wants and gets away with it.

Understanding this is the first novel in the series the narrative approach was interesting, and the plot complicated.I might revisit another later in the series.

Had too much expectation from this one as it's hailed as "one of the best locked room murder mysteries". But just a shocking ending doesn't guarantee that. The author relies on certain potholes in the plot (mainly related to personality traits which do not show up before the 'BIG reveal') to guarantee the shock towards the ending.I'm giving it 3 stars because, 1) you can finish it in one go, there's no dull moment, it's almost like a film script, good or bad; and 2) the original is quite old, set in 1937 Japan, written in 1946, so probably, there was room to make such mistakes! It also accounts for some of the regressive subplots in the novel.Verdict: Entertaining one-time read, carry it with you if you have a 2 hour boring flight or so, and then forget about it! Nothing great about it, but a good time pass!

I found this detective novel rather boring. It was really hard to get into. I don't think I'll try the other novels in this series.

I was afraid about what quality i would receive because previously the quality of the books i ordered was not up to the mark. For this book, it came in absolutely brilliant condition. No dent, no ink marks, clean and not a pirated version that a lot of amazon book sellers have.As far as the book itself is concerned, the cover caught my eye and I instantly ordered it after reading the synopsis. Can’t wait to read it!!

Schnelle Lieferung, alles top.

Interesting concept

Tutto ok