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老梅樹。吊鐘。祈禱房。
三個匪夷所思的死亡地點，三具死狀淒慘的屍體，
連續恐怖命案背後，更令人駭異的是主謀者純然冷血的殺機！
金田一耕助能否找出看似不可能犯罪的兇手，破解三重謎團？
三個匪夷所思的死亡地點，三具死狀淒慘的屍體，
連續恐怖命案背後，更令人駭異的是主謀者純然冷血的殺機！
金田一耕助能否找出看似不可能犯罪的兇手，破解三重謎團？
328 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1948
410 people are currently reading
6749 people want to read
About the author
Seishi Yokomizo
237 books767 followersSeishi Yokomizo (横溝 正史) was a novelist in Shōwa period Japan.
Yokomizo was born in the city of Kobe, Hyōgo (兵庫県 神戸市). He read detective stories as a boy and in 1921, while employed by the Daiichi Bank, published his first story in the popular magazine "Shin Seinen" (新青年[New Youth]). He graduated from Osaka Pharmaceutical College (currently part of Osaka University) with a degree in pharmacy, and initially intended to take over his family's drug store even though sceptical of the contemporary ahistorical attitude towards drugs. However, drawn by his interest in literature, and the encouragement of Edogawa Rampo (江戸川 乱歩), he went to Tokyo instead, where he was hired by the Hakubunkan publishing company in 1926. After serving as editor in chief of several magazines, he resigned in 1932 to devote himself full-time to writing.
Yokomizo was attracted to the literary genre of historical fiction, especially that of the historical detective novel. In July 1934, while resting in the mountains of Nagano to recuperate from tuberculosis, he completed his first novel "Onibi" (『鬼火』), which was published in 1935, although parts were immediately censored by the authorities. Undeterred, Yokomizo followed on his early success with a second novel Ningyo Sashichi torimonocho (1938–1939). However, during World War II, he faced difficulties in getting his works published due to the wartime conditions, and was in severe economic difficulties. The lack of Streptomycin and other antibiotics also meant that his tuberculosis could not be properly treated, and he joked with friends that it was a race to see whether he would die of disease or of starvation.
However, soon after the end of World War II, his works received wide recognition and he developed an enormous fan following. He published many works via Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine in serialized form, concentrating only on popular mystery novels, based on the orthodox western detective story format, starting with "Honjin Satsujin Jiken" (『本陣殺人事件』) and "Chōchō Satsujin Jinken" (『蝶々殺人事件』) (both in 1946). His works became the model for postwar Japanese mystery writing. He was also often called the "Japanese John Dickson Carr" after the writer whom he admired.
Yokomizo is most well known for creating the private detective character Kosuke Kindaichi (金田一 耕助). Many of his works have been made into movies.
Yokomizo died of colon cancer in 1981. His grave is at the Seishun-en cemetery in Kawasaki, Kanagawa (神奈川県 川崎市).
Yokomizo was born in the city of Kobe, Hyōgo (兵庫県 神戸市). He read detective stories as a boy and in 1921, while employed by the Daiichi Bank, published his first story in the popular magazine "Shin Seinen" (新青年[New Youth]). He graduated from Osaka Pharmaceutical College (currently part of Osaka University) with a degree in pharmacy, and initially intended to take over his family's drug store even though sceptical of the contemporary ahistorical attitude towards drugs. However, drawn by his interest in literature, and the encouragement of Edogawa Rampo (江戸川 乱歩), he went to Tokyo instead, where he was hired by the Hakubunkan publishing company in 1926. After serving as editor in chief of several magazines, he resigned in 1932 to devote himself full-time to writing.
Yokomizo was attracted to the literary genre of historical fiction, especially that of the historical detective novel. In July 1934, while resting in the mountains of Nagano to recuperate from tuberculosis, he completed his first novel "Onibi" (『鬼火』), which was published in 1935, although parts were immediately censored by the authorities. Undeterred, Yokomizo followed on his early success with a second novel Ningyo Sashichi torimonocho (1938–1939). However, during World War II, he faced difficulties in getting his works published due to the wartime conditions, and was in severe economic difficulties. The lack of Streptomycin and other antibiotics also meant that his tuberculosis could not be properly treated, and he joked with friends that it was a race to see whether he would die of disease or of starvation.
However, soon after the end of World War II, his works received wide recognition and he developed an enormous fan following. He published many works via Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine in serialized form, concentrating only on popular mystery novels, based on the orthodox western detective story format, starting with "Honjin Satsujin Jiken" (『本陣殺人事件』) and "Chōchō Satsujin Jinken" (『蝶々殺人事件』) (both in 1946). His works became the model for postwar Japanese mystery writing. He was also often called the "Japanese John Dickson Carr" after the writer whom he admired.
Yokomizo is most well known for creating the private detective character Kosuke Kindaichi (金田一 耕助). Many of his works have been made into movies.
Yokomizo died of colon cancer in 1981. His grave is at the Seishun-en cemetery in Kawasaki, Kanagawa (神奈川県 川崎市).
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May 10, 2025
The year is 1946, Detective Kindaichi arrives on Gokumon Island. It’s an isolated island inhabited by fishermen who are descendants of pirates. Because the island once served as a sort of prison, a place of exile for criminals.
Despite the island being inhospitable for outsiders, Detective Kindaichi has a good reason to be there. Kindaichi’s friend in the war said that someone would kill his sisters if he were to die, and Kindaichi promised his friend he would try to stop that from happening. But when the death of Kindaichi’s friend becomes known to the islanders, it is the start of a string of murders. Considering it is such a tight-knit community, Kindaichi has a lot of trouble solving these murders, especially when suspicion falls on him simply because he is an outsider.
There is a time skip between this second book in the series and the first one. The reason is very simple simple: the war. This story is set right after the Second World War, and the impact it had on ordinary people can be felt right from the start. Even Kindaichi himself remarks that when he came home, he found that his home was no longer there. While not an important part of the mystery plot, the historical post-war setting definitely looms over this story and adds another layer of atmospheric dread to it.
The mystery plot feels kind of similar to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. Christie’s book might have served as a source of inspiration for this story. But don’t make the mistake of thinking that if you’ve read one, you’ve read the other.
If I compare this sequel to the first book in the series, I can’t help but note that it improves upon a few crucial things.
First of all, what stands out most is actually the historical and isolated setting. This is surprising as I thought that was one of the highlights of the previous book. But in this book, even more attention goes to the setting and it’s really interesting to immerse yourself in it.
Second, what’s been improved upon the most compared to the first book is definitely the characters. The narrator doesn’t feel so obviously omnipotent and distant like in the previous book, which elevates the intensity and makes it easier to familiarize yourself with the characters. Even the protagonist feels more interesting and more fleshed out as a character.
Third, the mystery plot itself also needs to be commended. It feels more intense than in the previous book. And perhaps it’s because the villagers don’t share much information, but all the little details and clues stand out more.
You do need to be aware that there are a few old-fashioned stereotypes to be found in here. But this book was written a long time ago, so it needs to be read in the right perspective.
This is a really strong murder mystery story that takes place in a very fascinating historical Japanese setting. It’s the second book in a long and popular series that shows just how much potential this series has as a whole.
Despite the island being inhospitable for outsiders, Detective Kindaichi has a good reason to be there. Kindaichi’s friend in the war said that someone would kill his sisters if he were to die, and Kindaichi promised his friend he would try to stop that from happening. But when the death of Kindaichi’s friend becomes known to the islanders, it is the start of a string of murders. Considering it is such a tight-knit community, Kindaichi has a lot of trouble solving these murders, especially when suspicion falls on him simply because he is an outsider.
There is a time skip between this second book in the series and the first one. The reason is very simple simple: the war. This story is set right after the Second World War, and the impact it had on ordinary people can be felt right from the start. Even Kindaichi himself remarks that when he came home, he found that his home was no longer there. While not an important part of the mystery plot, the historical post-war setting definitely looms over this story and adds another layer of atmospheric dread to it.
The mystery plot feels kind of similar to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. Christie’s book might have served as a source of inspiration for this story. But don’t make the mistake of thinking that if you’ve read one, you’ve read the other.
If I compare this sequel to the first book in the series, I can’t help but note that it improves upon a few crucial things.
First of all, what stands out most is actually the historical and isolated setting. This is surprising as I thought that was one of the highlights of the previous book. But in this book, even more attention goes to the setting and it’s really interesting to immerse yourself in it.
Second, what’s been improved upon the most compared to the first book is definitely the characters. The narrator doesn’t feel so obviously omnipotent and distant like in the previous book, which elevates the intensity and makes it easier to familiarize yourself with the characters. Even the protagonist feels more interesting and more fleshed out as a character.
Third, the mystery plot itself also needs to be commended. It feels more intense than in the previous book. And perhaps it’s because the villagers don’t share much information, but all the little details and clues stand out more.
You do need to be aware that there are a few old-fashioned stereotypes to be found in here. But this book was written a long time ago, so it needs to be read in the right perspective.
This is a really strong murder mystery story that takes place in a very fascinating historical Japanese setting. It’s the second book in a long and popular series that shows just how much potential this series has as a whole.
June 9, 2022
My thanks to Pushkin Press and Edelweiss for a review copy of this book.
Death on Gokumon Island by Seishi Yokomizo, first published in 1971 is the fourth of Yokomizo’s mysteries to be published in translation by Pushkin Press under their Pushkin Vertigo imprint, from the series featuring his detective Kindaichi Kosuke, which has 77 books. The translator for this volume is UK-born and Japan-based Louise Heal Kawai, who also translated another book I read earlier in the year, The Cat Who Saved Books.
Set in Japan just after the Second World War, Death on Gokumon Island, opens (as did The Village of Eight Graves which I read last year) with a prologue introducing its setting (not sure if this is a device common to all of Yokomizo’s books). The fictional Gokumon Island or Gokumon-to, translating to ‘Hell’s Gate Island’ is a small island in the Seto inland sea, and was inhabited first by pirates and then convicts, making its people descendants of both, and very different from those on mainland—a closed community of fisherfolk, that looks suspiciously at outsiders and whose ways and lives are very different.
It is to Gokumon Island that detective Kindaichi Kosuke, recently demobbed, travels, bearing news of the death of one of his war-time comrades, Chimata-san, who belonged to the most powerful of the island’s families—the Kitos. As he arrives with a letter of introduction addressed to the Priest, Mayor and Doctor, his entry to the village is easier, and he is welcomed and given place to stay at the Senkoji temple. But we soon learn that Kindaichi’s purpose in visiting the island was not merely to deliver news of his old friend’s death. Chimata-san had in fact asked Kindaichi to go to Gokumon and save his three stepsisters whom he believed would be killed once he is dead. While Chimata-san belonged to the main Kito family, there is also a branch family with which the main family have been at odds, and which stands to gain by any death in the main family. After Chimata, his cousin Hitoshi (also from the ‘main’ family) is to be heir, but he too, is away serving in the war in Burma. Others in the family are Chimata-san’s father, suffering mental illness and kept locked away within the home, his three step sisters—in their teens—Tsukio, Yukie, and Hanako, Hitoshi’s sister Sanae who has been running the fishing business while the men are at war, and Okatsu, former mistress of Chimata-san’s grandfather. The branch family consists of Gihei-san, his wife Oshisho, and a handsome former soldier Ukai-san with whom all three of Chimata-san’s sisters seem to flirt. As Kindaichi tries to get to know the village and make sense of its social structure, the first murder occurs—and in a rather gruesome manner. Chimata-san’s apprehensions seem to be coming true, but can Kindaichi find the culprit?
While this is a slower paced (particularly at the start) and not-very action packed read, it is also one steeped in place and culture, with an engrossing mystery at its centre the solution to which I didn’t see coming at all, and which I found quite a treat to read.
Being set in the period just after the Second World War, the book gives one a good feel of the period. We have soldiers being demobbed, families listening to the radio each evening, keenly awaiting repatriation news, people finding themselves not having progressed in their work (like Kindaichi’s old friend Inspector Isokawa who remains an Inspector), remains of airbases and wartime infrastructure, now fallen into disuse, and underwater mines still going off from time to time. Then there is also the prevalence of Western clothing with only priests, and strong, stubborn people still adopting traditional dress. But it isn’t just the post-war feel, we are also very much in culture rich Japan with its customs and observances, Noh plays, festivals, traditional fabrics and pottery, even mythical figures like the tengu. (But that said, the fact that some of the conversation sounded very casual as against the usual formality of language one associates with Japan, felt a bit surprising, and I wondered if this was the case in the original books.) I also really loved that Yoshimizo incorporated popular culture into the book as well—films and songs of the time, books, and so on.
In terms of its fictional setting too, the book gave us an interesting look into an isolated, insular fishing community, rather suspicious of outsiders. There are some independent fisherfolk, but most work for one of the ‘boss’ families, responsible for their welfare and growing the business, and with whom they share a more or less feudal relationship. The priest and temple are of greatest importance, the priest perhaps the most influential among the fisherfolk who operate on absolute faith, there only being ‘half an inch of plank between them and a watery grave’.
Haiku is also something we see a lot of in the book, and which has a part to play in the plot as well, though I won’t say what for that will be a spoiler. But we do get glimpses of the haiku of the master, Basho Matsuo and his disciple Takarai Kikaku, and the priest Ryonen is given to quoting haiku much of the time, with even macabre seeming choices at some moments. I also enjoyed the mention of Zappai poetry which was a form new to me, and which one of the characters prefers to write.
There are some aspects that the modern reader may find problematic, like the assumption that since Gokumon was an island of priests and convicts, its people are strange, crazy even. Then there is also Chimata-san’s mentally ill father being kept in a caged space (though it is airy, clean and large). Interestingly while the priest speaks of not wanting to ‘scare’ the women with the news of the murder, one woman indeed acting in a stereotypical, hysterical manner, and Chimada-san’s sisters being compared to the gorgons at one point, we also have Sanae-san, who is running the family’s fishing business on her own when the men are away at war, and womenfolk on the island being the ones who tend the fields for fishermen would never pick up a hoe.
Having only read The Village of Eight Graves before this book, I was also pleased at getting to really ‘meet’ Kindaichi and see him in action, as Eight Graves had him mostly on the sidelines and solving the case ‘off the page’. He makes for an interesting character dressed in (unusual for the time) traditional Japanese clothing with a crumpled felt hat on his head; ordinary, almost undistinguished to look at, of slight build and dark complexion but a thick ‘nest’ of hair on his head. He has a bit of a stammer and is not the smooth operating detective, and though he is bright, the puzzle of Gokumon is a formidable one even for him, and one where he makes mistakes aplenty as well.
These aspects aside, the story is essentially a mystery, and a rather complex one at that. Initially I was just watching events unfold as Kindaichi explored the village and talked to its people, and then the murders began to occur with no real clue as to who the possible culprit might be. There were what seemed like clues (and which were those, but differently than I interpreted), and at one point past the 60 per cent mark, I was sure I’d picked up a strong hint and worked out the solution, but boy, was I wrong. When the actual solution was revealed, it was complex, convoluted and one that took me completely by surprise—I never would have worked it out at all. But I could see in some characters and the complexities of relationships and influences, where the Agatha Christie inspiration might lie.
A slow moving, but still very good read.
4.25 stars
Death on Gokumon Island by Seishi Yokomizo, first published in 1971 is the fourth of Yokomizo’s mysteries to be published in translation by Pushkin Press under their Pushkin Vertigo imprint, from the series featuring his detective Kindaichi Kosuke, which has 77 books. The translator for this volume is UK-born and Japan-based Louise Heal Kawai, who also translated another book I read earlier in the year, The Cat Who Saved Books.
Set in Japan just after the Second World War, Death on Gokumon Island, opens (as did The Village of Eight Graves which I read last year) with a prologue introducing its setting (not sure if this is a device common to all of Yokomizo’s books). The fictional Gokumon Island or Gokumon-to, translating to ‘Hell’s Gate Island’ is a small island in the Seto inland sea, and was inhabited first by pirates and then convicts, making its people descendants of both, and very different from those on mainland—a closed community of fisherfolk, that looks suspiciously at outsiders and whose ways and lives are very different.
It is to Gokumon Island that detective Kindaichi Kosuke, recently demobbed, travels, bearing news of the death of one of his war-time comrades, Chimata-san, who belonged to the most powerful of the island’s families—the Kitos. As he arrives with a letter of introduction addressed to the Priest, Mayor and Doctor, his entry to the village is easier, and he is welcomed and given place to stay at the Senkoji temple. But we soon learn that Kindaichi’s purpose in visiting the island was not merely to deliver news of his old friend’s death. Chimata-san had in fact asked Kindaichi to go to Gokumon and save his three stepsisters whom he believed would be killed once he is dead. While Chimata-san belonged to the main Kito family, there is also a branch family with which the main family have been at odds, and which stands to gain by any death in the main family. After Chimata, his cousin Hitoshi (also from the ‘main’ family) is to be heir, but he too, is away serving in the war in Burma. Others in the family are Chimata-san’s father, suffering mental illness and kept locked away within the home, his three step sisters—in their teens—Tsukio, Yukie, and Hanako, Hitoshi’s sister Sanae who has been running the fishing business while the men are at war, and Okatsu, former mistress of Chimata-san’s grandfather. The branch family consists of Gihei-san, his wife Oshisho, and a handsome former soldier Ukai-san with whom all three of Chimata-san’s sisters seem to flirt. As Kindaichi tries to get to know the village and make sense of its social structure, the first murder occurs—and in a rather gruesome manner. Chimata-san’s apprehensions seem to be coming true, but can Kindaichi find the culprit?
While this is a slower paced (particularly at the start) and not-very action packed read, it is also one steeped in place and culture, with an engrossing mystery at its centre the solution to which I didn’t see coming at all, and which I found quite a treat to read.
Being set in the period just after the Second World War, the book gives one a good feel of the period. We have soldiers being demobbed, families listening to the radio each evening, keenly awaiting repatriation news, people finding themselves not having progressed in their work (like Kindaichi’s old friend Inspector Isokawa who remains an Inspector), remains of airbases and wartime infrastructure, now fallen into disuse, and underwater mines still going off from time to time. Then there is also the prevalence of Western clothing with only priests, and strong, stubborn people still adopting traditional dress. But it isn’t just the post-war feel, we are also very much in culture rich Japan with its customs and observances, Noh plays, festivals, traditional fabrics and pottery, even mythical figures like the tengu. (But that said, the fact that some of the conversation sounded very casual as against the usual formality of language one associates with Japan, felt a bit surprising, and I wondered if this was the case in the original books.) I also really loved that Yoshimizo incorporated popular culture into the book as well—films and songs of the time, books, and so on.
In terms of its fictional setting too, the book gave us an interesting look into an isolated, insular fishing community, rather suspicious of outsiders. There are some independent fisherfolk, but most work for one of the ‘boss’ families, responsible for their welfare and growing the business, and with whom they share a more or less feudal relationship. The priest and temple are of greatest importance, the priest perhaps the most influential among the fisherfolk who operate on absolute faith, there only being ‘half an inch of plank between them and a watery grave’.
Haiku is also something we see a lot of in the book, and which has a part to play in the plot as well, though I won’t say what for that will be a spoiler. But we do get glimpses of the haiku of the master, Basho Matsuo and his disciple Takarai Kikaku, and the priest Ryonen is given to quoting haiku much of the time, with even macabre seeming choices at some moments. I also enjoyed the mention of Zappai poetry which was a form new to me, and which one of the characters prefers to write.
There are some aspects that the modern reader may find problematic, like the assumption that since Gokumon was an island of priests and convicts, its people are strange, crazy even. Then there is also Chimata-san’s mentally ill father being kept in a caged space (though it is airy, clean and large). Interestingly while the priest speaks of not wanting to ‘scare’ the women with the news of the murder, one woman indeed acting in a stereotypical, hysterical manner, and Chimada-san’s sisters being compared to the gorgons at one point, we also have Sanae-san, who is running the family’s fishing business on her own when the men are away at war, and womenfolk on the island being the ones who tend the fields for fishermen would never pick up a hoe.
Having only read The Village of Eight Graves before this book, I was also pleased at getting to really ‘meet’ Kindaichi and see him in action, as Eight Graves had him mostly on the sidelines and solving the case ‘off the page’. He makes for an interesting character dressed in (unusual for the time) traditional Japanese clothing with a crumpled felt hat on his head; ordinary, almost undistinguished to look at, of slight build and dark complexion but a thick ‘nest’ of hair on his head. He has a bit of a stammer and is not the smooth operating detective, and though he is bright, the puzzle of Gokumon is a formidable one even for him, and one where he makes mistakes aplenty as well.
These aspects aside, the story is essentially a mystery, and a rather complex one at that. Initially I was just watching events unfold as Kindaichi explored the village and talked to its people, and then the murders began to occur with no real clue as to who the possible culprit might be. There were what seemed like clues (and which were those, but differently than I interpreted), and at one point past the 60 per cent mark, I was sure I’d picked up a strong hint and worked out the solution, but boy, was I wrong. When the actual solution was revealed, it was complex, convoluted and one that took me completely by surprise—I never would have worked it out at all. But I could see in some characters and the complexities of relationships and influences, where the Agatha Christie inspiration might lie.
A slow moving, but still very good read.
4.25 stars
June 2, 2022
Updated@17/12/2021: The English translation of this book: Gokumon Island is finally here!!! YAHOOOO!!
Gokumonto, or The Prison Gate Isle/The Hell Gate Isle/Inferno Island, is widely considered as Seishi Yokomizo's best work. It's a fine mixture of human dramas, mystery, murder and horror, once you read it, it would definitely leave a deep impression in your mind.
The story follows Detective Kindaichi, returning to Japan from the South East Asian war zone after World War II, he went to visit the Hell Gate Isle, a remote island and homeland to his late brother-in-arm, who died on a ship on its way back to Japan. Before the man's untimely death, he begged Kindaichi to go to his homeland in order to save his three younger sisters from being murdered, but the man had no time to explain to Kindaichi how could he foresee his sisters' death and who might want to kill them.
It's a scene from the 1970s movie version of one of Detective Kindaichi's series: The Demon's Nursery.
Bearing his late friend's chilling last will, Kindaichi set foot on the Hell Gate Isle. He met his friend's surviving family and the dead man's three beautiful but ominous younger sisters. On the isolated Hell Gate Isle, soon Kindaichi realized the islanders might be hiding some secrets from outsiders, and soon his friend's sisters were being killed one by one, in the most horrifying but fascinating ways imaginable...
The strength of this book lays on the strong, dark, ominous atmosphere Mr. Yokomizo created for his book and the outstanding and complicated murder mystery. I also like how the origin of the Isle and the complicated relationships within the island's most powerful family (the family of Kindaichi's late friend) is being revealed to us. Mr. Yokomizo also drew a lot of elements from transitional Japanese art and used them on the murder mystery, and the result is just gorgeous!
Although the reason for the killer to commit the crime looks really... odd ; still the author successfully created a strong atmosphere to lead us into agreeing that "Yes, those girls have to die, given the twisted history of the family and the environment of the Hell Gate Isle, their death is just unavoidable." But I must warn you, the killer's reason does look...forced, so it's one of the few flaws of this book.
Plus, it's part of the fans' in-joke that Hell Gate Isle is one of the perfect examples of how the great Detective Kindaichi could *only* manage to solve the cases *after* every single victim got killed. And it's not the last time such kind of thing happens in the detective's long professional history. LOL
It's a well written but unsettling book to read and each of the murder case is being committed in some of the most stylist and tasteful ways in the history of Japanese detective novels. Strongly recommend to all the lovers of detective novels out there.
Edited@02/02/2016:
I usually re-read this book at least once a year, this time aside from the clever plot twists, I truly start to appreciate how the author wrote his characters (he wrote them like he knew these people, their speeches and their behaviors like the back of his own hand) and how he described the post-war life for general/lower class Japanese citizens. It helps to deepen the story and the plot a lot.
PS: I still don't understand why Kindaichi's late friend would care so much for his three sisters though, those sisters aren't likable to begin with and they don't seem to care about their older brother's death much. So...can it be possible some incest stuff is going on here?
Gokumonto, or The Prison Gate Isle/The Hell Gate Isle/Inferno Island, is widely considered as Seishi Yokomizo's best work. It's a fine mixture of human dramas, mystery, murder and horror, once you read it, it would definitely leave a deep impression in your mind.
The story follows Detective Kindaichi, returning to Japan from the South East Asian war zone after World War II, he went to visit the Hell Gate Isle, a remote island and homeland to his late brother-in-arm, who died on a ship on its way back to Japan. Before the man's untimely death, he begged Kindaichi to go to his homeland in order to save his three younger sisters from being murdered, but the man had no time to explain to Kindaichi how could he foresee his sisters' death and who might want to kill them.
It's a scene from the 1970s movie version of one of Detective Kindaichi's series: The Demon's Nursery.
Bearing his late friend's chilling last will, Kindaichi set foot on the Hell Gate Isle. He met his friend's surviving family and the dead man's three beautiful but ominous younger sisters. On the isolated Hell Gate Isle, soon Kindaichi realized the islanders might be hiding some secrets from outsiders, and soon his friend's sisters were being killed one by one, in the most horrifying but fascinating ways imaginable...
The strength of this book lays on the strong, dark, ominous atmosphere Mr. Yokomizo created for his book and the outstanding and complicated murder mystery. I also like how the origin of the Isle and the complicated relationships within the island's most powerful family (the family of Kindaichi's late friend) is being revealed to us. Mr. Yokomizo also drew a lot of elements from transitional Japanese art and used them on the murder mystery, and the result is just gorgeous!
Although the reason for the killer to commit the crime looks really... odd ; still the author successfully created a strong atmosphere to lead us into agreeing that "Yes, those girls have to die, given the twisted history of the family and the environment of the Hell Gate Isle, their death is just unavoidable." But I must warn you, the killer's reason does look...forced, so it's one of the few flaws of this book.
Plus, it's part of the fans' in-joke that Hell Gate Isle is one of the perfect examples of how the great Detective Kindaichi could *only* manage to solve the cases *after* every single victim got killed. And it's not the last time such kind of thing happens in the detective's long professional history. LOL
It's a well written but unsettling book to read and each of the murder case is being committed in some of the most stylist and tasteful ways in the history of Japanese detective novels. Strongly recommend to all the lovers of detective novels out there.
Edited@02/02/2016:
I usually re-read this book at least once a year, this time aside from the clever plot twists, I truly start to appreciate how the author wrote his characters (he wrote them like he knew these people, their speeches and their behaviors like the back of his own hand) and how he described the post-war life for general/lower class Japanese citizens. It helps to deepen the story and the plot a lot.
PS: I still don't understand why Kindaichi's late friend would care so much for his three sisters though, those sisters aren't likable to begin with and they don't seem to care about their older brother's death much. So...can it be possible some incest stuff is going on here?
May 25, 2022
This is my third outing with Kosuke Kindaichi, known as the “greatest detective in Japan” by many in Japan after his solution of the Honjin murder. The setting now is in 1945, in the months after the end of the war in Japan. Japanese soldiers are in the slow process of being repatriated to their homes. Families don’t know if their husbands, fathers or sons have survived the war. Kindaichi is on his way to Gokumon Island to fulfill a promise to a dying comrade, to personally tell that family of his death. What concerns him is the cryptic comment his friend made about the well-being of his half sisters after his death.
Arrival at Gokumon Island brings an aura of heavy mist, an imposing landscape, unusual people who temporarily cow our detective. As he works out the relationships of the families, the townspeople, local traditions, it happens that his sleuthing skills will be needed. For murder also visits the island.
I recommend this book and all of the series that has been translated into English. Kosuke Kindaichi is an interesting character with human skills and foibles. He also enjoys people. The novels are full of Japanese period history as they were written at the time. They also reflect many social and cultural aspects of Japanese life that add so much to the stories. Enjoy!
A copy of this book was provided by Pushkin Vertigo through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Arrival at Gokumon Island brings an aura of heavy mist, an imposing landscape, unusual people who temporarily cow our detective. As he works out the relationships of the families, the townspeople, local traditions, it happens that his sleuthing skills will be needed. For murder also visits the island.
I recommend this book and all of the series that has been translated into English. Kosuke Kindaichi is an interesting character with human skills and foibles. He also enjoys people. The novels are full of Japanese period history as they were written at the time. They also reflect many social and cultural aspects of Japanese life that add so much to the stories. Enjoy!
A copy of this book was provided by Pushkin Vertigo through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
October 1, 2022
A classic Japanese mystery, this one is kind of a slower start. But I gotta say, I did not see this ending coming and what more can you ask for in a mystery?? (A lot more, but it at least did that)
Watch my discuss this more in my August wrap up: https://youtu.be/N1eHFLs1Oqs
Watch my discuss this more in my August wrap up: https://youtu.be/N1eHFLs1Oqs
July 12, 2022
*Big time spoiler alert!*
I am going to open by saying that this is a biased review that doesn't take the book on its own terms.
Seishi Yokomizo is a revered Japanese mystery writer. While Death on Gokumon Island is the fourth book in his Detective Kosuke Kindaichi series, it's the first of hist titles I've read. The plotting is complex, the characters are interesting, both individually and in relationship to others. But I'm regretting reading this title.
Here's the thing of it: half of the women in the novel are dead by its end, almost all the rest are depicted as incompetent, addled, or driven mad by ambition. One women remains alive and more or less healthy at the novel's end, but she's the outlier—and her prospects aren't that great either.
Three murders (of women) are committed, each by a different man, in order to prevent any of these women from inheriting their grandfather's estate. On his deathbed, their grandfather made his three closest friends promise that they would kill his three granddaughters if their older brother did not survive WWII. If their brother died, the grandfather wanted his estate to go to a more distantly related male—which would, of course, *necessitate* killing off the women above that man in the order of inheritance. Pure logic. What could make more sense?
And he wants his granddaughters killed so that each death echoes a well-known haiku—which has nothing to do with inheritance, but why not turn murders into visual representations of well-known poems?
In the aftermath of these killings does any character in the novel grieve the death of these women? No. Instead, the murders are treated like an interesting puzzle built around a series of unusual actions, and we're asked to empathize with the men who did the killing.
No, thanks.
The book offers some interesting insights into life in Japan at the end of WWII. In my mind, however, that can't begin to compensate for the female characters who, dead or alive, are never depicted as fully human.
A lot of people love this book. Its average GoodReads rating is close to four stars, but it is most definitely not for me.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via EdelweissPlus; the opinions are my own.
I am going to open by saying that this is a biased review that doesn't take the book on its own terms.
Seishi Yokomizo is a revered Japanese mystery writer. While Death on Gokumon Island is the fourth book in his Detective Kosuke Kindaichi series, it's the first of hist titles I've read. The plotting is complex, the characters are interesting, both individually and in relationship to others. But I'm regretting reading this title.
Here's the thing of it: half of the women in the novel are dead by its end, almost all the rest are depicted as incompetent, addled, or driven mad by ambition. One women remains alive and more or less healthy at the novel's end, but she's the outlier—and her prospects aren't that great either.
Three murders (of women) are committed, each by a different man, in order to prevent any of these women from inheriting their grandfather's estate. On his deathbed, their grandfather made his three closest friends promise that they would kill his three granddaughters if their older brother did not survive WWII. If their brother died, the grandfather wanted his estate to go to a more distantly related male—which would, of course, *necessitate* killing off the women above that man in the order of inheritance. Pure logic. What could make more sense?
And he wants his granddaughters killed so that each death echoes a well-known haiku—which has nothing to do with inheritance, but why not turn murders into visual representations of well-known poems?
In the aftermath of these killings does any character in the novel grieve the death of these women? No. Instead, the murders are treated like an interesting puzzle built around a series of unusual actions, and we're asked to empathize with the men who did the killing.
No, thanks.
The book offers some interesting insights into life in Japan at the end of WWII. In my mind, however, that can't begin to compensate for the female characters who, dead or alive, are never depicted as fully human.
A lot of people love this book. Its average GoodReads rating is close to four stars, but it is most definitely not for me.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via EdelweissPlus; the opinions are my own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2022
The Publisher Says: Kosuke Kindaichi arrives on the remote Gokumon Island bearing tragic news—the son of one of the island’s most important families has died, on a troop transport ship bringing him back home after the Second World War. But Kindaichi has not come merely as a messenger—with his last words, the dying man warned that his three step-sisters’ lives would now be in danger. The scruffy detective is determined to get to the bottom of this mysterious prophesy, and to protect the three women if he can.
As Kosuke Kindaichi attempts to unravel the island’s secrets, a series of gruesome murders begins. He investigates, but soon finds himself in mortal danger from both the unknown killer and the clannish locals, who resent this outsider meddling in their affairs.
Loosely inspired by Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, the fiendish Death on Gokumon Island is perhaps the most highly regarded of all the great Seishi Yokomizo’s classic Japanese mysteries.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: This 1971 publication is the second case for Kosuke Kindaichi by internal chronology. I'm going by that order because it makes the most sense to do so for my little orderly brain.
But...here we go!...there's a lot wrong with this read. It's a cultural thing, permaybehaps, but any time women are victims of crime by virtue of their femaleness, I check out. I don't like or want that kind of imagery in my head. The way the author presents this heinous tontine by accident of birth as...a puzzle, a problem to solve. He goes about the solution methodically, and of course murder is wrong, but...there's a sort of "well, they were just women, after all" lackadaisicalness to the proceedings that truly got up my nose.
But I kept reading. Because there is a deeply unpleasant truth I must face in reviewing this book: I love a puzzle so much that, when I'm offered it wrapped in enough sweetly seductive mystery, I will just keep reading and ignore my squicked-out "but this is appalling!!" responses to see where we're going.
Ew. True, but ew.
The merest tinge of remorse, it seems to me, was plastered like a too-small figleaf over the fact that the whole crime...the entire murdering spree, ending three innocent women's lives...could easily have been prevented by a simple consultation with a living man's moral compass long before the events became inevitable. As it was, that crucial step now, with their deaths accomplished, the detective suffers agonies of self-reproach...they're still dead, dude. The blame's not really his, in all honesty. It's properly placed on the planner of the crimes and the idiots who blindly follow orders.
It's a solidly atmospheric piece, which I know won't surprise you as it's the fruit of twenty-three years' practice of his craft. The translator's still giving us subtle hints about the cultural context and slyly explaining objects we in the West haven't a single clue about. The temple bell's cultural resonance...the island's peculiar patriarchal culture...the delicately handled, and odd, romantic strand that would've passed by me unremarked without the translator's quiet nudges...all beautifully handled.
Culturally intriguing, nicely constructed puzzle, all get big ol' tick-marks. The last-minute application of regret, even though I think the whole story's revoltingly misogynistic, does at least gesture at some sense of the trope's wrongness. You should make your readerly decisions based on your personal tolerance for unpleasant-to-you subject matter.
I've continued the series, so clearly it's not a deal-breaker for me. I really thought it would be.
As Kosuke Kindaichi attempts to unravel the island’s secrets, a series of gruesome murders begins. He investigates, but soon finds himself in mortal danger from both the unknown killer and the clannish locals, who resent this outsider meddling in their affairs.
Loosely inspired by Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, the fiendish Death on Gokumon Island is perhaps the most highly regarded of all the great Seishi Yokomizo’s classic Japanese mysteries.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: This 1971 publication is the second case for Kosuke Kindaichi by internal chronology. I'm going by that order because it makes the most sense to do so for my little orderly brain.
But...here we go!...there's a lot wrong with this read. It's a cultural thing, permaybehaps, but any time women are victims of crime by virtue of their femaleness, I check out. I don't like or want that kind of imagery in my head. The way the author presents this heinous tontine by accident of birth as...a puzzle, a problem to solve. He goes about the solution methodically, and of course murder is wrong, but...there's a sort of "well, they were just women, after all" lackadaisicalness to the proceedings that truly got up my nose.
But I kept reading. Because there is a deeply unpleasant truth I must face in reviewing this book: I love a puzzle so much that, when I'm offered it wrapped in enough sweetly seductive mystery, I will just keep reading and ignore my squicked-out "but this is appalling!!" responses to see where we're going.
Ew. True, but ew.
The merest tinge of remorse, it seems to me, was plastered like a too-small figleaf over the fact that the whole crime...the entire murdering spree, ending three innocent women's lives...could easily have been prevented by a simple consultation with a living man's moral compass long before the events became inevitable. As it was, that crucial step now, with their deaths accomplished, the detective suffers agonies of self-reproach...they're still dead, dude. The blame's not really his, in all honesty. It's properly placed on the planner of the crimes and the idiots who blindly follow orders.
It's a solidly atmospheric piece, which I know won't surprise you as it's the fruit of twenty-three years' practice of his craft. The translator's still giving us subtle hints about the cultural context and slyly explaining objects we in the West haven't a single clue about. The temple bell's cultural resonance...the island's peculiar patriarchal culture...the delicately handled, and odd, romantic strand that would've passed by me unremarked without the translator's quiet nudges...all beautifully handled.
Culturally intriguing, nicely constructed puzzle, all get big ol' tick-marks. The last-minute application of regret, even though I think the whole story's revoltingly misogynistic, does at least gesture at some sense of the trope's wrongness. You should make your readerly decisions based on your personal tolerance for unpleasant-to-you subject matter.
I've continued the series, so clearly it's not a deal-breaker for me. I really thought it would be.
October 24, 2022
I think I might be done with this series. It's really lost its charm. I might give it one more go if they translate a fifth book, but it will be by hard copy not by audio.
You expect a certain amount of clashing cultural mores when you read a book that was written over fifty years before, but when I read Agatha Christie, for instance, it's usually just small stuff you can roll your eyes at and be like, ugh you dumb people in the past, but here (and in most of the books in this series so far) the sexism gets in the way of good storytelling. It was actually the single most important motivating factor in the first book, The Honjin Murders, and while it wasn't prominent in the second book, The Inugami Curse, there was enough homophobia there to make up for it. The atmosphere sexism created in the third book, The Village of Eight Graves, is one of the main reasons that book got two stars.
Here, sexism basically singlehandedly takes an interesting plot and creepy setting, and makes the mystery seem thin and unbelievable.
There were certain things present here that mean I'm not giving it two stars like I did the last one, like a coherent structure, and the genuinely interesting insight we get into post-WWII Japan. But when you reach the all-important scene in a whodunnit where the detective reveals all and afterwards you still have absolutely no idea why the crime happened, something is wrong. If your plot is about protecting three young sisters on behalf of their brother's dying wish, then maybe I don't know, talking to those sisters is essential? Like, talking to them at all? Being concerned about their whereabouts? And after two of them are murdered, keeping a close eye on the remaining one instead of letting her fuck around and do whatever she wants while you focus on talking to all the men in the book including "the lunatic" and ignore the primary reason you are there???????
Anyway, this is why I say I'm probably done with this series, because this book is widely regarded as one of the author's best.
You expect a certain amount of clashing cultural mores when you read a book that was written over fifty years before, but when I read Agatha Christie, for instance, it's usually just small stuff you can roll your eyes at and be like, ugh you dumb people in the past, but here (and in most of the books in this series so far) the sexism gets in the way of good storytelling. It was actually the single most important motivating factor in the first book, The Honjin Murders, and while it wasn't prominent in the second book, The Inugami Curse, there was enough homophobia there to make up for it. The atmosphere sexism created in the third book, The Village of Eight Graves, is one of the main reasons that book got two stars.
Here, sexism basically singlehandedly takes an interesting plot and creepy setting, and makes the mystery seem thin and unbelievable.
There were certain things present here that mean I'm not giving it two stars like I did the last one, like a coherent structure, and the genuinely interesting insight we get into post-WWII Japan. But when you reach the all-important scene in a whodunnit where the detective reveals all and afterwards you still have absolutely no idea why the crime happened, something is wrong. If your plot is about protecting three young sisters on behalf of their brother's dying wish, then maybe I don't know, talking to those sisters is essential? Like, talking to them at all? Being concerned about their whereabouts? And after two of them are murdered, keeping a close eye on the remaining one instead of letting her fuck around and do whatever she wants while you focus on talking to all the men in the book including "the lunatic" and ignore the primary reason you are there???????
Anyway, this is why I say I'm probably done with this series, because this book is widely regarded as one of the author's best.
May 15, 2024
For the whole book I was so confused on who was committing these murders and then Kosuke made one observation, and it all slipped into place. I’ve never felt so stupid in my life but what an experience.
July 28, 2022
3.7 rounded up; full post can be found here:
http://www.crimesegments.com/2022/07/...
The reading dates are misleading ... I put this one down earlier to catch up on my group reads then came back to it, but it probably really took like 3-4 days of actual reading time to get through this one.
Completely overjoyed when I learned last year that this book was going to be published by Pushkin Vertigo, I hit the preorder button at lightning speed. At the same time, I bought a dvd of the 1977 film made from this novel, directed by Kon Ichikawa, which I watched after finishing Death on Gokumon Island.
It's September, 1946 and as the novel opens, a ferry is making its way to a few different islands in Japan's Seto Inland Sea. It drops its passengers until there are only three left, all heading for a small island, Gokumon-to, which translates to Hell's Gate Island. One of these people is Kosuke Kindaichi, who overhears a conversation between the other two -- a priest who had gone to pick up the once-confiscated, now-returned bell belonging to Senkoji Temple, and another man who informs the priest that someone named Hitoshi was "supposed to be coming home soon." He had heard the news from a soldier in Hitoshi's regiment who had come to the island a few days earlier, when the guy had turned up to tell the family that Hitoshi had sent him to let them know not only that he would be returning, but also that he hadn't been injured in the war. The priest then asks about someone named Chimata, which captures Kindaichi's attention, sparking a conversation among the three men. It turns out that Kindaichi, a friend of Chimata, had come to Gokumon-to let the Kito family know of his death aboard a transport ship just a month earlier.
Kindaichi, "like every other young man in Japan," had been drafted into the army, where he had spent two years in China before being deployed "between different islands to the south." His last stop had been in Wewak, New Guinea, where he had met and befriended Chimata Kito, helping him through his bouts of a very bad case of malaria and spending time together while the other soldiers "fell one after the other." While they eventually made it out okay when the war ended, each time Chimata fell ill Kindaichi noted that he suffered from "an extreme fear of death." All was well, it seemed, until Chimata fell ill on board the repatriation ship; before he died he had told Kindaichi that he didn't want to die, and that he had to go home. Otherwise, he said, his "three sisters will be murdered." Exactly why this might be is not explained until the end, but by then, it's too late -- it seems that Chimata had been right, and now our detective must try to discover who is behind these (quoting the back cover) "grotesquely staged" deaths that start not too long after he lands on the island.
The real payoff in reading Death on Gokumon Island must wait for the end. I was actually becoming a bit frustrated partway through because the story becomes more than a bit muddled and clunky at times; to be fair to the author, he does toss out clues here and there but they are on the impossible side of figuring out until all is revealed and things fall into place. Trust me -- even the most seasoned armchair detectives will not be able to figure this one out. Word to the wise: pay attention to the list of characters offered up front; I found myself returning to it several times.
According to Thrilling Detective, there are seventy-seven books featuring Kindaichi, so with any luck (crossing fingers) we may be seeing more in translation. As I've noted before, my favorite is The Inugami Curse apa The Inugami Clan, but with another seventy-three left, who knows what little gems are yet to be uncovered in this series! Despite my reading reservations at times, this novel ends up being not only clever, but the author injects more than a twisted sense of destiny as well as a sort of tragic irony into this story once all is said and done. Recommended for fans of the series and for Japanese crime fiction in general; it may be a bit slow in the telling but the reward is well worth waiting for.
http://www.crimesegments.com/2022/07/...
The reading dates are misleading ... I put this one down earlier to catch up on my group reads then came back to it, but it probably really took like 3-4 days of actual reading time to get through this one.
Completely overjoyed when I learned last year that this book was going to be published by Pushkin Vertigo, I hit the preorder button at lightning speed. At the same time, I bought a dvd of the 1977 film made from this novel, directed by Kon Ichikawa, which I watched after finishing Death on Gokumon Island.
It's September, 1946 and as the novel opens, a ferry is making its way to a few different islands in Japan's Seto Inland Sea. It drops its passengers until there are only three left, all heading for a small island, Gokumon-to, which translates to Hell's Gate Island. One of these people is Kosuke Kindaichi, who overhears a conversation between the other two -- a priest who had gone to pick up the once-confiscated, now-returned bell belonging to Senkoji Temple, and another man who informs the priest that someone named Hitoshi was "supposed to be coming home soon." He had heard the news from a soldier in Hitoshi's regiment who had come to the island a few days earlier, when the guy had turned up to tell the family that Hitoshi had sent him to let them know not only that he would be returning, but also that he hadn't been injured in the war. The priest then asks about someone named Chimata, which captures Kindaichi's attention, sparking a conversation among the three men. It turns out that Kindaichi, a friend of Chimata, had come to Gokumon-to let the Kito family know of his death aboard a transport ship just a month earlier.
Kindaichi, "like every other young man in Japan," had been drafted into the army, where he had spent two years in China before being deployed "between different islands to the south." His last stop had been in Wewak, New Guinea, where he had met and befriended Chimata Kito, helping him through his bouts of a very bad case of malaria and spending time together while the other soldiers "fell one after the other." While they eventually made it out okay when the war ended, each time Chimata fell ill Kindaichi noted that he suffered from "an extreme fear of death." All was well, it seemed, until Chimata fell ill on board the repatriation ship; before he died he had told Kindaichi that he didn't want to die, and that he had to go home. Otherwise, he said, his "three sisters will be murdered." Exactly why this might be is not explained until the end, but by then, it's too late -- it seems that Chimata had been right, and now our detective must try to discover who is behind these (quoting the back cover) "grotesquely staged" deaths that start not too long after he lands on the island.
The real payoff in reading Death on Gokumon Island must wait for the end. I was actually becoming a bit frustrated partway through because the story becomes more than a bit muddled and clunky at times; to be fair to the author, he does toss out clues here and there but they are on the impossible side of figuring out until all is revealed and things fall into place. Trust me -- even the most seasoned armchair detectives will not be able to figure this one out. Word to the wise: pay attention to the list of characters offered up front; I found myself returning to it several times.
According to Thrilling Detective, there are seventy-seven books featuring Kindaichi, so with any luck (crossing fingers) we may be seeing more in translation. As I've noted before, my favorite is The Inugami Curse apa The Inugami Clan, but with another seventy-three left, who knows what little gems are yet to be uncovered in this series! Despite my reading reservations at times, this novel ends up being not only clever, but the author injects more than a twisted sense of destiny as well as a sort of tragic irony into this story once all is said and done. Recommended for fans of the series and for Japanese crime fiction in general; it may be a bit slow in the telling but the reward is well worth waiting for.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2021
Mình mua cuốn sách này sau khi biết đến tên tuổi của tác giả Yokomizo Seishi với một tác phẩm khác là “Rìu, Đàn, Cúc”. Mình chưa đọc “Rìu, Đàn, Cúc”, mặc dù đây hình như là tác phẩm được nhiều người nhắc đến nhất của Seishi thì phải, vì mình nghe nói nhân vật thám tử Kindaichi nổi tiếng của ông không có nhiều đất phô diễn tài năng lắm trong cuốn sách đó. Mình chọn “Đảo Ngục Môn” là cuốn sách “mở hàng” của mình khi đến với các tác phẩm của Yokimizo Seishi, vì mình nghe nói cuốn này thể hiện tính suy luận phá án nhiều hơn :D
Nội dung của “Đảo Ngục Môn” thì chắc cũng không cần tóm tắt hay đề cập nhiều nữa. Cảm giác ban đầu đọc cuốn này của mình, đó chính là tội nghiệp thanh niên Kindaichi, đã bề ngoài lôi thôi lếch thếch, đầu tóc toàn gàu mà cứ thích gãi thì thôi chớ =)))), đến Đảo Ngục Môn làm phước thay mặt người quá cố, cố gắng bảo toàn tính mạng cho 3 cô em gái của người lính Chima đã hy sinh thì thôi chớ, lại còn bị nghi ngờ là quân gian tà, bị một người dân đảo bắt giam =)))) Đã thế thanh niên này còn mắc chứng cà lăm, nói năng lắp bắp mỗi khi bị căng thẳng hay hồi hộp (ơ cái này hình như hơi bị giống mình… Hình như người nào thông minh xuất chúng cũng đều gặp phải một vấn đề gì đó liên quan đến ngôn ngữ thì phải :D :D :D).
Đối với hầu hết các tiểu thuyết trinh thám mà mình đã đọc trước đó, mình đều thử nghi ngờ, suy đoán xem ai có thể là hung thủ thực sự. Cơ mà đối với cuốn này, thú thật là có muốn nghi ngờ, mình cũng chẳng biết nghi ngờ ai, vì dân đảo đa phần toàn những người kỳ dị. Họ kỳ dị trong cách nói chuyện, cách suy nghĩ, và bao phủ lên các vụ án mạng trong cuốn sách này cũng là một màu sắc liêu trai chí dị (giết người rồi dàn dựng hiện trường xác chết theo những hình ảnh trong thơ haiku), làm thanh niên Kindaichi bao lần nghĩ nhầm và có những điểm mù chưa nhìn ra. Đến lúc thanh niên phá án và vạch trần chân tướng hung thủ thì hỡi ôi, đúng là người đọc đây rớt hàm dập mặt luôn… Không thể ngờ được…
Nhưng điều còn khiến mình bất ngờ hơn (hay là uất ức hơn), chính là nguyên do dẫn đến các vụ án mạng này. Với tư cách là một người phụ nữ, khi đọc cuốn sách, mình không thể nào hiểu nổi làm sao kẻ thủ ác có thể có cái suy nghĩ xem mạng sống phụ nữ rẻ mạt đến thế… Và cái sự thật kiểu plot twist “đấm vào mặt” ở khúc cuối đã biến tất cả những giết chóc này trở thành một tấn bi kịch đầy ám ảnh cho gia tộc Kito trên Đảo Ngục Môn. Những gì mình cảm nhận được sau khi đọc đến trang sách cuối cùng, đó chính là sự nặng nề, một sự nặng nề đến khó thở khi chứng kiến tấm mạng u tối bủa vây lấy hòn đảo vốn kỳ dị và đầy rẫy cướp biển này, khi nhận ra biết bao câu niệm Phật “nam mô…” cùng quyết tâm mang lại tương lai tươi sáng cho dòng tộc cũng không thể nào xóa bỏ được những cái chết vì bị giết của những cô gái trẻ vô tội…
Nội dung của “Đảo Ngục Môn” thì chắc cũng không cần tóm tắt hay đề cập nhiều nữa. Cảm giác ban đầu đọc cuốn này của mình, đó chính là tội nghiệp thanh niên Kindaichi, đã bề ngoài lôi thôi lếch thếch, đầu tóc toàn gàu mà cứ thích gãi thì thôi chớ =)))), đến Đảo Ngục Môn làm phước thay mặt người quá cố, cố gắng bảo toàn tính mạng cho 3 cô em gái của người lính Chima đã hy sinh thì thôi chớ, lại còn bị nghi ngờ là quân gian tà, bị một người dân đảo bắt giam =)))) Đã thế thanh niên này còn mắc chứng cà lăm, nói năng lắp bắp mỗi khi bị căng thẳng hay hồi hộp (ơ cái này hình như hơi bị giống mình… Hình như người nào thông minh xuất chúng cũng đều gặp phải một vấn đề gì đó liên quan đến ngôn ngữ thì phải :D :D :D).
Đối với hầu hết các tiểu thuyết trinh thám mà mình đã đọc trước đó, mình đều thử nghi ngờ, suy đoán xem ai có thể là hung thủ thực sự. Cơ mà đối với cuốn này, thú thật là có muốn nghi ngờ, mình cũng chẳng biết nghi ngờ ai, vì dân đảo đa phần toàn những người kỳ dị. Họ kỳ dị trong cách nói chuyện, cách suy nghĩ, và bao phủ lên các vụ án mạng trong cuốn sách này cũng là một màu sắc liêu trai chí dị (giết người rồi dàn dựng hiện trường xác chết theo những hình ảnh trong thơ haiku), làm thanh niên Kindaichi bao lần nghĩ nhầm và có những điểm mù chưa nhìn ra. Đến lúc thanh niên phá án và vạch trần chân tướng hung thủ thì hỡi ôi, đúng là người đọc đây rớt hàm dập mặt luôn… Không thể ngờ được…
Nhưng điều còn khiến mình bất ngờ hơn (hay là uất ức hơn), chính là nguyên do dẫn đến các vụ án mạng này. Với tư cách là một người phụ nữ, khi đọc cuốn sách, mình không thể nào hiểu nổi làm sao kẻ thủ ác có thể có cái suy nghĩ xem mạng sống phụ nữ rẻ mạt đến thế… Và cái sự thật kiểu plot twist “đấm vào mặt” ở khúc cuối đã biến tất cả những giết chóc này trở thành một tấn bi kịch đầy ám ảnh cho gia tộc Kito trên Đảo Ngục Môn. Những gì mình cảm nhận được sau khi đọc đến trang sách cuối cùng, đó chính là sự nặng nề, một sự nặng nề đến khó thở khi chứng kiến tấm mạng u tối bủa vây lấy hòn đảo vốn kỳ dị và đầy rẫy cướp biển này, khi nhận ra biết bao câu niệm Phật “nam mô…” cùng quyết tâm mang lại tương lai tươi sáng cho dòng tộc cũng không thể nào xóa bỏ được những cái chết vì bị giết của những cô gái trẻ vô tội…
February 23, 2023
Before we start, can we just take a second to appreciate the cover design by Anna Morrison? I mean *inserts heart eyes*
This was my second encounter with Detective Kindaichi and he is just as delightful as ever. Set in Gokumon Island which literally means Hell’s Gate Island, Kosuke Kindaichi found himself tangled with the murders of three sisters after he brought the news that their brother had died in a war. Things become complicated when Kindaichi himself falls under suspicion due to the islanders’ distrust of outsiders.
To be honest, there was nothing genre-shattering here, but there’s definitely plenty to enjoy. One aspect that I liked most about this novel was how atmospheric it is. The setting has an ominous, unsettling vibe to it since the island was formerly a place of exile for criminals and a stronghold for pirates…which made the islanders the descendants of pirates and exiled prisoners. And the islanders…well, they certainly are not normal. We have a lunatic father who is imprisoned in the house, daughters who treat their own father as if he was some kind of an animal in a zoo, a priest with a habit of reciting haikus at the oddest times, a lady branded as a witch, a group of poetry and parody enthusiasts and many other characters with strange behaviours. Although I was right to suspect that *one* character, the motive and the motivation for the killings did boggle my mind. It seemed less like a motive, but rather an obsession and influence one wielded over the islanders…which made everything much more unnerving than it initially appeared to be.
To conclude, I really enjoyed this one. The pace is excellent without any mendearing and the translation flowed very smoothly. I also appreciated the incorporation of Japanese art, poetry and history into the story. Already looking forward to reading more of his works.
Thank you Pansing Distribution for the review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. Appreciate it.
This was my second encounter with Detective Kindaichi and he is just as delightful as ever. Set in Gokumon Island which literally means Hell’s Gate Island, Kosuke Kindaichi found himself tangled with the murders of three sisters after he brought the news that their brother had died in a war. Things become complicated when Kindaichi himself falls under suspicion due to the islanders’ distrust of outsiders.
To be honest, there was nothing genre-shattering here, but there’s definitely plenty to enjoy. One aspect that I liked most about this novel was how atmospheric it is. The setting has an ominous, unsettling vibe to it since the island was formerly a place of exile for criminals and a stronghold for pirates…which made the islanders the descendants of pirates and exiled prisoners. And the islanders…well, they certainly are not normal. We have a lunatic father who is imprisoned in the house, daughters who treat their own father as if he was some kind of an animal in a zoo, a priest with a habit of reciting haikus at the oddest times, a lady branded as a witch, a group of poetry and parody enthusiasts and many other characters with strange behaviours. Although I was right to suspect that *one* character, the motive and the motivation for the killings did boggle my mind. It seemed less like a motive, but rather an obsession and influence one wielded over the islanders…which made everything much more unnerving than it initially appeared to be.
To conclude, I really enjoyed this one. The pace is excellent without any mendearing and the translation flowed very smoothly. I also appreciated the incorporation of Japanese art, poetry and history into the story. Already looking forward to reading more of his works.
Thank you Pansing Distribution for the review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. Appreciate it.
July 11, 2018
¡Excelente! Después de leer The Inugami Clan me había quedado con ganas de más títulos de Seishi Yokomizo. Lamentablemente en ese momento era el único libro de este autor traducido al español. Y en inglés creo que también.
Hace unos meses, mirando el catálogo de Quaterni, descubrí que en 2015 publicaron 2 libros más de la serie del detective Kindaichi Kosuke así que me tiré de cabeza. Además este en especial tiene la fama de ser el mejor de todos.
Y la verdad, no me decepcionó para nada, la historia está buenísima y recién al final uno vislumbra quién es el asesino pero la revelación final tiene varios giros sorprendentes que lo hacen un gran libro de misterio. Pero como todo buen "whodunit" primero nos pasean con pistas falsas por todos los personajes para que desconfiemos un poco de cada uno.
*5 sólidas estrellas*
Hace unos meses, mirando el catálogo de Quaterni, descubrí que en 2015 publicaron 2 libros más de la serie del detective Kindaichi Kosuke así que me tiré de cabeza. Además este en especial tiene la fama de ser el mejor de todos.
Y la verdad, no me decepcionó para nada, la historia está buenísima y recién al final uno vislumbra quién es el asesino pero la revelación final tiene varios giros sorprendentes que lo hacen un gran libro de misterio. Pero como todo buen "whodunit" primero nos pasean con pistas falsas por todos los personajes para que desconfiemos un poco de cada uno.
*5 sólidas estrellas*
April 19, 2022
Will update my review tomorrow. LOVE IT OFC.
Edited: 19th April 2022 UPDATE, this gonna be a long review so be prepared ;)
I have been in love with Detective Kosuke Kindaichi's series ever since I read The Inugami Curse/Clan, the 2nd installment, and that book was just so damn good and I want more. If you know me, you will know I LOVEEEE CRIME MYSTERY/THRILLER GENRE. IT'S MY LIFE. Also, I'm a huge fan of the manga series Young Kindaichi which was inspired by the book series by Seishi Yokomizo here. Before I get into the review, firstly, many thanks to Netgalley and Pushkin Press for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Final verdict: 4.5 stars
I will start with the premise of this book, what this book was marketed to the general audience. Since this book will be released in English in June 2022, I would like to try to clear out the marketing premise the publisher went for. This was said to be loosely based on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None and as a fan of Agatha Christie and the book being my favorite book ever, I will say honestly, nope, this was misleading. First of all, the setting on the island/ the way the murder was committed allegedly was quite similar to Christie's novel. But, the island in Agatha Christie's novel was isolated and uninhabited while Gokumon Island was populated by islanders and flourishing with their fishing industry. I could say the murder's methods are not exactly similar but they bear a similar method which you will understand once you read the book and also if you have read And Then There Were None. Death on Gokumon Island can stand on its own feet without being compared with Christie's masterpiece, this coming from a huge fan of Christie. The plot for these two books differed so much that even if you said loosely based, I won't put the two together. That being cleared out, let's get into the book!
1. PLOT
Giving you a brief synopsis, after the Second World War, Detective Kosuke Kindaichi back from army repatriation went to a remote Gokumon Island to send tragic news of the death of his young comrade to his family. What concerned Kindaichi the most was the dying message of the friend with hidden malice in it that strikes him with fear and so he went to the island bearing the message in the hope to prevent a heinous crime from happening. But things aren't as easy as it seems with the residents of the island being wary of outsiders like Kindaichi.
The plot was slow pacing, as typical of Yokomizo because the author always started with the history of the places to create the atmosphere/ setting of the book. I found this style to be engaging because I like learning about the island's detailed history so you will know what to expect of these islanders. From explanations of the shape of the island, the history of the inhabitants, the family that leads the islanders, their fishing industry and who is the powerful figure, the secrets, the nitty and gritty of the island. For some people who are not familiar with his writing style, this may throw you off but believe me, this introduction set the book in the direction of what the author meant. Giving you these details will make you understand more of this place and their cultures and what it means in the crime that happened.
2. NARRATIVE STYLE
As usual, 3rd POV is used here or the omniscient narrator is more specific. We as a reader are usually addressed by the narrator as part of the story. Mostly, we got in-depth thought from Kindaichi but also other supporting characters were given their thoughts and views which makes it interesting to see from a different point of view. Besides that, I always found the way that the narrator will reveal to you bad news or what makes things regrettable to be something that gets me tensed because this will make me want to continue reading. Since I know things will go bad, I want to know what exactly happened.
3. CHARACTERS
There are a LOT OF CHARACTERS IN HERE, MIND YOU. but fret not, we have our beloved Kindaichi with us to maneuver us to know these characters, particularly the Kaemon's family which are the family we got to know the most in here. Kindaichi was endearing as always, his stammers, his excitedness whenever he got into one of his moods, the constant habit of scratching his head, ahhhhh this man is still cute despite being middle age, probably around 35 years old. I LOVE HOW EXCITED HE IS WHENEVER HE SOLVES A CASE. There are some emotional moments here as he met a person from the past, this showed how he remembered people he met in his life and I appreciate this side of him so much (*cries). The family we met in this book are some of the interesting characters yet they were not completely fleshed out which kind of disappointed me a bit because I would love to know them more especially Sanae, however for the book, I kind of understand why.
4. MYSTERY
Here is where the author's strength shined the most. Why I love Yokomizo's mysteries is because he used Japanese culture in his mysteries. There are lots of Japanese references such as traditional classic stage plays, haiku poetry, and significant myth or legend that act as puzzles in the crimes committed. I love how these are well executed and what made them stand out the most. The crimes committed in this book are very disturbing and how Yokomizo incorporates the cultural references are so clever. The plot twist is quite unexpected for me and I do think they are brilliant but I was left wanting more or perhaps a grand reveal. However, the sick and twisted nature of the crimes is already making me squirm uncomfortably so what more can I get from it.
If you want to read this book, I will suggest starting with the first book Honjin Murders because you will appreciate the references made here. There are some callbacks to the first case here and those who read it will love what was being presented here. I was pleasantly surprised and found myself liking what happened in here even if it's brief but I LOVE IT!
There is a lot of Japanese vocabulary here which might be quite confusing to some but there are definitions of these available here. I'm unsure if the final edited book will have a glossary for these terms and I would love it if they have since the one I read was an uncorrected proof.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (WILL GET PHYSICAL COPY FOR SURE)
Edited: 19th April 2022 UPDATE, this gonna be a long review so be prepared ;)
I have been in love with Detective Kosuke Kindaichi's series ever since I read The Inugami Curse/Clan, the 2nd installment, and that book was just so damn good and I want more. If you know me, you will know I LOVEEEE CRIME MYSTERY/THRILLER GENRE. IT'S MY LIFE. Also, I'm a huge fan of the manga series Young Kindaichi which was inspired by the book series by Seishi Yokomizo here. Before I get into the review, firstly, many thanks to Netgalley and Pushkin Press for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Final verdict: 4.5 stars
I will start with the premise of this book, what this book was marketed to the general audience. Since this book will be released in English in June 2022, I would like to try to clear out the marketing premise the publisher went for. This was said to be loosely based on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None and as a fan of Agatha Christie and the book being my favorite book ever, I will say honestly, nope, this was misleading. First of all, the setting on the island/ the way the murder was committed allegedly was quite similar to Christie's novel. But, the island in Agatha Christie's novel was isolated and uninhabited while Gokumon Island was populated by islanders and flourishing with their fishing industry. I could say the murder's methods are not exactly similar but they bear a similar method which you will understand once you read the book and also if you have read And Then There Were None. Death on Gokumon Island can stand on its own feet without being compared with Christie's masterpiece, this coming from a huge fan of Christie. The plot for these two books differed so much that even if you said loosely based, I won't put the two together. That being cleared out, let's get into the book!
1. PLOT
Giving you a brief synopsis, after the Second World War, Detective Kosuke Kindaichi back from army repatriation went to a remote Gokumon Island to send tragic news of the death of his young comrade to his family. What concerned Kindaichi the most was the dying message of the friend with hidden malice in it that strikes him with fear and so he went to the island bearing the message in the hope to prevent a heinous crime from happening. But things aren't as easy as it seems with the residents of the island being wary of outsiders like Kindaichi.
The plot was slow pacing, as typical of Yokomizo because the author always started with the history of the places to create the atmosphere/ setting of the book. I found this style to be engaging because I like learning about the island's detailed history so you will know what to expect of these islanders. From explanations of the shape of the island, the history of the inhabitants, the family that leads the islanders, their fishing industry and who is the powerful figure, the secrets, the nitty and gritty of the island. For some people who are not familiar with his writing style, this may throw you off but believe me, this introduction set the book in the direction of what the author meant. Giving you these details will make you understand more of this place and their cultures and what it means in the crime that happened.
2. NARRATIVE STYLE
As usual, 3rd POV is used here or the omniscient narrator is more specific. We as a reader are usually addressed by the narrator as part of the story. Mostly, we got in-depth thought from Kindaichi but also other supporting characters were given their thoughts and views which makes it interesting to see from a different point of view. Besides that, I always found the way that the narrator will reveal to you bad news or what makes things regrettable to be something that gets me tensed because this will make me want to continue reading. Since I know things will go bad, I want to know what exactly happened.
3. CHARACTERS
There are a LOT OF CHARACTERS IN HERE, MIND YOU. but fret not, we have our beloved Kindaichi with us to maneuver us to know these characters, particularly the Kaemon's family which are the family we got to know the most in here. Kindaichi was endearing as always, his stammers, his excitedness whenever he got into one of his moods, the constant habit of scratching his head, ahhhhh this man is still cute despite being middle age, probably around 35 years old. I LOVE HOW EXCITED HE IS WHENEVER HE SOLVES A CASE. There are some emotional moments here as he met a person from the past, this showed how he remembered people he met in his life and I appreciate this side of him so much (*cries). The family we met in this book are some of the interesting characters yet they were not completely fleshed out which kind of disappointed me a bit because I would love to know them more especially Sanae, however for the book, I kind of understand why.
4. MYSTERY
Here is where the author's strength shined the most. Why I love Yokomizo's mysteries is because he used Japanese culture in his mysteries. There are lots of Japanese references such as traditional classic stage plays, haiku poetry, and significant myth or legend that act as puzzles in the crimes committed. I love how these are well executed and what made them stand out the most. The crimes committed in this book are very disturbing and how Yokomizo incorporates the cultural references are so clever. The plot twist is quite unexpected for me and I do think they are brilliant but I was left wanting more or perhaps a grand reveal. However, the sick and twisted nature of the crimes is already making me squirm uncomfortably so what more can I get from it.
If you want to read this book, I will suggest starting with the first book Honjin Murders because you will appreciate the references made here. There are some callbacks to the first case here and those who read it will love what was being presented here. I was pleasantly surprised and found myself liking what happened in here even if it's brief but I LOVE IT!
There is a lot of Japanese vocabulary here which might be quite confusing to some but there are definitions of these available here. I'm unsure if the final edited book will have a glossary for these terms and I would love it if they have since the one I read was an uncorrected proof.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (WILL GET PHYSICAL COPY FOR SURE)
March 7, 2019
Esto hay que leerlo como lo que es, un "whodunit" clásico japonés que pretende entretener, porque como se lea esperando la gran cosa, el libro elegido "Mejor novela de misterio del siglo XX por los japoneses", es muy posible que se sufra una decepción.
Diré que creo que la atmósfera está más conseguida que en "El pueblo de las ocho tumbas", del mismo autor, con esa isla alejada de todo el mundo, poblada por descendientes de piratas y gente de mala reputación (según la cultura nipona), que desconfían de todo el mundo y están sometidos al típico cuarteto de poder: el terrateniente (en este caso armador), el alcalde, el médico y el sacerdote (budista), como si fuera una pueblo en la España franquista de los 50. Y es desde este prisma desde donde la novela tiene mérito: como una descripción de una familia muy tradicional, en un Japón tras la guerra que se vería obligado a occidentalizarse, en una isla perdida donde las tradiciones aún pesaban mucho. Es curioso también que cuanto más leo sobre Japón, más descubro la importancia de la "brujería" o "chamanismo" femeninos. Como si las artes oscuras fueran la única forma de ejercer poder que las mujeres niponas hubieran tenido a lo largo de los siglos.
Básicamente esta novela es lo más parecido a un episodio de "Detective Conan". O viceversa. Incluido el móvil un poco "trambólico" para nuestros valores actuales.
El misterio tal vez no sea tan sorprendente o descabellado (según la opinión que cada uno tenga) como lo que Agatha Christie acostumbraba a escribir, pero el ritmo es rápido y hay una tensión creciente a medida que aumentan los cadaveres. Es un buen libro de misterio, muy entretenido, pero cuidado con las expectativas.
Diré que creo que la atmósfera está más conseguida que en "El pueblo de las ocho tumbas", del mismo autor, con esa isla alejada de todo el mundo, poblada por descendientes de piratas y gente de mala reputación (según la cultura nipona), que desconfían de todo el mundo y están sometidos al típico cuarteto de poder: el terrateniente (en este caso armador), el alcalde, el médico y el sacerdote (budista), como si fuera una pueblo en la España franquista de los 50. Y es desde este prisma desde donde la novela tiene mérito: como una descripción de una familia muy tradicional, en un Japón tras la guerra que se vería obligado a occidentalizarse, en una isla perdida donde las tradiciones aún pesaban mucho. Es curioso también que cuanto más leo sobre Japón, más descubro la importancia de la "brujería" o "chamanismo" femeninos. Como si las artes oscuras fueran la única forma de ejercer poder que las mujeres niponas hubieran tenido a lo largo de los siglos.
Básicamente esta novela es lo más parecido a un episodio de "Detective Conan". O viceversa. Incluido el móvil un poco "trambólico" para nuestros valores actuales.
El misterio tal vez no sea tan sorprendente o descabellado (según la opinión que cada uno tenga) como lo que Agatha Christie acostumbraba a escribir, pero el ritmo es rápido y hay una tensión creciente a medida que aumentan los cadaveres. Es un buen libro de misterio, muy entretenido, pero cuidado con las expectativas.
July 2, 2022
✨ "On Gokumon Island, everyone was crazy."
A total snooze-fest! It was a quick read but so dull. I couldn't picture the setting at all despite the description overload nor did I care for the history of the island. There were so many characters to keep track of, which was confusing at times. Most of them weren't developed well or even relevant.
The mystery was all right. There was some suspense and I didn't guess whodunit (nor did I bother to because I was just bored and wanted to be done with). The motive felt weak but I liked the 'it was all or naught' revelation at the end.
My biggest issue with this book is the one-dimensional characters. The women were all very negatively portrayed and had no personality. Either they were ditzy airheads who go gaga over a handsome guy or they are beautiful but odd/crazy/hysterical. There's also a scene where male characters have the following conversation:
Lol seriously? Granted this novel is set in the 1940s but still.
What an utter disappointment!
Thank you to Pushkin Press and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.
A total snooze-fest! It was a quick read but so dull. I couldn't picture the setting at all despite the description overload nor did I care for the history of the island. There were so many characters to keep track of, which was confusing at times. Most of them weren't developed well or even relevant.
The mystery was all right. There was some suspense and I didn't guess whodunit (nor did I bother to because I was just bored and wanted to be done with). The motive felt weak but I liked the 'it was all or naught' revelation at the end.
My biggest issue with this book is the one-dimensional characters. The women were all very negatively portrayed and had no personality. Either they were ditzy airheads who go gaga over a handsome guy or they are beautiful but odd/crazy/hysterical. There's also a scene where male characters have the following conversation:
"It doesn't matter if she refuses you. That's a woman's tactic. You can't just give up and go home with your tail between your legs. You need to put some work into that too."
"The ones that say 'no, no, please, no!" They're the best. That's the height of pleasure."
Lol seriously? Granted this novel is set in the 1940s but still.
What an utter disappointment!
Thank you to Pushkin Press and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.
October 14, 2022
Eyes pop out of skulls, skins crawl, and hearts thud. These cliched bodily reactions are natural in a setting that is as un-cliched as possible -- an island called "Hell's Gate", in post-war Japan, where Japan's best private investigator, the lovable Kosuke Kindaichi, sadly lets three corpses pile up before uncovering the fiendish plot behind the three murders.
I had great memories of The Honjin Murders, another lurid tale in a unique setting, also brought out by Pushkin Press and translated by Louise Heal Kawai, so I did have expectations from this book, and it didn't disappoint.
There's something about the mix of characters, place, and time that makes these works special, but most of all it's Yokomizo's voice, I think, that makes one overlook all those things that could have been off-putting. Whodunit couldn't have been worked out at all, in my humble opinion, but again, the atmospherics make up for that flaw. And it took a really long time (I listened to the Audible version, which is well done) for Kosuke to explain it all.
The translation can't have been easy, with haikus and a playing an important role in the story.
Highly recommended: a flavourful potboiler. Don't be looking for cerebral mystery.
I had great memories of The Honjin Murders, another lurid tale in a unique setting, also brought out by Pushkin Press and translated by Louise Heal Kawai, so I did have expectations from this book, and it didn't disappoint.
There's something about the mix of characters, place, and time that makes these works special, but most of all it's Yokomizo's voice, I think, that makes one overlook all those things that could have been off-putting. Whodunit couldn't have been worked out at all, in my humble opinion, but again, the atmospherics make up for that flaw. And it took a really long time (I listened to the Audible version, which is well done) for Kosuke to explain it all.
The translation can't have been easy, with haikus and a playing an important role in the story.
Highly recommended: a flavourful potboiler. Don't be looking for cerebral mystery.
Read
January 13, 2023word of advice: never apply on a whim to an entry level editorial position at a publisher you like because the next time you read one of their books every typo becomes unbearable.
it's decent, but feels oddly clunky in a way i felt the honjin murders definitely wasn't. some of that is structural so blame the author, but the aforementioned typos and some phrasing and choices gave me something of the impression the publishing of this was rushed? it didn't quite cohere as i felt it probably could and i don't know on what level that mistake was made.
also, a note on honkaku mysteries and their chimerical quest for 'fairness'. the detective having misheard a muttered potential clue is not necessarily unfair, though it's certainly borderline. knowing you're reading in translation causing a distraction like 'how did that work in the original, how much had to be changed, is that why it sounded so weird' is definitely unfair and edogawa rampo is spinning in his spherical inward facing mirror grave
it's decent, but feels oddly clunky in a way i felt the honjin murders definitely wasn't. some of that is structural so blame the author, but the aforementioned typos and some phrasing and choices gave me something of the impression the publishing of this was rushed? it didn't quite cohere as i felt it probably could and i don't know on what level that mistake was made.
also, a note on honkaku mysteries and their chimerical quest for 'fairness'. the detective having misheard a muttered potential clue is not necessarily unfair, though it's certainly borderline. knowing you're reading in translation causing a distraction like 'how did that work in the original, how much had to be changed, is that why it sounded so weird' is definitely unfair and edogawa rampo is spinning in his spherical inward facing mirror grave
October 24, 2024
পুরো উপন্যাস গোছানো কিন্তু উপসংহার পছন্দ হোলো না।সেইশি ইয়োকোমিজোর রহস্য সমাধান প্রক্রিয়ার শেষ অংশ ভালো লাগেনি আগেও। টুইস্ট হবে সহজ, চমক থাকবে, পাঠক আবার যাতে দ্রুত বুঝতে পারে সেভাবেও লিখতে হবে। সেইশি কেমন যেন পেঁচিয়ে ফেলেন; উন্মোচনের মুহূর্তে কোনো অনুভূতি কাজ করে না( এই প্রক্রিয়া অন্যদের পছন্দও হতে পারে।) অন্তিম অধ্যায় বাদ দিলে, উপন্যাসের ভৌতিক আবহ ও বিন্যাস ভালো লেগেছে। বিমুগ্ধ সরকার রক্তিমের অনুবাদ বেশ সাবলীল।
August 10, 2023
I got the German audiobook from Netgalley - thanks a lot.
I don't often read or listen to crime fiction these days. But I'm glad I listened to this one. It's classic crime fiction in the best sense of the word, a classic "Golden Age"-y who-done-it.
I don't often read or listen to crime fiction these days. But I'm glad I listened to this one. It's classic crime fiction in the best sense of the word, a classic "Golden Age"-y who-done-it.
July 26, 2020
ผิดคาด เพราะปกตินิยายสืบสวนผมจะเบื่อๆ ช่วงกลางเรื่อง แล้วสนุกช่วงคลายปม แต่เรื่องนี้รู้สึกว่า ต้น-กลาง อ่านได้เพลินๆ ดี แต่ช่วงคลายปมกลับน่าผิดหวังซะงั้น
ทริคก็เฉยๆ แรงจูงใจก็ไม่น่าเชื่อ แต่มีข้อดีหน่อยตรงที่มันเอาแรงจูงใจที่ไม่น่าเชื่อนั้นมาบิดเพิ่มอีกนิดให้มันสะเทือนใจ แล้วดันเวิร์คด้วย
ทริคก็เฉยๆ แรงจูงใจก็ไม่น่าเชื่อ แต่มีข้อดีหน่อยตรงที่มันเอาแรงจูงใจที่ไม่น่าเชื่อนั้นมาบิดเพิ่มอีกนิดให้มันสะเทือนใจ แล้วดันเวิร์คด้วย
December 18, 2022
Yokomizo sensei does it again, and boy I enjoyed this book very very much!
The thing with Seishi Yokomizo's books is that, they will always leave us just staring at the wall for a few minutes. The crime heinous, smart and technical, but what makes Yokomizo works interesting is the subject matter of each parts that the book was written at its period of time, integrating with the culture and the honour of each families that is instilled as well.
Reading cult-classic-crime-thrillers always left you with that bitter sense of; these crimes can never be prevented .
Albeit Gokumon Island is the fourth translated to English for that particular order, the book is actually the second in the standalone series, after The Honjin Murders, and I STRONGLY suggest reading the series in the particular order
1) The Honjin Murders
2) Death on Gokumon Island
3) The Village of Eight Graves
4) The Inugami Curse
This is because, eventhough it is a standalone series, the growth of the detective , Kosuke Kindaichi is one that you can see if we follow the order of the Japanese release. In this case, Gokumon Island is set 9 years after The Honjin Murders, and after the period of war, in which Kosuke goes on a somewhat secret mission of sorts.
I loved the pacing in Gokumon Island, and the end of the book makes you icky in a sense that doesn't sit by right with you. Novels set in this era showed how heavy words can contain and how sometimes, the reason for each crime is right under your nose.
Seishi Yokomizo had set to be one of my favourite authors this year. I love the pacing for each story and I like that, even when the killers have been revealed, you can't seem to blame them as well. Its unfortunate as it is heinous. Given the time period, the mechanics for the murders are absolutely, genius I would say. Grotesque but genius.
All in all, would definitely recommend the series! I have to thank @definitelybooks for this gorgeous copy!
"It's a horrifying thought. Not the feelings of a human being. Inhuman feelings rather."
The thing with Seishi Yokomizo's books is that, they will always leave us just staring at the wall for a few minutes. The crime heinous, smart and technical, but what makes Yokomizo works interesting is the subject matter of each parts that the book was written at its period of time, integrating with the culture and the honour of each families that is instilled as well.
Reading cult-classic-crime-thrillers always left you with that bitter sense of; these crimes can never be prevented .
Albeit Gokumon Island is the fourth translated to English for that particular order, the book is actually the second in the standalone series, after The Honjin Murders, and I STRONGLY suggest reading the series in the particular order
1) The Honjin Murders
2) Death on Gokumon Island
3) The Village of Eight Graves
4) The Inugami Curse
This is because, eventhough it is a standalone series, the growth of the detective , Kosuke Kindaichi is one that you can see if we follow the order of the Japanese release. In this case, Gokumon Island is set 9 years after The Honjin Murders, and after the period of war, in which Kosuke goes on a somewhat secret mission of sorts.
I loved the pacing in Gokumon Island, and the end of the book makes you icky in a sense that doesn't sit by right with you. Novels set in this era showed how heavy words can contain and how sometimes, the reason for each crime is right under your nose.
Seishi Yokomizo had set to be one of my favourite authors this year. I love the pacing for each story and I like that, even when the killers have been revealed, you can't seem to blame them as well. Its unfortunate as it is heinous. Given the time period, the mechanics for the murders are absolutely, genius I would say. Grotesque but genius.
All in all, would definitely recommend the series! I have to thank @definitelybooks for this gorgeous copy!
August 12, 2025
✨🌸 Oh wow, Death on Giokumon Island was quite the mystery adventure! At first glance, the eerie island setting totally drew me in — it’s like the perfect spooky yet cute backdrop for all the twists and secrets waiting to unravel. The atmosphere was suuuper moody and really kept me curious about what would happen next. 🌙🔍
The characters were a mixed bag for me. Some of them were adorbs with their quirky personalities and funny little moments, but others felt a bit one-dimensional or mysterious in a way that left me wanting more explanation. I loved the little interactions and the way their friendships were portrayed, which gave the story a nice heartwarming touch amidst all the suspense. 💖👭
Plot-wise, the story moved at a chill pace — not too fast, but sometimes it dragged a little, which made me feel a bit restless (especially when I wanted more juicy clues!). The mystery was interesting but didn’t always surprise me as much as I hoped, though I did enjoy trying to piece things together along the way! 🕵️♀️✨
Overall, I think Death on Giokumon Island is a cute and cozy mystery that’s perfect if you like a balance of chill vibes and gentle suspense. It’s not mind-blowing, but it’s definitely a fun little ride with some sweet moments to enjoy. Giving it 3 stars because it’s enjoyable, just not quite a must-read for me. Still, I’d recommend it if you want something cute with a dash of mystery! 🌸📚
The characters were a mixed bag for me. Some of them were adorbs with their quirky personalities and funny little moments, but others felt a bit one-dimensional or mysterious in a way that left me wanting more explanation. I loved the little interactions and the way their friendships were portrayed, which gave the story a nice heartwarming touch amidst all the suspense. 💖👭
Plot-wise, the story moved at a chill pace — not too fast, but sometimes it dragged a little, which made me feel a bit restless (especially when I wanted more juicy clues!). The mystery was interesting but didn’t always surprise me as much as I hoped, though I did enjoy trying to piece things together along the way! 🕵️♀️✨
Overall, I think Death on Giokumon Island is a cute and cozy mystery that’s perfect if you like a balance of chill vibes and gentle suspense. It’s not mind-blowing, but it’s definitely a fun little ride with some sweet moments to enjoy. Giving it 3 stars because it’s enjoyable, just not quite a must-read for me. Still, I’d recommend it if you want something cute with a dash of mystery! 🌸📚
March 28, 2022
3.5
This is the second book in the Kosuke Kindaichi series, though it is the forth to be translated into English. It's loosely inspired by Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.
With World War 2 now over, the men are starting to return to Japan. On the boat bringing them back, Kosuke promises a dying man that he will go back to his island home to try and help prevent the murders of his sisters. It's a strange island, very insular, and the inhabitants are the descendants of pirates that used the island as a base, and prisoners that were exhiled to the island. Soon, the first of the three sisters is found murdered in very odd circumstances, and Kosuke has his work cut out trying to puzzle out what is happening.
The plot is implausible, but this is about the puzzle, and not trying to be realistic in any way. I found that the character of Kosuke has yet to be fully realised, he's not yet as defined as Poirot or Lord Peter Whimsey, but this may have more to do with the translation, I'm still looking forward to getting to know him better and have the other two translated books to get to.
*Many thanks to Edelweiss Plus and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion*
This is the second book in the Kosuke Kindaichi series, though it is the forth to be translated into English. It's loosely inspired by Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.
With World War 2 now over, the men are starting to return to Japan. On the boat bringing them back, Kosuke promises a dying man that he will go back to his island home to try and help prevent the murders of his sisters. It's a strange island, very insular, and the inhabitants are the descendants of pirates that used the island as a base, and prisoners that were exhiled to the island. Soon, the first of the three sisters is found murdered in very odd circumstances, and Kosuke has his work cut out trying to puzzle out what is happening.
The plot is implausible, but this is about the puzzle, and not trying to be realistic in any way. I found that the character of Kosuke has yet to be fully realised, he's not yet as defined as Poirot or Lord Peter Whimsey, but this may have more to do with the translation, I'm still looking forward to getting to know him better and have the other two translated books to get to.
*Many thanks to Edelweiss Plus and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion*
August 12, 2024
Not quite as fast as the first, but equally addictive.
Book Two in the series, this sees Kindaichi returned from war, and traveling to Gokumon Island to share news of the death of his comrade with the man's family. The information he keeps to himself, though, is that the man's dying words requested Kindaichi go to the island to save his sisters from murder.
A noticeably thicker story than the first, this has a lot more detail leading up to perpetration of the crime(s). Clearly a product of its time, the story takes a little time to reflect on war and its consequences. However this is first and foremost a detective story and the author never forgets that.
The pacing was a little slower, but once the first crime happens there's a pretty puzzle to solve with many clues (and red herrings) to consider. There's an extensive cast of characters, all with their own quirks, and Kindaichi himself is loveably strange.
I really enjoy this series, and Kindaichi is a great character. He's smart and makes some clever deductions, but he's not without his flaws and he's not always greeted with open arms.
The story has plenty to think over, and will keep you guessing. Another fantastic installment in the series.
Book Two in the series, this sees Kindaichi returned from war, and traveling to Gokumon Island to share news of the death of his comrade with the man's family. The information he keeps to himself, though, is that the man's dying words requested Kindaichi go to the island to save his sisters from murder.
A noticeably thicker story than the first, this has a lot more detail leading up to perpetration of the crime(s). Clearly a product of its time, the story takes a little time to reflect on war and its consequences. However this is first and foremost a detective story and the author never forgets that.
The pacing was a little slower, but once the first crime happens there's a pretty puzzle to solve with many clues (and red herrings) to consider. There's an extensive cast of characters, all with their own quirks, and Kindaichi himself is loveably strange.
I really enjoy this series, and Kindaichi is a great character. He's smart and makes some clever deductions, but he's not without his flaws and he's not always greeted with open arms.
The story has plenty to think over, and will keep you guessing. Another fantastic installment in the series.
June 1, 2022
Kosuke Kindaichi was drafted by the army and forced to join the war. Kosuke's division suffered a crushing defeat in their final battle and took to their heels. The survivors met up with other divisions and regrouped. That was when Kosuke met Chimata Kito. But Chimata died on board that brought soldiers back to Japan.
Kosuke was requested to come to Gokumon Island by Chimata. In his final dying words, he asked Kosuke to prevent the killing of his sisters. He just knew beforehand that these killings were likely to occur.
Three separate murderers were each committed single-handedly. There were separate cases, which took place one after the other. Was it about family fortune or just a feral lot that was full of bad manners and customs?
My personal rating 4.5 ⭐
Thanks to @netgalley and @pushkin_press for providing an arc. This copy will be published on this July 5th.
📚
#donereading #deathongokumonisland #seishiyokomizo #kosukekindaichi #emabaca #igreads #goodreads #bookstagram #malaysiamembaca
Kosuke was requested to come to Gokumon Island by Chimata. In his final dying words, he asked Kosuke to prevent the killing of his sisters. He just knew beforehand that these killings were likely to occur.
Three separate murderers were each committed single-handedly. There were separate cases, which took place one after the other. Was it about family fortune or just a feral lot that was full of bad manners and customs?
My personal rating 4.5 ⭐
Thanks to @netgalley and @pushkin_press for providing an arc. This copy will be published on this July 5th.
📚
#donereading #deathongokumonisland #seishiyokomizo #kosukekindaichi #emabaca #igreads #goodreads #bookstagram #malaysiamembaca
September 18, 2023
Ein klassischer Detektivroman zum Mitdenken, der auf einer japanischen Insel im Jahr 1945 spielt.
Autor Seishi Yokomizo lebte bis 1982 und schrieb 77 Bände mit dem ermittelnden Detektiv Kosuke Kindaichi.
Mir gefiel die Inselatmospähre mit der eingeschworenen Gemeinschaft, etwas über die historischen Hintergründe zu erfahren und natürlich die ausführliche Beschreibung der Aufklärungsarbeit.
Die Auflösung bzw. das Motiv lässt mich erschüttert und mit einer bestimmten Frage zurück, die ich hier aber nicht stellen kann (Spoiler).
Autor Seishi Yokomizo lebte bis 1982 und schrieb 77 Bände mit dem ermittelnden Detektiv Kosuke Kindaichi.
Mir gefiel die Inselatmospähre mit der eingeschworenen Gemeinschaft, etwas über die historischen Hintergründe zu erfahren und natürlich die ausführliche Beschreibung der Aufklärungsarbeit.
Die Auflösung bzw. das Motiv lässt mich erschüttert und mit einer bestimmten Frage zurück, die ich hier aber nicht stellen kann (Spoiler).
June 24, 2022
Seishi Yokomizo is definitely an author I'd read again. "Death on Gokumon Island" (nearly) has it all: inexplicable murders, a good main character, red herrings, interesting characters and relationships, as well as a vivid post-WWII Japan.
Kosuke Kindaichi used to be a great detective - and then the war came and paused all that. In the army, he met Chimata, the son of a fishing mogul on the (fictional) Gokumon Island; and Chimata, while not a coward, had a single fear: of dying before getting back home.
But die he does, on the return trip, and he charges Kosuke Kindaichi to go to Gokumon Island and save his three sisters, who will be murdered. The letter of recommendation he's given is addressed to three people: the priest, the mayor and the doctor who live on the island.
Gokumon is an interesting world: slightly more traditional than the mainland, it's populated by an isolated people, perceived as odd and a bad lot because they're descended from prisoners and pirates. In fact, even the author suggests, poverty might have more to do with that, and prosperity is fairly recent on the island. Chimata's grandfather was the one who brought more affluence and who had a passion for culture and the arts, going so far as to take islanders by boat to see shows elsewhere. (His tastes, it's specified, aren't amazing; still, it's a leap forward.)
The sense of a changing world, of lives put on pause, of post-war chaos are wonderfully represented: abandoned military infrastructure, underwater mines, a temple bell that was recquisitioned for the war effort (and later returned, because it hadn't been melted yet), a scarcity of cotton, military boots that everyone seems to have, news on the radio about soldiers returning home, careers put on pause, people missing and presumed dead. (As someone born in 1921, Seishi Yokomizo undoubtedly had first-hand knowledge of what Japan looked like at the time, even if "Death on Gokumon Island" itself was only first published in 1971.)
Even so, the islanders are traditional, living in a nearly feudal relationship with the fishing chiefs, and offering great respect to the three worthies (by way of their professions): the priest, the mayor and the doctor. And as is the way of many traditional, small places, everyone knows everyone, and they gossip about the affairs of the important people, with underlying assumptions and conventions about how the world around them functions, to the point where events are perceived on a nearly theatrical level.
When Kosuke Kindaichi arrives, the murders start happening. The first woman is found hanged upside down from a plum tree, tied with the obi of her kimono - and things only get odder from there. The criminal is hard to identify; the one person who would have the most to gain from the deaths still hasn't returned home from the war, and the only newly arrived person on the island (and who might therefore be a hired killer) is Kindaichi himself... Until he digs deeper and everyone seems to have potential opportunities or motives: a pirate who has escaped to the island by swimming and who may be the cousin set to inherit the business if they die; the girls' father, who is a locked up madman, and who hates them; the branch family who might be making a bid for power, or at least getting revenge out of hatred.
The solution is a bit contrived (but much less so than I'd feared), but the atmosphere - ah, that's so well done! I loved it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for offering me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Kosuke Kindaichi used to be a great detective - and then the war came and paused all that. In the army, he met Chimata, the son of a fishing mogul on the (fictional) Gokumon Island; and Chimata, while not a coward, had a single fear: of dying before getting back home.
But die he does, on the return trip, and he charges Kosuke Kindaichi to go to Gokumon Island and save his three sisters, who will be murdered. The letter of recommendation he's given is addressed to three people: the priest, the mayor and the doctor who live on the island.
Gokumon is an interesting world: slightly more traditional than the mainland, it's populated by an isolated people, perceived as odd and a bad lot because they're descended from prisoners and pirates. In fact, even the author suggests, poverty might have more to do with that, and prosperity is fairly recent on the island. Chimata's grandfather was the one who brought more affluence and who had a passion for culture and the arts, going so far as to take islanders by boat to see shows elsewhere. (His tastes, it's specified, aren't amazing; still, it's a leap forward.)
The sense of a changing world, of lives put on pause, of post-war chaos are wonderfully represented: abandoned military infrastructure, underwater mines, a temple bell that was recquisitioned for the war effort (and later returned, because it hadn't been melted yet), a scarcity of cotton, military boots that everyone seems to have, news on the radio about soldiers returning home, careers put on pause, people missing and presumed dead. (As someone born in 1921, Seishi Yokomizo undoubtedly had first-hand knowledge of what Japan looked like at the time, even if "Death on Gokumon Island" itself was only first published in 1971.)
Even so, the islanders are traditional, living in a nearly feudal relationship with the fishing chiefs, and offering great respect to the three worthies (by way of their professions): the priest, the mayor and the doctor. And as is the way of many traditional, small places, everyone knows everyone, and they gossip about the affairs of the important people, with underlying assumptions and conventions about how the world around them functions, to the point where events are perceived on a nearly theatrical level.
When Kosuke Kindaichi arrives, the murders start happening. The first woman is found hanged upside down from a plum tree, tied with the obi of her kimono - and things only get odder from there. The criminal is hard to identify; the one person who would have the most to gain from the deaths still hasn't returned home from the war, and the only newly arrived person on the island (and who might therefore be a hired killer) is Kindaichi himself... Until he digs deeper and everyone seems to have potential opportunities or motives: a pirate who has escaped to the island by swimming and who may be the cousin set to inherit the business if they die; the girls' father, who is a locked up madman, and who hates them; the branch family who might be making a bid for power, or at least getting revenge out of hatred.
The solution is a bit contrived (but much less so than I'd feared), but the atmosphere - ah, that's so well done! I loved it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for offering me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 14, 2025
৩.৫ তারা
বেশ ভয়ে ভয়ে বই শুরু করেছিলাম। গল্পের পটভূমি ১৯৪৭ সালে হলেও তখন যে জাপান অনেক আধুনিক ছিল না তা বলাই বাহুল্য। প্রথম দিকে কাহিনী বিল্ড আপ করার জন্য দ্বীপের বর্ণনা, ভূপ্রকৃতি, মানুষজন এসব নিয়ে আস্তে আস্তে বর্ণনা দেয়া হয়েছে। শুরুতে একটু খটমটে লাগলেও পরে আর পড়তে কষ্ট হয় না। তবে লেখকের একটা জিনিস খুব একপেশে লাগলো, লেখক যেসব নারী চরিত্রকে খারাপ দেখাতে চেয়েছেন তাদের শুধু খারাপই দেখিয়েছেন, আবার যে দুজনকে লেখক ভালো দেখাতে চেয়েছেন তারা দেখতে শুনতে রাজকীয়, হাবভাবেও রাজকীয়। মানে, আমার মনে হলো লেখকের চোখে ভালো নারীর অর্থ কেবল সুন্দরী এবং রাজকীয়/ সম্ভ্রান্ত পরিবারের নারীরা। এছাড়া বরাবরই বলা হয়েছে গোকুমন দ্বীপের লোকেরা ভালো না কিংবা গোকুমন দ্বীপ অভিশপ্ত কিন্তু কেন এসব বলা হলো তার কোন একটা উদাহরণ দেখলাম না একবারও।
যাই হোক, এইসব ছোট ভুলত্রুটি বাদ দিলে বইটা ভালোই গোয়েন্দা কাহিনী হিসাবে। এই প্রথম বিমুগ্ধ সরকার রক্তিমের অনুবাদ পড়লাম। উনার ভবিষ্যত উজ্জ্বল, এটা বলতে পারি।
বেশ ভয়ে ভয়ে বই শুরু করেছিলাম। গল্পের পটভূমি ১৯৪৭ সালে হলেও তখন যে জাপান অনেক আধুনিক ছিল না তা বলাই বাহুল্য। প্রথম দিকে কাহিনী বিল্ড আপ করার জন্য দ্বীপের বর্ণনা, ভূপ্রকৃতি, মানুষজন এসব নিয়ে আস্তে আস্তে বর্ণনা দেয়া হয়েছে। শুরুতে একটু খটমটে লাগলেও পরে আর পড়তে কষ্ট হয় না। তবে লেখকের একটা জিনিস খুব একপেশে লাগলো, লেখক যেসব নারী চরিত্রকে খারাপ দেখাতে চেয়েছেন তাদের শুধু খারাপই দেখিয়েছেন, আবার যে দুজনকে লেখক ভালো দেখাতে চেয়েছেন তারা দেখতে শুনতে রাজকীয়, হাবভাবেও রাজকীয়। মানে, আমার মনে হলো লেখকের চোখে ভালো নারীর অর্থ কেবল সুন্দরী এবং রাজকীয়/ সম্ভ্রান্ত পরিবারের নারীরা। এছাড়া বরাবরই বলা হয়েছে গোকুমন দ্বীপের লোকেরা ভালো না কিংবা গোকুমন দ্বীপ অভিশপ্ত কিন্তু কেন এসব বলা হলো তার কোন একটা উদাহরণ দেখলাম না একবারও।
যাই হোক, এইসব ছোট ভুলত্রুটি বাদ দিলে বইটা ভালোই গোয়েন্দা কাহিনী হিসাবে। এই প্রথম বিমুগ্ধ সরকার রক্তিমের অনুবাদ পড়লাম। উনার ভবিষ্যত উজ্জ্বল, এটা বলতে পারি।
December 10, 2022
Another rendezvous with Seishi Yokomizo’s extraordinary private investigator Kosuke Kindaichi. It’s been a while since we’ve seen the disheveled young genius; it’s now 1946, and Kindaichi has been soldiering in New Guinea and has just returned. He returns the incredibly isolated and insular Gokumon Island to fulfill a promise to a dying comrade. Chimata Kito; with his dying breath, the soldier asked Kindaichi to head to Kito’s home of Gokumon Island and protect his three sisters.
Things don’t go as planned, but I don’t want to reveal too much and spoil the surprises. I will reveal one thing, though: The blurb may 0compare Death on Gokumon Island to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, but the only similarity is that both novels occur on isolated islands. You might as well compare Death on Gokumon Island to Treasure Island. That said, while I didn’t think that this novel in the series was as good as the first in the series, The Honjin Murders, I liked it well enough and much better than The Inugami Curse.
Things don’t go as planned, but I don’t want to reveal too much and spoil the surprises. I will reveal one thing, though: The blurb may 0compare Death on Gokumon Island to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, but the only similarity is that both novels occur on isolated islands. You might as well compare Death on Gokumon Island to Treasure Island. That said, while I didn’t think that this novel in the series was as good as the first in the series, The Honjin Murders, I liked it well enough and much better than The Inugami Curse.
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