Description

By (author) Yokomizo Seishi

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In the winter of 1937, the village of Okamura is abuzz with excitement over the forthcoming wedding of a son of the grand Ichiyanagi family. But amid the gossip over the approaching festivities, there is also a worrying rumour – it seems a sinister masked man has been asking questions about the Ichiyanagis around the village.Then, on the night of the wedding, the Ichiyanagi family are woken by a terrible scream, followed by the sound of eerie music – death has come to Okamura, leaving no trace but a bloody samurai sword, thrust into the pristine snow outside the house. The murder seems impossible, but amateur detective Kosuke Kindaichi is determined to get to the bottom of it.

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Plenty of golden age ingredients… with a truly ingenious solution

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Readers will delight in the blind turns, red herrings and dubious alibis… Ingenious and compelling

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At once familiar and tantalisingly strange… It”s an absolute pleasure to see his work translated at last in these beautifully produced English editions

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With a reputation in Japan to rival Agatha Christie”s, the master of ingenious plotting is finally on the case for anglophone readers

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The Japanese Agatha Christie

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The perfect read for this time of year. Short and compelling, it will appeal to fans of Agatha Christie looking for a new case to break

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A classic murder mystery… Comparisons with Holmes are justified, both in the character of Kindaichi and Yokomizo”s approach to storytelling – mixing clues, red herrings and fascinating social insight before drawing back the curtain to reveal the truth

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The premise alone is dazzling [and] the solution to this mystery came as a complete surprise – exactly what I asked for

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For lovers of classic mystery and mayhem, these newly translated offerings are a must

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A delightfully entertaining locked room murder mystery… There are plenty of twists, red herrings, and suspects in this monkey puzzle of a story… An ideal book to curl up with on a winter”s night

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A classic locked room mystery… Its intricate thrills just as exciting as they were 70 years ago

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Essential reading for fans of detective and historical fiction… [the] solution to the whole mystery does actually make your jaw drop

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A wickedly fun time. Its short length, quirky cast of characters, engaging mystery, and theatrical setting and plot make for a fantastic murder mystery tale.

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The master of Japanese crime

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The perfect gift for any fan of classic crime fiction or locked room mysteries

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A perfect puzzle… Doesn”t fail to deliver in its extremely fun and chilling premise. You”ll be reading way past your bedtime!

Biographical note:
Seishi Yokomizo (1902-81) was one of Japan”s most famous and best-loved mystery writers. He was born in Kobe and spent his childhood reading detective stories, before beginning to write stories of his own, the first of which was published in 1921. He went on to become an extremely prolific and popular author, best known for his Kosuke Kindaichi series, which ran to 77 books, many of which were adapted for stage and television in Japan. The Honjin Murders is the first Kosuke Kindaichi story, and regarded as one of Japan”s great mystery novels. It won the first Mystery Writers of Japan Award in 1948 but has never been translated into English, until now.

Excerpt:
Chapter 1: The Three-Fingered Man
Before recording the strange history that follows, I felt I ought to take a look a