The Blood of Gutoku: A Jack Riddley Mystery in Japan

by J.W. Traphagan, John W. Traphagan

Jack Riddley is an anthropologist all too ready to retire - he is done with university politics and is eager to start his new life in a sleepy village in northern Japan. What wasn't involved in his retirement plan is for a murder to occur just as he arrives in town. With Jack's passion for ethnography, he cannot help but get involved with the investigation, eager to discover not only who committed these crimes, but why. Even a village of retirees has its secrets - abandoned traditions, family rifts, and childhood traumas - all of which are perfect motives for murder.

222 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2021

About the author

Also writes as John W. Traphagan

Reviews

[maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5) This book was heavily informed by anthropological research, and because of this the care put into the setting, characters, and (rural) Japanese life in general is clear. It is written in a way that is easily digestible and fun to read while also being quite informative. Although some of the dialogue felt clunky and Jack's thoughts tended towards long monologues on anthropological research (which is not surprising!), it is still generally well-written and held my interest. The murder storyline was compelling and intriguing to figure out alongside the characters, and I felt that there was a good level of suspense which came to a satisfying conclusion in the last few chapters, albeit more abruptly than I had expected. Overall, I really enjoyed reading a fictional work with a mystery twist that drew much from fieldwork in rural Japan.

[Womp Womp · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is apparently the author's first foray into fictional writing, and it shows. The book can be interesting and the plot and characters are all passable. For a short novel its not bad. However, the dialogue is super robotic and the book often launches into explanations that sound like they were pulled from a research paper. Here's an example directly from the book:

"That confidence allows for a certain smugness about their research, which is intensified by the fact that most of their work involves interacting with books that lack the ability to correct the errors and misunderstandings of scholars who interpret them-unlike anthropologists whose research involves the lived experience of another culture and society and constant interaction with people who have their own ideas about the reality they and others in their world construct."

First, that is a bit of a self jerk-off of one's own profession. Secondly, it delivers this information directly instead of showing us this point through dialogue, character actions, plot, etc. Third, it is informational but is incredibly formal and is very jarring, giving the book this research paper feel.

Another example of telling not showing:

"...so he asked himself aloud, "Why did I leave like that? Oh right, I hate parties."

SHOW us he hates parties, don't TELL us. Also, who answers themselves aloud like that? That's what I mean by his dialogue is robotic and frankly, his characters have very little emotional depth. SHOW us that Jack hates parties. Show us what he feels when he is in parties to make him hate them.

If you read the preface, the author is clear that he wanted to make his anthropological research more accessible, and that is applaudable. This book is definitely educational to a certain degree, but it would have been better as a non-fictional piece. Traphagan is apparently a fan of telling over showing, which is quite jarring and lends a certain textbook feel to the book. In my opinion it would have been better if he lets the reader extrapolate a little bit. Honestly, the book simply had little depth.

This isn't meant to just criticize the author. He has a lot of potential and his idea of wanting to make anthropological work more accessible is a phenomenal idea. However, I think he just needs to practice with meshing non-fiction with fiction.

[Gabriele · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a designer who has been practicing human-centered design for years, I did my fair share of field research, and I was very intrigued by the premise of Blood of Gutoku, a murder story written by a professional ethnographer based on his actual observations and conversations with the inhabitants of rural Japan villages. As I delved into the story I instantly connected with Jack Riddley (who is quite obviously the Author’s avatar) and shared his passion for digging deeper into the mysteries of human behavior. He is definitely right when he says that anthropologists are very much like detectives, and this book perfectly succeeds in weaving actual findings from cultural anthropology into a very believable and compelling murder mystery story, along with fascinating nuggets of knowledge about Japanese culture that go way deeper than the usual stereotypes.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is fascinated by Japanese culture, esoteric religions, anthropology or simply a good ol’ detective story. Actually, at one point Jack jokingly tells the local inspector that he can hire him next time a murder happens. I sure hope that happens and we can read about it in a sequel (or a series 😉).

[Caelan Stafford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun read! I love how this ethnography was clearly written with the intent to be interesting and accessible to a broad audience while still fulfilling its duty of exploring cultural and religious phenomena in Northern Japan. The pacing was a bit slow in the beginning; however ,overall, it was such an interesting read that I found myself saying “just one more page and then I’ll stop here” over and over, and before I knew it I had finished it. The book smoothly brings up and explains interesting culture notes, such as inviting someone to sit at the genkan versus inviting them to come in, with enough detail but not too much as to break the flow of the story. I wish there was more information on the Jehovah’s witnesses group’s basic beliefs as that part is kind of skipped over. On a separate note, I was intrigued by the gendered observations made, and I would have liked to learn more about that, and perhaps hear the ethnographer’s analysis of those observations. Why was it that women were more likely than men to be drawn to Christian groups/cults? Why was the town assembly male dominated? Were there any women unhappy with being in the back, having to serve tea? Were they complacent?

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

I binge-read this book it was so interesting! One of its successes is how well it incorporates information about Japanese life and Buddhism into the story. It is apparent that the writer has an anthropological background, as the story is written in an analytical way. The parts where the main character would think through situations as an anthropologist were my favorite. As someone who likes murder mysteries, it was interesting to read how this murder was solved by someone with a background different from just detective work. And learning about Buddhism in Japan through a story that I liked kept me engaged. However, the dialogue is a bit homogenous between characters. I felt like Jack's character had a strong voice while others were a bit flat. Overall, I liked it and highly recommend this book if you want to learn more about Japanese culture through a more interesting medium than a textbook!

[Mae Langston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and found that it was especially informative to be exposed to this content through a fictional and mystery piece. I found that, in contrast to non-fiction/ solely informational works, this truly made me feel immersed in the culture and gave me a richer understanding of Japanese society. As an American, I also appreciated the perspective of an American anthropologist as it helped me to better understand how someone from a Western background would interpret many elements of Japanese culture. Ultimately, I felt that this book could not have been written so effectively and thoughtfully had the author themselves not personally spent time immersed in Japanese culture. This made me confident in the credibility of the story and assured me of its validity. Overall, I felt deeply immersed in the rural landscape described and enjoyed following along with the twists and turns of this mystery.

[Nikko Sakakimori · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I thought was initially going to be a peaceful narrative analysis of the ethnography of rural Japanese culture and customs, was shattered by an intriguing murder in a small village. I had always been a fan of mystery novels and had read a few Agatha Christie novels when I was younger. This book has wonderfully combined the convoluted conundrum of a murder mystery, with a passionate and in-depth dive into Japanese culture. There are few parts of the book whereby the narrative pauses to explain a certain concept, and for some that may be off-putting, but I still enjoyed the opportunity to stop and deeply analyse these concepts on my own before continuing at my own pace. Nevertheless, it was a very descriptive and contemplative work that reflected an emphasis on learning these concepts, which enabled me to better understand other aspects and motivations of Japanese culture. I highly recommend this book for someone that wishes to delve into Japanese culture in an enjoyable way.

[Ani Martinez · Rating 1 out of 5]

With close to 30yrs of ethnographic fieldwork in northern Japan to give us this story, I tried really hard to like it but I DNF at pg.62 🫠

Jack just felt like an emotional projection due to his long monologues about anthropology (which is his entire being and personality - understandable.) But tbh, this made the story seems more like an ego stroke for Jack rather than a fun, mystery, plot-driven book.

I still kept pressing onwards in hopes it was just the first chapter feeling off, but realized this book has a habit of telling more than showing - which can be a snoozefest imo. It made me skim and skip pages ngl, because it was just so dull & Jack is so bland - I get he's an older man but 💀 cmon.

The concept of the "is this a suicide or murder?" seemed really cool & interesting (especially because of the location) but sadly the in-between of stiff unnatural dialogue + and unlikeable old bland MC = made me lose interest altogether.

[Max Cioci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great mix between an engaging murder mystery and a look into some of the deeper religious and cultural dynamics present in rural Japan. I found it to be a creative way to inform the reader about Japanese cultural aspects without the constant dispension of bland information. I learned a lot about how certain religious practices in Japan manifest, change and cease, and about the differences between Japan and the West on how religion is viewed. However, The story stalled a bit at times and the climax was slightly underwhelming compared to the amount of suspense built up throughout the book. Overall I enjoyed this read and recommend it if you enjoy a casual novel as well as learning about Japanese culture.

[Ziwen Guo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The slow-paced opening led me into believing that this book was going to be about the peaceful and quite retirement life of Jack in the beautiful Japanese countryside, despite what the name of the book suggested. Until later when the murder scene was revealed, and the book’s pace picked up when the second victim appeared, I was intrigued even more. My only real disappointment was that the intrusion of Jack’s home was nothing but just a coincidence where the bear entered at a very sensitive time. I was hoping that it would turn out to be a foreshadow. However, the rest of the book is entertaining, while covering some very interesting anthropology and religious phenomena in Japan. The relative short length of the book also made it easy to swallow, and I enjoyed reading it very much.

[Elvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a really interesting take on ethnography. It does a pretty good job achieving the author’s stated goal of making ethnographic works more accessible to people outside the field by explaining ethnography through the more familiar detective archetype. Within the captivating murder mystery plot is a detailed description of Japanese religion, culture, and development in recent history. While the expository side of the book blends quite naturally into most of the story, occasionally a more formal academic prose is used to explain concepts, which shifts attention away from the story. Overall, this is a very entertaining read and a welcome departure from the typical presentation of anthropological information.

[Nicholas Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who grew up in Japanese culture, it was interesting to be informed about more of the rural aspects of the culture. The story does take care into real anthropology work in this setting, and it does make a compelling connection between the fictional story and the actual field work. Although having minor gripes of the extensive anthropology thoughts that the character, Jack Riddley, can get into, it still rather is informative to enjoy. It was quite interesting to read the usage of anthropology into a murder mystery, as findings with the cultural aspects of rural Japan was used to aid in solving a mystery.

[Maddie Nosek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always grown up loving the people, culture, and scenery of Japan. When reading the Blood of Gutoku, I was once again truly captivated, feeling like I was right there in Japan with every page. I like how the storyline was fiction but how the novel also was extremely informative about Japanese life and Buddhism. I loved feeling all the excitement of a murder mystery while also soaking up the educational aspects. I also liked the how in the preface it was mentioned that some of the characters in the novel were based off of real people. That made it so much more exciting! A very fun and captivating read.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am always a fan of mystery novels and this one takes a very interesting approach. In setting the novel in Japan with the protagonist as an American anthropologist, many concepts that would be foreign and alienating to the reader are able to be told to the reader in a natural way. I think it is interesting that the author is able to use his own experiences working in Japan to tell a realistic story that takes into account all of the peculiarities of rural Japanese society. The insights into Japanese culture are particularly cool as they offer a much more fun way of learning as opposed to an academic paper.

[Lacee Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Blood of Gutoku was a pretty cool read. The beginning of the story introduces us to a main character that’s rightfully jaded by academia, which I can definitely get on board with. With this book, we get a murder mystery that’s steeped in anthropological knowledge–perfect for both the tired academic and a broader audience that wants a book reflective of the culture it portrays. It continuously brings in aspects of Japanese culture, making the mystery all that more subversive. Aside from the content within, the cover art is absolutely gorgeous, proving once again (despite popular belief) that you can judge a book by its cover.

[Daniela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gee! One of the most boring books I have ever read. No structure, bad dialog, a dull MC, and chunks of telling instead of showing. Only the setting was a bit interesting, in the beginning, but it got lost in boredom soon. I admit, I skimmed or skipped many pages.

[Shen Yang]

I always loved Japan for its sceneries as well as the food and people’s unparalleled courtesy. I grew up enjoying Doraemon, Miyazaki’s cartoons and, Natsume Soseki's books, so while reading the Blood of Gutoku I felt as I were in one of those sleepy old villages immersed in nature, like in My Neighbour Totoro. But we soon discover that under the peaceful outlook of Tanohata village lie old feuds and remnants of ancient rituals and traditions that left deep scars on some of its inhabitants.

Blood of Gutoku is truly a fascinating book that will keep you glued to the pages to discover how its mystery unfolds, but will also enrich you with fascinating knowledge about the Japanese language, food, social customs, and religious ceremonies, all of which, are rooted in the author actual discoveries during his fieldwork and integrated into the story with perfect pacing. I highly recommend it and look forward to the sequel ^.^