The 8 Mansion Murders

by Takemaru Abiko, Ho-Ling Wong (Translator)

The 8 Mansion, so called because its owner Kikuo Hachisuka, constructed it in the shape of a figure 8, is the scene of two gruesome crossbow murders. First Kikuo’s son, and then another resident who witnessed the first murder, are slaughtered in seemingly impossible circumstances. The crimes are investigated by Inspector Kyozo and his accident-prone assistant Kinoshita, but they are actually solved by his brother Shinji, who delivers a “quasi-locked-room lecture” reminiscent of John Dickson Carr’s Dr. Fell. Takemaru Akibe was, with Yukito Ayatsuji and Rintaro Norizuki, one of the founders of the shin honkaku movement. The 8 Mansion Murders, published in 1989 in Japanese was the third in the series of path-breaking books which launched the renaissance of Golden Age style detective fiction in Japan.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Japanese Literature, Japan, Crime, Adult

178 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Santosh Iyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, I would like to mention that there are are as many as 9 diagrams in this book. These are necessary to properly follow the story and understand the solutions. However, in the kindle edition these are so miniscule as to be virtually unreadable. There is a way out of this. Open the book in Kindle for PC. Here the diagrams are fairly readable. Take screenshots of the diagrams and get them printed on sheets of paper. Refer to these diagrams when required while reading the book.
The story takes place in a 3 storied mansion in Tokyo known as the 8 Mansion. It is so called because from the top, it looks like the numeral 8. It is owned by Kikuo Hachisuka, president and owner of Hachisuka Construction. Besides him, ten other persons live in the mansion. These are his wife Tamiko, his two sons Kikuichiro and Kikuji, Kikuichiro’s wife Setsuko, Kikuichiro’s daughter Yukie, Kikuichiro’s secretary Kajuo Saeki, the servant couple Takao Yano and Yoshie Yano, their son Yusaku Yano and Mitsuko Kawamura who is a teacher in sign language.
Yukie has lost the use of her vocal chords in an accident about a year ago. So Mitsuko has been employed to teach her sign language and also act as her helper.
One night at about 1 a.m, Yukie and Mitsuko witness a murder from the window of Yukie’s room. They see Kikuichiro walking in the gallery , when a crossbow arrow is fired at him from the window of the room occupied by the servants’ son Yusaku. The arrow pierces his chest and kills him.
Police Inspector Kyozo Hayani and others take charge of the case. The suspicion naturally falls on Yusaku. He states that he was asleep in his bed at that time . He also admits that he had locked his room from inside. Then how could anyone enter his room and further carry out the murder without waking him up ? He is taken into custody.
Kyozo believes that Yusaku is innocent and he is being framed. But he is unable to make much headway in the case. Yusaku is finally let off.
A few days later, a second murder takes place also by a crossbow arrow, this time in impossible circumstances.
Finally, it is Shinji Hayami, Kyozo’s younger brother who solves the case and provides the solutions to the 2 murders. The solutions are clever, though in my opinion there is a basic flaw in the solution to the second murder.
The book is suspenseful and interesting. But I rate it as 3 stars for the following reasons;
1. Though the howdunit is clever, the whodunit and whydunit are highly disappointing. For his/her plan to succeed, the culprit has to depend on a high level of astuteness on part of the detectives but not too high a level ! (I cannot explain this further without spoilers). It is absurd and preposterous for the culprit to formulate a plan which would succeed only on a certain level of astuteness (but not too high) on the part of the detectives. In fact, the culprit is caught, because Shinji displays a too high level of astuteness.
2. There is a flaw in the solution to the second murder. A certain person would have definitely seen the arrow whizz past, but he/she doesn’t notice anything.
3. The buffoonery involving Kinoshita, Kyozo’s assistant is just too much and tends to irritate rather than amuse.
4. There is a locked room lecture by Shinji on the lines of the locked room lecture by Dr. Fell in The Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr. Initially it is interesting but it is so lengthy and detailed that it soon becomes boring.

[John Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book on one of the many lists of critics choices. It grabbed my interest as it was a translation from Japanese , it sounded as if there was a bit of humour in it and it was a kind of 'locked room' mystery. Everything was in place for an enjoyable read and I even promoted it to the top of my pile as 'next to read'.

I am sorry to say that my opinion didnt match those critics.

Foremost was a lack of depth. Let me try to explain. I thought that the characters were not given enough description or personality and even the mansion at the centre of the book seemed a bit like a cardboard cutout. I cant explain other than to say it lacked substance.

Whether the book lost something in translation, I dont know but somehow I doubt it. It felt like a story written for teenagers /young adults - perhaps it was.

The humour that I expected to be subtle and clever as the book was , after all, a murder mystery turned out to be almost slapstick and particularly Clouseau-esque and even though it centred around only two people, it seemed so out of place.

Out of place could also describe the parts played by the Police Inspectors younger brother and sister. I started to wonder about it when the Inspector spoke openly about the case to them, but when he not only took them into the Murder Mansion but also allowed them to question the suspects and finally explain the case to his superiors and the assembled household, I was convinced. This is as unlikely in Japan (from other books that I have read) as it would be in England or America.

I would also mention the plot. This was the centrepiece of the story and could have saved it. However, although there was a nice final twist, I think that I saw the way this was done earlier than I have ever seen such before. I cant make up my mind if that was intended or not but the possibility never occurred to the Inspector.

On the positive note. I thought that the list of charcters at the beginning and the detailed plan of the house was invaluable to following the story. As I was on an e-reader, I printed them off and referred to them constantly.

Sorry, I dont think that I will be searching for more books by this author.

[Genma496 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The motive was quite lame but the overall mystery was great, and the book itself is just really funny and enjoyable. Kinoshita the goat deserves better than this...

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another book from my golden trove of translated Japanese honkaku (traditional fair-play) mysteries. I quite enjoyed Ayatsuji's Decagon House a few months back- even if it wasn't 100% fair, the ingenuity on display was marvellous.

8 Mansion is another book from the same tiny publisher Locked Room International. The book art looks unprofessional, small copy errors abound, and the books are hard to find for prices less than $20- all because the genre is niche. There is some hope- Pushkin Vertigo, a larger publishing outlet, has started translating and publishing some of the works of Seishi Yokomizo, Soji Shimada, and the aforementioned Yukito Ayatsuji.

But looking past that, I knew I was in for another good read. Takemaru Abiko is better known (by just a smidge) for writing the visual novel/videogame 428. That game was a compelling mystery with a reasonably clever ending and a lot of goofy humor along the way. Of course, that game takes about 30 hours to beat, and 8 mansion is a slim 170 pages, so this was going to be a more concentrated affair.

So what of 8 mansion?

The most surprising thing is how literate the book is in terms of the genre Abiko is writing in. 428 didn't really reference older works in the genre given that it was functioning mostly as a thriller. 8 Mansion has a number of footnotes and discussion within the text about the works of John Dickson Carr, Clayton Rawson, etc. In one sense, this is fun, as it reflects the continued development of the genre as Abiko explicitly juggles old conventions and looks for new insights. One note of caution though- one Dickson Carr book in particular gets discussed a bit too much (The Emperor's Snuff Box), and I feel it may have spoiled me on the solution- perhaps read that first if you care about Carr.

The comedy is limited here but very much in the vein of 428. Honestly, from the critic reviews, I expected much more- sounds like those critics need to play 428. I laughed a couple of times, but I wouldn't really call it a selling point for the book.

The real selling points are the puzzles. They're pretty strong here- I'll probably hold onto 8 Mansion. I had glimmerings of the solutions, but they still feel pretty clever in retrospect. The one weakness- and I gather that this happens often in locked room murder books (a sub genre of fair play mysteries)- is that very little time and energy go into the motive. This piece is absolutely not fair play and sours the ending a bit.

Ultimately, I think I'd put 8 Mansion a bit below Decagon House, but it's still very much a recommended read for anyone who loves the genre.

[Paulina M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.83 Stars

Full review: https://frostawingsit.ca/2021/05/24/t...

BRAVOOOOOO!!! This book was fantastic! It was fast-paced, hilarious, cleverly plotted, and the twist was terrific! It really kept me guessing until the end, and when the solution was presented, I was mad for not having guessed everything! Most characters were well-drawn, but I would have preferred the book to be more character-driven; it felt like the puzzle was the author's focus. I am, however, not mad at it because at least Abiko delivered. The plot was flawlessly clever, and I enjoyed the bending of the fourth wall (using the term loosely here) with many references to real-life works of fiction.

[Theunis Snyman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ingenious, but somewhat implausible. I liked the comic interludes with the unlucky sidekick of the detective. A lighthearted interlude is always a good thing in a story. There must be different moods to sustain interest especially in a story like this that requires a lot of cerebral activity. I understand that Shakespeare used a similar technique in his stories.

[Dee W. · Rating 2 out of 5]

actually pretty well-plotted but with painfully dry narration and unimpressive characters — openly inspired by carr but unfortunately leans very hard into one of his worse tendencies (utterly unfunny painful slapstick a la the worst of henry merrivale)

[Naija Book Nerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plot was amazing. Explanations a bit rushed and far fetched. Translation quality seemed poor

[Ad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another novel by one of the writers of the so-called Shin-Honkaku group - young writers who as students in Kyoto had already dabbled in mysteries via "detective clubs" and who in the late 1980s, under the auspices of Shimada Soji, and sponsored by two large publishers, started a high production of puzzle mysteries. It was another try for me, for I was not very enthusiastic about The Moai Island Puzzle by Alice Arisugawa, nor about Murder in the Crooked House by Shimada himself.

The title of the present novel, published in 1989 by Takemaru Abiko, immediately makes one of the problems I have with this type of mystery clear: in order to create a "locked room," the authors bend over backwards to devise the strangest locations: in the shape of a decagon (The Decagon House Murders), as a crooked house built like the Tower of Pisa (Murder in the Crooked House), or, as here, a mansion in the shape of an 8. Now, contrary to the United States where Van Dine, Queen and Dickson Carr had an ample choice of strange mansions, in Japan large mansions are very rare and mainly limited to a few historical houses from the early part of the 20th century. So this setup is highly unrealistic. In that respect authors like Yokomizo Seishi (The Honjin Murders) and Akagi Takamitsu (The Tattoo Murder Case) did a better job, for - although their "locked room" solutions are just as implausible - they at least used normal Japanese houses, the one traditional and the other modern.

The second problem is that the types of murders possible in a locked room are limited - the writers of this sort of puzzles soon start repeating themselves or copying other, older writers. That is the case with Abiko, for this mystery with a crossbow and a mirror sounded rather familiar - you, too, may soon be able to guess the solution. And then there is little left, for you can forget about fascinating characters, an interesting way of writing like Hammett or Chandler, or good descriptions of atmosphere.

What is new with Abiko is the humor, here especially in the person of the assistant of the police inspector, but humor travels badly between cultures and anyway, Abiko's type of humor is rather childish. And that brings me back to the complaint I also had about The Moai Island Puzzle: the feeling that you are reading a book for kids rather than a novel for grown-ups. In any case, to my regret there is nothing "path-breaking" about either Abiko or the few other Shin Honkaku writers I have read so far (but I'll keep trying).

Two stars because I applaud translations from the Japanese.

Also see my blog at https://adblankestijn.blogspot.com/.

[Edward · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fourth Japanese mystery I've read after "The Decagon House Murders", "The Tokyo Zodiac Murders", and "The Maoi Island Puzzle." As in all of those cases, the mystery itself was ingenious. Locked Room International should be commended for bringing these new (to English readers at least) "old school" mysteries to light. Special credit should not only be given to translator Ho-Ling Wong (who also writes valuable footnotes in the back of the book), but whoever drew the many diagrams for this book. They are necessary for understanding how the crime worked, and from what I've heard, the ones in the Kindle version are very difficult to read. Locked-room mysteries can be divided into two types of solutions---simple and complicated. At the heart, both solutions to the murders in this book are simple. I thought I solved the first murder, but I only got part of the solution. The second murder I didn't get, but I don't have any excuse---the clues were right there in front of me. This is as good of a "howdunit" locked mystery as you will ever find.

However, this isn't the case where learning HOW the crime was committed inevitably leads to WHO done it, and this is the book's biggest weakness. Takemaru Abiko's detective casually states that X, Y, and Z couldn't have done it without really explaining WHY they couldn't have done it. Also, I wish that Abiko followed the precedent of his idol John Dickson Carr and made the detective's "locked room lecture" SEPARATE from the summing up scene. Instead of making me appreciate this genre of mystery, it only made me anxious to hear how the mystery was explained. I also thought that the killer's overall plan was ludicrous, but then again they turned out to be crazy as a loon.

One last thing---this book is full of comic scenes, many at the expense of Kinoshita, the unfortunate sidekick to Inspector Kyozo. Considering that this book was originally written in the 80's, I don't think John Dickson Carr was the only influence on the writer. I'm pretty he sure he must have seen many (Japanese-dubbed) Pink Panther films in the seventies.

[Gabriele Crescenzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The 8 mansion murders" è un giallo giapponese classico, scritto da uno dei massimi esponenti del movimento shin honkaku, che ha riportato in auge questo splendido genere nel Sol Levante.
Si nota sin da subito la passione dello scrittore per i mystery classici occidentali e nella trama sono menzionati parecchi capisaldi del genere (anche se avrei evitato di spifferare alcune soluzioni di alcune opere).
La trama è ben congegnata, imperniata su due delitti impossibili in una villa costruita a forma di 8, posseduta dalla famiglia Hachisuka ("hachi" vuol dire appunto 8).
La meccanica dei delitti richiama romanzi famosissimi dei più grandi autori del genere scorso: il primo delitto è palesemente modellato su un libro di Carr (non dico di più per non spoilerare) ed infatti avevo più o meno capito come l' "illusione" fosse stata messa in atto (anche perché l'autore torna spesso su quell'indizio, dandogli troppa rilevanza per passare inosservato); geniale la dinamica del secondo delitto, che non ero riuscito a capire. Purtroppo sul "chi" e sul "perché" sono molto perplesso, perché non penso si adattino bene ad uno schema di questo genere. Avevo inoltre subodorato dal capitolo iniziale, che dà voce al colpevole senza rivelarne le intenzioni e l'identità, come potesse concludersi il tutto. E così è stato.
Insomma, un'ottima opera che sicuramente divertirà (per via delle scene comiche tra l'ispettore Hayami e il suo subordinato Kinoshita) e appassionata soprattutto gli amanti delle camere chiuse.

PS: è presente persino una conferenza sulle camere chiuse, molto interessante.

[Rituparna · Rating 2 out of 5]

"This was the fiftieth time he had fallen in love, starting in third grade in elementary school. The forty-nine broken hearts he had suffered were all a prelude to meeting Yukie.

The number fifty invoked a sense of destiny.

He had a feeling that, this time, things would go well.

Of course, he had also forgotten that the very same feeling had been wrong forty-nine times in a row."

This above-mentioned quote can apply to Inspector Kyōzō, the "protagonist" and his whole character because the abrupt swerves in his reasonings, his passion to jump to conclusions without thinking beyond 2 sentences, and his petulant-teenager vibes gave me whiplash. The whole thing reads like a dramatic Detective Conan script but much worse. I desperately hope that a lot was lost in the translation because it is otherwise quite disappointing. And it is even more underwhelming after reading the Introduction written by Sōji Shimada, because the section is chockfull of praises for this story, and how the plot and writing here sets the ultimate standard for honkaku fiction. Something that salvages this novel is that it marks the debut of Abiko as a writer, so he has time to really, really work on his dialogue-writing and story depths.

The obsession with the number 8 was an interesting plot device, and Shinji's train of thought was intriguing enough for me because he was almost manifesting a quote from *The Nine Mile Walk* [mentioned by Shinji only]: "A chain of inferences could be logical and still not be true."

Some of the more frustrating aspects [in no particular sequence]
- Why is Kyōzō the detective, but his siblings are the ones that solve the entire mystery? Why should the siblings not be the protagonists then, because the only thing the protagonist was doing is floundering around and imagining his entire love life with Yukie.

- How were civilians being so willing permitted to roam around the crime scene, look around, and interrogate witnesses? Regardless of them being siblings of a detective, it seemed rather reckless to have allowed that for security and sensible purposes.

- The characters generally lacked depth. Tamura despite the superior authority got to show his intelligence only once - the rest of time he, too, was lost. Kinoshita might have been good comic relief in a movie, but in the novel, he seemed more like an unnecessary prop. Kyōzō gives up on clues and tactics too easily - he tried two accusations on Yūsaku at the police station, and immediately gave u thinking that nothing could budge him. Not only that, he becomes completely convinced, even in his heart, that Yūsaku is not the murderer simply because he seemed to openly answer one question in a way that incriminated him [and of course, because Yukie wanted that to be the truth]. Okuda was the typical obtuse but stubborn-to-the-point-of-foolishness man, whose only personality trait seemed to be his scorn and snarky barbs.

- The only practical or intriguing content for me comes at the end when Shinji explains the whole concept of the locked-room mystery, though that is not even what the murderer employed here.

- Using mirrors to create a pseudo-locked room mystery may merit some praise of ingenuity, but it does not seem very realistic. How are they transported around with no one knowing?

- How in this loving cosmos was Kikuo made out to be this rambling senile man who kept forgetting everything that was happening, but "confidently" answered Shinji's question about his testimony?

- Even though I was kinda surprised that Yūsaku was the murderer, it seemed weird for him to lament in the prologue that there is no great detective in the whole world that could "admire and criticise" his art, and then utter statements like "I thought the trick was so simple that even a child could solve it" in the end.

Perhaps I am being unduly harsh on this book, and I dearly hope that the original Japanese version has more nuanced characters and tolerable dialogues. However, this was not an enjoyable read, and I personally would not recommend this to anyone.

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 3 out of 5]

Designed to be read in one setting, or perhaps two, 8 Mansion Murders certainly beats watching what's on television over an evening. In its own right, it's entertaining enough, but it's also a bare bones variation on the locked room murder mystery that doesn't have time for much atmosphere or even much apprehension. Instead, as the introduction to this volume explains, Abiko chooses to make use of humor. The humor doesn't always work. It does manage to make Detective Kyozo look stiff and a little slow, but most of the humor is directed towards Klyozo's assistant, Kinoshita. With Kinoshita, the author has a few hits. The incident with the Kinoshita, his personal organizer, and a giant dog is probably the best of them. But just as you're warming up to Kinoshita as a comic foil, he disappears from the story a little over half way through, only to reappear in a slapstick scene at the end. In the meantime, Kyozo's brother and sister enter the void to take command.

It all works well enough. But you still want more. At least I do. This particular subgenre of the detective thriller, the locked room, apparently is something of a contemporary Japanese specialty over the past half century. Unfortunately, it's about the only Japanese signature element in the story. The setting seems abstract, while except for Kyozo, the characters are vague. The solution, however, serves up quite a treat--even if the novel depends on some outrageous coincidences to get there.

[Kalpana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was feeling pretty smug by solving the trick behind the first murder by page 78. This was partly due to Soji Shimada san's intro which mentioned that this book, albeit a good one, uses old/known tricks. I was also able to solve (more or less) the other tricks (second murder, second scream, murder weapon's disappearance). Which left me agreeing with the sentiments mentioned in the intro that the book is written well and all but not really suited for folks who have read a decent amount of mystery fiction.
But man, the last 10 pages made reading this book worth it which justified the usage of known/easy tricks. I played right into the hands of the murderer!
Minus 1 star because a lot of time was spent into explaining the 'childish' tricks but the ending and the motive behind the murder felt rushed. If some more time was spent behind the murderer's psyche it would have been much better.
Kinoshita served as a comic relief and it might have been hilarious in the 80s but in the current time the humor felt dated.

[Divine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The solution to the second murder was actually impressive and I love the humor in here. Kinoshita was the MVP and truly lend a different kind of charm for the mystery. Personally, I don't really love the three siblings but they were an eccentric bunch. Loved the discussion about the locked room mechanism by Dr. Fell (I have to read the original source now!) and the quasi locked rooms by Ranpo.

I think there were just not that many convincing clues that holds up the solution. To be fair, you do need to suspend some disbelief especially with the exposition but the reveal was just not to my taste. Overall it was a decent mystery but not something I would recommend in my top 10. I still implore murder mystery fans to read this one mostly for the humor which is pretty rare in this genre and also the fun logic for one of the crimes. I do think that a lot of readers will still love the final trick though!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Using interior courtyards, Kikuo Hachisuka has built his mansion in the shape of a figure eight. The book opens with the killer describing how they are going to use the bizarre design to create a murder that is a work of art. When Hachisuka’s son is shot with a crossbow, this architectural idiosyncrasy makes it appear that the murder is an impossible crime. The introduction by Soji Shinada provides an intriguing look at the honkaku genre of Japanese mysteries inspired by the Golden Age writers that emphasized logical deduction and “fair play” – presenting all the clues to the reader. The mystery plot is quite reminiscent of classic mysteries. However, it is marred by the author’s feeble attempts at humor. The introduction claims that the author has a “sense of comedy,” but I found the humor lame and cruel.

[Aro~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kinoshita was definitely my favorite character from the whole story :))

He was the real invincible character.

This books show the different side of detective. Almost in every mystery novel, detective always became the most reliable person. The only person who can solve the whole mystery and saved the day. And there no other person than them.

This story proved that even a detective can become reckless. They are human. Just like the rest of us. They aren't superhero who always save the day. They also can make mistake. Small mistake and everything would be ruined.

Kinoshita have two character. As the detective and as side character who bring laugh. He was the only character that bring joy while I reading. He was the character who always got misfortune everytime he got along with the main detective.

[James Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ugh, a massive drop off in the final third. Its big strength (which it does maintain throughout) is it's sense of humour and a nice buddy cop dynamic that keeps some of the drier elements of honkaku fiction fresh. But it has one of the least justifiable final twists I've seen in these, that feels like its thrown in just to say 'Gotcha!'.

Locked room mysteries always have the critical issue that it's mostly nuts to choose to do one as a murderer - a bonk on the head in a city centre alleyway would be much harder to solve but far less fun. Justifying this is one of the keys to making a satisfying locked room mystery and this bungles it hard despite having a decent one reason right there.

I sound quite negative, but most of it is good fun and most of the mystery is fair and actually get-able in its simplicity. But oof a tough ending.

[Ron Kerrigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An OK locked-room (sort of) mystery set in Japan. As usual in these Japanese books I had some confusion keeping the characters straight in my mind (my deficit, not the author's.) A cast of characters is provided, which helped. (And the origin of some Japanese given names was interesting.)

The explanation of how the murders occur was clever (and supported by many illustrations,) but I just found the whole experience lacking. The "locked-room lecture" given by the brother of the detective (and why were his siblings allowed so much leeway?) was a bit boring, especially to someone familiar with Carr's The Three Coffins and other Golden Age mysteries with impossible crimes outlined.

Not a total failure and breezily written (or translated).

[Jean Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great locked room mystery. I really love the meta aspect of it all, using multiple examples from classic detective fiction to solve (and explain) the murders. Abiko also brings in more humor than the other Japanese mystery authors I've read of late, and so it makes for a fun and lighter read. Well worth reading, especially if you enjoy heavy contextualization of the history of murder mystery fiction.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way back when I was a student, I read quite some mystery classics including the locked room mysteries by John Dickson Carr and the likes. I’m not sure how this book ended up on my TBR, but I’m glad it did. I agree with lots of others that the howdunnit in this book is the main focus, while the who and especially why are less developed. To me that didn’t matter much because I like the concept of this book quite a lot. I can see why it’s a classic in the shin honkaku movement.

[Mehedi Sarwar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another decent Shin-honkaku from Japan. An eccentric family , an eccentric house that looks like English number 8. One member of the family gets killed in a very strange fashion , seems utterly impossible. Soon followed by another impossible murder with a crossbow but the forensic shows that the crossbow must have fired from air.

The solutions are tricky but quite enjoyable.

[Zackman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is fun with an old-school puzzle plot. That being said, the characters are extremely flat. There is a lot of humor in the book, and the jokes can be a little hit or miss.
It's a good time, but feels very uneven.

[Bella Azam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is fairly an enjoyable book. Its heavily crime mystery with the ode to John Dickinson Carr, Edogawa Rampo and other detectiv enovels that inspired this story. The locked room mystery is the core of the novel

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun style of mystery. Interested to read others by the author

[Linda Henry · Rating 2 out of 5]

couldn't finish

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot like Agatha Christie but not as well written. It was a fine read but nothing great. A good basic mystery.

[Cynthia]

a wee convoluted little mystery

[Dipika Bangera · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first read by this Japanese author. Since I love detective and thrillers, I chose to explore this book. A short novel but precise detailing makes it a winner. Thoroughly enjoyed the book.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's quite entertaining for a book written in 1989. Though I was not convinced by the murderer's motive in these days.