The Honjin Murders

This is a Japanese locked room mystery. As other reviewers have noted, the Japanese setting is intriguing. For fans of detective fiction, the author's references to other writers, notably John Dickson Carr and Arthur Conan Doyle, are most interesting. The plot is well worked out. I don't want to spoil the book for others by giving away too much, so I will carefully say that the description of the means by which the murder was committed was rather complicated but was clarified by reference to another famous (Sherlock Holmes) story; it also appears in one by Margery Allingham. There are some good red herrings, and a beautifully eccentric and engaging (young) detective. I propose to read more by this author, and recommend this book.

I was really enjoying this book until it got to the part when it was revealed how the murder was carried out. The book has been translated very well and zips along at a great pace. It does not take long to become fully absorbed in the story and get to know the main characters. Although it is written in pre-war Japan, the readers will fully associate with the background to the story. However, I thought the explanation of how it all happened was highly unlikely, which I felt let down the story a bit. I also became confused about the various components involved in the murders, although don't want to say here what they were as it will be a spoiler alert. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the writing and main detective so much I have ordered the other book available by the same author and publisher.

Can't call myself a habitual reader, but I do like a book occasionally. I looked for something a bit different and found this. It seems to be very well written (possibly even more so if you can read it in its original Japanese), but it's a lightweight story that was for me at least not very immersive. My biggest complaint though was the fact that place names were given a capital letter and an underscore line of, I assume approximately the same length as the word they replaced. This was a major annoyance and a result of the translation presumably. I may not have been able to pronounce the word correctly but it's the sort of thing you usually just skim over without thinking about. Would I choose another title by this author, probably not.

A good locked room who-done-it. However there is something a little too clever clever about the way the tale is told as though the author regards the reader as so uneducated they must be spoon-fed every clue, then have it spelt out for them in a patronising drawn out conclusion.In fairness this is a classic written for a different audience in a different time, a lot may have been lost in time and translation.The basis for the murder mystery is very good with some good twists but overall an average read.

Well at least newly translated into English...The narrative is clever, the style old fashioned, the setting in eternal rural Japan.The list of characters at the beginning is really useful until you memorise them.Highly recommended