What do you think?
Rate this book
Detective Kosuke Kindaichi #1
The Honjin Murders
One of Japan's greatest classic murder mysteries, introducing their best loved detective, translated into English for the first time.
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 around the village.
Then, on the night of the wedding, the Ichiyanagi household 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. Soon, amateur detective Kosuke Kindaichi is on the scene to investigate what will become a legendary murder case, but can this scruffy sleuth solve a seemingly impossible crime?
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 around the village.
Then, on the night of the wedding, the Ichiyanagi household 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. Soon, amateur detective Kosuke Kindaichi is on the scene to investigate what will become a legendary murder case, but can this scruffy sleuth solve a seemingly impossible crime?
189 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1946
About the author
Seishi Yokomizo
232 books486 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).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,032 reviews
May 21, 2022
*3.5 stars*
First published in 1946, the eponymous crimes (The Honjin Murders) occurred in 1937 and in a simple rural community as yet untouched by any hint of the devastating war to come. In the nineteen thirties there were trains and buses but no cars in the back country of Honshu, Japan. People rode bicycles or walked. There were no phones. A feudal legacy prevailed, but it was ambivalent, flexible. Until recently, touring nobles and their retinues were accommodated in elite establishments called honjins, the proprietors, through association, achieving such high rank themselves that they came to be regarded almost as gentry.
This was Japan before globalisation, epitomised by a village dominated by an extended honjin family, the widowed matriarch, now retired, and occupying a large house with her two sons and a daughter said to be “a bit slow”. Another son is a doctor in Osaka, and a second daughter lives in Shanghai (but she doesn’t come into the story so can be ignored, the narrator assures the reader).
The action takes place in the annexe - a second house in the grounds of the main residence. This cottage is about to be occupied by the eldest son and his bride. The fiancée is the daughter of a fruit farmer, her lower class deplored by others in the family and emphasised by the narrator. In such circumstances it seems not inappropriate that violent death should involve the bridal pair. That it should occur on the wedding night may be dismissed as a coincidence but for the over-riding factor that the couple died in a locked room.
As might be expected, all the family members are suspects, including the sweet girl who the author calls ‘slow’. She sleepwalks and keeps vigil at the grave of her dead kitten. There is a chief suspect, as well as a kind bumbling policeman, various servants, farm workers - and a publican who preserves the crucial glass.
It’s absorbing enough that it’s not until you reach the end and consider and deconstruct ‘The Honjin Murders’ that you realise much of its merit must derive from the translation by Louise Heal Kawai. Yokomizo has to share the honours too of course, and this teamwork has produced a delightful curiosity.
First published in 1946, the eponymous crimes (The Honjin Murders) occurred in 1937 and in a simple rural community as yet untouched by any hint of the devastating war to come. In the nineteen thirties there were trains and buses but no cars in the back country of Honshu, Japan. People rode bicycles or walked. There were no phones. A feudal legacy prevailed, but it was ambivalent, flexible. Until recently, touring nobles and their retinues were accommodated in elite establishments called honjins, the proprietors, through association, achieving such high rank themselves that they came to be regarded almost as gentry.
This was Japan before globalisation, epitomised by a village dominated by an extended honjin family, the widowed matriarch, now retired, and occupying a large house with her two sons and a daughter said to be “a bit slow”. Another son is a doctor in Osaka, and a second daughter lives in Shanghai (but she doesn’t come into the story so can be ignored, the narrator assures the reader).
The action takes place in the annexe - a second house in the grounds of the main residence. This cottage is about to be occupied by the eldest son and his bride. The fiancée is the daughter of a fruit farmer, her lower class deplored by others in the family and emphasised by the narrator. In such circumstances it seems not inappropriate that violent death should involve the bridal pair. That it should occur on the wedding night may be dismissed as a coincidence but for the over-riding factor that the couple died in a locked room.
As might be expected, all the family members are suspects, including the sweet girl who the author calls ‘slow’. She sleepwalks and keeps vigil at the grave of her dead kitten. There is a chief suspect, as well as a kind bumbling policeman, various servants, farm workers - and a publican who preserves the crucial glass.
It’s absorbing enough that it’s not until you reach the end and consider and deconstruct ‘The Honjin Murders’ that you realise much of its merit must derive from the translation by Louise Heal Kawai. Yokomizo has to share the honours too of course, and this teamwork has produced a delightful curiosity.
December 26, 2019
full post here:
http://www.crimesegments.com/2019/12/...
Pushkin Vertigo has done it again, this time with the classic Japanese mystery, The Honjin Murders, the first book to feature Yokomizo's "scruffy-looking" sleuth Kosuke Kindaichi. Making his debut in 1946, he would go on to solve a further 76 cases over the next thirty-plus years before his creator's death in 1981.
As it turns out, the plot was particularly ingenious and actually downright heinous when all is said and done, offering more than one unexpected twist that kept things lively and kept me guessing. The first time through I was a bit annoyed when the narrator started pointing out various items of "significance" as if telling his readers that these are things to pay attention to, or at least to keep in the back of their our minds for later. And before the mystery is completely explained, he reveals the point in the case in which Kindaichi reaches his "aha" moment, which points the reader to a particular avenue of thought. Again, I found this a bit annoying, but the truth is that this bit of Kindaichi's later insight (without giving the show away, thank goodness) took the armchair detective in me in a direction I would never have considered. I was still wrong, but after the second read I was kicking myself for not having figured it out the first time.
It is important to keep in mind when and where this book was written. While there is not a lot of character development as you read along, there are cultural and social issues and anxieties that rise to the surface that will become important later down the road. There is also much to say about the locked-room/impossible crime genre within the story itself, which provides more than just a deft touch to the mysteries at hand, also reading as a bit of an homage to the genre. My standard practice when reading this sort of thing is to read it twice, the second time to block out the noise of red herrings, etc. and try to get to the point of my own "aha" moment. The story is so nicely plotted that I didn't, even after the second reading when I already knew what had happened.
I hope that The Honjin Murders will gain a following, prompting Pushkin Vertigo to publish more of Yokomizo Seishi's work in the future. Recommended, certainly for fans of the locked-room mystery, but for readers just testing the waters with this sort of thing, you couldn't go wrong by starting here.
http://www.crimesegments.com/2019/12/...
Pushkin Vertigo has done it again, this time with the classic Japanese mystery, The Honjin Murders, the first book to feature Yokomizo's "scruffy-looking" sleuth Kosuke Kindaichi. Making his debut in 1946, he would go on to solve a further 76 cases over the next thirty-plus years before his creator's death in 1981.
As it turns out, the plot was particularly ingenious and actually downright heinous when all is said and done, offering more than one unexpected twist that kept things lively and kept me guessing. The first time through I was a bit annoyed when the narrator started pointing out various items of "significance" as if telling his readers that these are things to pay attention to, or at least to keep in the back of their our minds for later. And before the mystery is completely explained, he reveals the point in the case in which Kindaichi reaches his "aha" moment, which points the reader to a particular avenue of thought. Again, I found this a bit annoying, but the truth is that this bit of Kindaichi's later insight (without giving the show away, thank goodness) took the armchair detective in me in a direction I would never have considered. I was still wrong, but after the second read I was kicking myself for not having figured it out the first time.
It is important to keep in mind when and where this book was written. While there is not a lot of character development as you read along, there are cultural and social issues and anxieties that rise to the surface that will become important later down the road. There is also much to say about the locked-room/impossible crime genre within the story itself, which provides more than just a deft touch to the mysteries at hand, also reading as a bit of an homage to the genre. My standard practice when reading this sort of thing is to read it twice, the second time to block out the noise of red herrings, etc. and try to get to the point of my own "aha" moment. The story is so nicely plotted that I didn't, even after the second reading when I already knew what had happened.
I hope that The Honjin Murders will gain a following, prompting Pushkin Vertigo to publish more of Yokomizo Seishi's work in the future. Recommended, certainly for fans of the locked-room mystery, but for readers just testing the waters with this sort of thing, you couldn't go wrong by starting here.
August 2, 2020
I didn't think Kindaichi-san's theory too outlandish
... Hmm, the narrator might not think it outlandish, but I thought the final solution was fiendish to the point of being the most eye-rollingly wacky and bizarre I've ever read! Definitely one to file under theatrical artifice...
What I enjoyed is the fluent writing; the meta nods to detective fiction and classic locked-room mysteries; and the little touches of Japanese culture - the solution may be more gasps at the outrageous cheek of Yokomizo, but the chilling moment comes when a character goes to Hiroshima and we learn he was there the day the bomb was dropped.
Because the narrator is a writer of detective fiction who is reconstructing the case years after it happened, there's no urgency in the narrative, there's lots of foreshadowing, and sections are very 'told'. Perhaps the author realised since at the end, other temporary narrators take over.
So not the slickest of whodunnits but a quick and enjoyable read that rather pokes fun at itself in an amiable way.
April 8, 2022
It is the first Detective Kindaichi mystery, and it is an impressive, awesome debut!
In a rural Japanese village, the young master of the most powerful family is getting married with a beautiful, talented young bride. But at the wedding night, the family heard terrible screams coming from the bedroom of the newlywed couple, the door and the windows were locked and the couple were found stabbed to death. Why must they be killed? Was the ominous 'Three Fingered Man' witnessed by the villagers, the true murderer?
Detective Kindaichi was summoned by the bride's uncle, to investigate the double murders case, but the truth he uncovered might be unsettling to both his client...and the victim's family.
PS: I first read it when I was a little girl.
My Top Ten Yokomizo's Detective Kosuke Kindaichi Mysteries novels
1.惡魔的手毬歌 / A Devilish Temari Song (my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
2.本陣殺人事件 / The Honjin Murders (my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
3.犬神家一族 / The Inugami Clan (my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
4.獄門島 / Gokumon Island (my review for Gokumonto: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
5.夜行 / Night Walk (my review: (my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...))
6.惡魔吹著笛子來 / The Devil Comes and Plays His Flute
7.惡靈島 / Demon Island (my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
8. 醫院坡上吊之家 / The House of Hanging on Hospital Slope
9. 女王蜂 / Queen Bee
10. 八墓村 / The Village of Eight Graves
In a rural Japanese village, the young master of the most powerful family is getting married with a beautiful, talented young bride. But at the wedding night, the family heard terrible screams coming from the bedroom of the newlywed couple, the door and the windows were locked and the couple were found stabbed to death. Why must they be killed? Was the ominous 'Three Fingered Man' witnessed by the villagers, the true murderer?
Detective Kindaichi was summoned by the bride's uncle, to investigate the double murders case, but the truth he uncovered might be unsettling to both his client...and the victim's family.
PS: I first read it when I was a little girl.
My Top Ten Yokomizo's Detective Kosuke Kindaichi Mysteries novels
1.惡魔的手毬歌 / A Devilish Temari Song (my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
2.本陣殺人事件 / The Honjin Murders (my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
3.犬神家一族 / The Inugami Clan (my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
4.獄門島 / Gokumon Island (my review for Gokumonto: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
5.夜行 / Night Walk (my review: (my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...))
6.惡魔吹著笛子來 / The Devil Comes and Plays His Flute
7.惡靈島 / Demon Island (my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
8. 醫院坡上吊之家 / The House of Hanging on Hospital Slope
9. 女王蜂 / Queen Bee
10. 八墓村 / The Village of Eight Graves
June 28, 2023
For starters, I am a HUGE fan of classic detective series. My best-of list would include the master, Sherlock Holmes; the feisty Belgian, Poriot; the holy brother, Cadfael; the godfather, Auguste Dupin; and last but certainly not least, my first love, Nancy Drew.
The reason I bring that up is because in "The Honjin Murders," the quirky detective uses his knowledge of old classic detective novels to solve the crime. That’s right! And believe me, I was all eyes—you know, the all-ears equivalent. Just run with me here.
So, we have a 1930s setting, a locked-room murder, many suspects (including a masked person with three fingers), and a fun detective on the case. What could go wrong?
Well, I’ll tell you, but before I do, I might bring up a few analogies that might give a very slight inclination toward the killer's mindset. So, if you want to go in completely blind, skip the rest.
Okay, I lied. If you are still reading the review, you must post some of your favorite detectives at the bottom so I can look them up and discover some other fun series.
Really now, let’s continue.
Where were we? Oh, that’s right. What could go wrong? Well, as much as it pains me to say it, the reveal was just so implausible. I really, really wanted to like this story, but I think Leonardo da Vinci would have a hard time developing and executing this ruse, especially over the course of two days. I was thinking, maybe there will be a reveal within the reveal or a twist that would make me gasp or perhaps the victim was actually someone else. Nope, it just kind of fizzles out.
Now if you’ve read this book and are thinking, no way, Chris, it was innovative how this connected to that and this was pulled here, and that taut line held the so and so in place, etc., and to that, I would say, "Sorry, I’m just not buying it. It’s too elaborate to pull off, the theatrics are too grand, the variables are too great, it would have been too easy to just follow the blood." Just sayin’ 😉
There were a few other things I should mention. One: the red herrings are plentiful in this one. Sadly, some of the mysteries you fill in your head are probably a bit more exciting than the actual outcome. Two, the marriage conclusion was extremely icky. Three, I would recommend you look up some of the architectural elements that are mentioned as a visual so that the reveal makes a bit more sense, unless, of course, you are Rube Goldberg, Doc Brown, or Frank Lloyd Wright.
I guess this has turned into what the kids like to call "a rant review", but I’m not entirely sure I actually reviewed anything. Okay, so this is just rambling on at this point, so I’ll just leave it with this. It was fine. That’s it; it was fine.
I lied again. One more thing. I already know someone is going to read this review and post the following quote in response to the problems I had with the convoluted murder plot. "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth", because it is something I would do. And to that, I would say, "bravo", but I’m still not changing my rating. 😁
❖ Category: mystery
❖ Rating: 2.5/5
The reason I bring that up is because in "The Honjin Murders," the quirky detective uses his knowledge of old classic detective novels to solve the crime. That’s right! And believe me, I was all eyes—you know, the all-ears equivalent. Just run with me here.
So, we have a 1930s setting, a locked-room murder, many suspects (including a masked person with three fingers), and a fun detective on the case. What could go wrong?
Well, I’ll tell you, but before I do, I might bring up a few analogies that might give a very slight inclination toward the killer's mindset. So, if you want to go in completely blind, skip the rest.
Okay, I lied. If you are still reading the review, you must post some of your favorite detectives at the bottom so I can look them up and discover some other fun series.
Really now, let’s continue.
Where were we? Oh, that’s right. What could go wrong? Well, as much as it pains me to say it, the reveal was just so implausible. I really, really wanted to like this story, but I think Leonardo da Vinci would have a hard time developing and executing this ruse, especially over the course of two days. I was thinking, maybe there will be a reveal within the reveal or a twist that would make me gasp or perhaps the victim was actually someone else. Nope, it just kind of fizzles out.
Now if you’ve read this book and are thinking, no way, Chris, it was innovative how this connected to that and this was pulled here, and that taut line held the so and so in place, etc., and to that, I would say, "Sorry, I’m just not buying it. It’s too elaborate to pull off, the theatrics are too grand, the variables are too great, it would have been too easy to just follow the blood." Just sayin’ 😉
There were a few other things I should mention. One: the red herrings are plentiful in this one. Sadly, some of the mysteries you fill in your head are probably a bit more exciting than the actual outcome. Two, the marriage conclusion was extremely icky. Three, I would recommend you look up some of the architectural elements that are mentioned as a visual so that the reveal makes a bit more sense, unless, of course, you are Rube Goldberg, Doc Brown, or Frank Lloyd Wright.
I guess this has turned into what the kids like to call "a rant review", but I’m not entirely sure I actually reviewed anything. Okay, so this is just rambling on at this point, so I’ll just leave it with this. It was fine. That’s it; it was fine.
I lied again. One more thing. I already know someone is going to read this review and post the following quote in response to the problems I had with the convoluted murder plot. "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth", because it is something I would do. And to that, I would say, "bravo", but I’m still not changing my rating. 😁
❖ Category: mystery
❖ Rating: 2.5/5
May 1, 2023
The character development was slim to none, but this was a super fun, true blue whodunnit with a locked room trope. I also really enjoyed learning more about the culture of this rural 1930s Japanese village - will continue in the series!
July 27, 2022
Very different to another book I’ve read in this series, The Inugami curse, this is a retrospective metatextual locked-room whodunnit that takes place in a village in Japan. On the wedding night the newlyweds are murdered by a katana and everyone in the village keeps seeing or hearing about a mysterious man with three fingers. The grief-stricken uncle of the murdered bride asks Kosuke Kindaichi, a detective-wunderkind to solve it.
This one name drops a lot of famous works of the genre, all of them Western, and I haven’t read them all. Curious to know if being familiar with those mysteries enhances the reading experience.
But anyways, this was once again a fun, quick-paced, highly improbable romp and Kindaichi gives me Death Note’s L vibes. Mop of tousled hair and OCD as in obsessive scratching of his head. And of course genius eccentric detective. I'm really enjoying this author, a nice palate cleanser.
This one name drops a lot of famous works of the genre, all of them Western, and I haven’t read them all. Curious to know if being familiar with those mysteries enhances the reading experience.
But anyways, this was once again a fun, quick-paced, highly improbable romp and Kindaichi gives me Death Note’s L vibes. Mop of tousled hair and OCD as in obsessive scratching of his head. And of course genius eccentric detective. I'm really enjoying this author, a nice palate cleanser.
May 27, 2020
“A locked room murder, a red ochre-painted room and the sound of the koto...”
Set in 1937 in a rural Japanese village, a horrible murder takes place following the wedding of the eldest son of a wealthy family. The Ichiyanagi family operated a honjin (an inn for the nobility) but when the feudal system was on the verge of collapse they moved to this small town and bought cheap farmland. This is a classic locked room murder mystery. It is the first in a series featuring the young, disheveled and stuttering detective Kosuke Kindaichi. (Think of a less pompous Hercule Poirot.) A suspicious looking three-fingered vagrant has been seen lurking around the estate and mysterious koto music has been heard in the night.
The story is related by an unnamed narrator based on what he was told by people close to the crime. It’s a very inventive plot. There is no way I could have figured out how the crime was committed, but the narrator didn’t really hide anything. In fact, at the end of the book he sets out several instances of how his careful wording should have been a clue to the reader. I would love to read more of this series, but most of the books don’t seem to be readily available in English. The author matches up well with the other authors to whom he refers in this book, including Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
Set in 1937 in a rural Japanese village, a horrible murder takes place following the wedding of the eldest son of a wealthy family. The Ichiyanagi family operated a honjin (an inn for the nobility) but when the feudal system was on the verge of collapse they moved to this small town and bought cheap farmland. This is a classic locked room murder mystery. It is the first in a series featuring the young, disheveled and stuttering detective Kosuke Kindaichi. (Think of a less pompous Hercule Poirot.) A suspicious looking three-fingered vagrant has been seen lurking around the estate and mysterious koto music has been heard in the night.
The story is related by an unnamed narrator based on what he was told by people close to the crime. It’s a very inventive plot. There is no way I could have figured out how the crime was committed, but the narrator didn’t really hide anything. In fact, at the end of the book he sets out several instances of how his careful wording should have been a clue to the reader. I would love to read more of this series, but most of the books don’t seem to be readily available in English. The author matches up well with the other authors to whom he refers in this book, including Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
April 27, 2024
The Publisher Says: One of Japan's greatest classic murder mysteries, introducing their best loved detective, translated into English for the first time.
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 around the village.
Then, on the night of the wedding, the Ichiyanagi household 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. Soon, amateur detective Kosuke Kindaichi is on the scene to investigate what will become a legendary murder case, but can this scruffy sleuth solve a seemingly impossible crime?
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: In a very Sherlock's-Watson fashion, the events of this premarital murder are narrated to us after the fact; we know, by this very technique, that the mystery is one that can be solved if we're game to follow the clues. Which clues? Well, the mystery-writer narrator and I are glad you asked:
You really can't get a lot more fair-play than that, can you, giving the reader the crib sheet from which the author made choices and still, not to make it too easy by telling the reader *what* was cribbed from the Greats of the Golden Age. I found it endearing. I was very amused by the conceit, and by the writer/narrator following in the footsteps of the wildly disheveled amateur detective. Now...keep in mind this is a story written in the late 1940s and set in the 1930s. The idea of a Japanese man presenting himself as less than polished and perfect is damned near heretical. There was no beatnik, or proto-hippie, movement in Japan. It is a culture of Face, something I equate with my mother's endless mantra, "but what will People Think?" It's very, very important not to insult your neighbors, or your betters, by deciding to be different, to wear your Otherness on the outside...so featuring someone who's indifferent to Face in this mystery series is quite a powerful statement of value and intent on the author's part.
What's important for your pleasure in an amateur-sleuth read? An aura of verisimilitude? A relatable cast of characters? An evocation of a place and time? I'd venture to say that no one would behave the way the characters in this mystery do...but I could be wrong...at any rate, the point for me wasn't the verisimilitude (never is with amateur-sleuth mysteries, pace all you true-crime podcasters) but the delicious evocation of the time and the place:
The author, or more likely the editor and translator, gives me such a full and satisfying sense of the place with this simple paragraph. I wanted to feel transported and I did...as well as catered to, told a story to, and one that really did leave me guessing until the end. Very satisfying that Anglophone readers are getting this series (it has SEVENTY-SIX MORE VOLUMES!!) at long last...the author's only been dead since 1981. No rush, guys.
The things I wasn't quite so pleased to read were the class-conscious snobberies of the groom's family, presented without apparent or, to my mind, appropriate negativity cast on them. This being a thing that bothers me now, in the 21st century, I can't even try to guess if I'd even have noticed it had I read the book around the time the author died...almost forty years after it appeared. The snobbish tone is grating on old-man me, anyway. And the last chapter, number 18, is such a Golden-Agey thing...the way the guilty party is dealt with, the careful recounting of the places the clues were left...it was both what I wanted, and a hair too much to swallow in one draft.
If your mystery-story shelves are a touch too light, this is a good, solid, entertaining read...my crotchets aside.
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 around the village.
Then, on the night of the wedding, the Ichiyanagi household 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. Soon, amateur detective Kosuke Kindaichi is on the scene to investigate what will become a legendary murder case, but can this scruffy sleuth solve a seemingly impossible crime?
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: In a very Sherlock's-Watson fashion, the events of this premarital murder are narrated to us after the fact; we know, by this very technique, that the mystery is one that can be solved if we're game to follow the clues. Which clues? Well, the mystery-writer narrator and I are glad you asked:
When I first heard the story, I immediately racked my brain to think of any similar cases among all the novels I’ve read. The first that came to mind were Gaston Leroux’s The Mystery of the Yellow Room and Maurice Leblanc’s The Teeth of the Tiger; then there’s The Canary Murder Case and The Kennel Murder Case, both by S.S. Van Dine; and finally, Dickson Carr’s The Plague Court Murders. I even considered that variation on the locked room murder theme of Roger Scarlett’s Murder Among the Angells.
You really can't get a lot more fair-play than that, can you, giving the reader the crib sheet from which the author made choices and still, not to make it too easy by telling the reader *what* was cribbed from the Greats of the Golden Age. I found it endearing. I was very amused by the conceit, and by the writer/narrator following in the footsteps of the wildly disheveled amateur detective. Now...keep in mind this is a story written in the late 1940s and set in the 1930s. The idea of a Japanese man presenting himself as less than polished and perfect is damned near heretical. There was no beatnik, or proto-hippie, movement in Japan. It is a culture of Face, something I equate with my mother's endless mantra, "but what will People Think?" It's very, very important not to insult your neighbors, or your betters, by deciding to be different, to wear your Otherness on the outside...so featuring someone who's indifferent to Face in this mystery series is quite a powerful statement of value and intent on the author's part.
What's important for your pleasure in an amateur-sleuth read? An aura of verisimilitude? A relatable cast of characters? An evocation of a place and time? I'd venture to say that no one would behave the way the characters in this mystery do...but I could be wrong...at any rate, the point for me wasn't the verisimilitude (never is with amateur-sleuth mysteries, pace all you true-crime podcasters) but the delicious evocation of the time and the place:
A honjin was a kind of inn in feudal Japan where daimyo lords and other important officials would stay on their way to or from paying attendance on the Shogun in the capital, Edo—the old name for Tokyo. Ordinary members of the public were not permitted to stay at a honjin. A family who owned such a high-class lodging house were also members of the elite, and so it followed that this was a place where the rules of high society were closely adhered to.
The author, or more likely the editor and translator, gives me such a full and satisfying sense of the place with this simple paragraph. I wanted to feel transported and I did...as well as catered to, told a story to, and one that really did leave me guessing until the end. Very satisfying that Anglophone readers are getting this series (it has SEVENTY-SIX MORE VOLUMES!!) at long last...the author's only been dead since 1981. No rush, guys.
The things I wasn't quite so pleased to read were the class-conscious snobberies of the groom's family, presented without apparent or, to my mind, appropriate negativity cast on them. This being a thing that bothers me now, in the 21st century, I can't even try to guess if I'd even have noticed it had I read the book around the time the author died...almost forty years after it appeared. The snobbish tone is grating on old-man me, anyway. And the last chapter, number 18, is such a Golden-Agey thing...the way the guilty party is dealt with, the careful recounting of the places the clues were left...it was both what I wanted, and a hair too much to swallow in one draft.
If your mystery-story shelves are a touch too light, this is a good, solid, entertaining read...my crotchets aside.
January 12, 2023
i can't believe i guessed most of the mystery again 🤦♀️
i am starting to think maybe I'm the problem, that maybe i have read wayy too much mystery and detective fiction and this genre will never blow my mind again
i am starting to think maybe I'm the problem, that maybe i have read wayy too much mystery and detective fiction and this genre will never blow my mind again
September 22, 2021
'দ্য হোনজিন মার্ডারস' এর জন্য সেইশি ইয়োকোমিযো ১৯৪৮ সালে প্রথমবার 'মিস্ট্রি রাইটারস অফ জাপান এওয়ার্ড' অর্জন করেন। জাপানি হোনজিন শব্দের আভিধানিক অর্থ অভিজাত। বিয়ের রাতে অভিজাত পরিবারের এক চল্লিশোর্ধ্ব পুরুষ আর তার স্ত্রীর হত্যারহস্যকে কেন্দ্র করে গড়ে উঠেছে উপন্যাসের কাহিনী। ক্লাসিক হিসেবে বইটা যতটুকু সুখপাঠ্য, লকড রুম মার্ডার মিস্ট্রি হিসেবে তার চেয়েও বেশি আগ্রহোদ্দীপক। শুধুমাত্র যুক্তি আর তীক্ষ্ম পর্যবেক্ষণ শক্তির সাহায্যে রহস্যের সমাধান পাঠককে অবাক করে দেয়, আবার একই সাথে ভোগায় বিষাদের অনুভূতিতে।
তৎকালীন জাপানের সংস্কৃতি আর গ্রামীণ দৃশ্যপট স্পষ্টভাবে ফুটে উঠেছে বইয়ের পাতায়। পড়ার সময় কোতো নামক ঐতিহ্যবাহী বাদ্যযন্ত্রের সুর (Source: Youtube) লো ভলিউমে ছেড়ে রেখেছিলাম। আমেজটা আরও ভালোভাবে ধরা দিচ্ছিল তাতে। পারিপার্শ্বিক বর্ণণায় জাপানের নিত্যদিনের ব্যবহার্য আসবাব অথবা টুকিটাকি জিনিসপত্রের নাম এসেছে বারবার। চাইলে তোকোনামা শেলফ/বিয়োবো পর্দা অথবা আনুসঙ্গিক এমন অনেক কিছুর ছবি গুগল করে দেখে নিতে পারেন পড়ার ফাঁকেফাঁকে।
জাপানের 'ডিকসন কার' খ্যাত লেখক সেইশি ইয়োকোমিযো পাশ্চাত্যের বিখ্যাত কিছু ডিটেকটিভ ফিকশনের রেফারেন্স এনেছেন। গল্পগুলো আগে থেকে পড়া থাকলে ভালো লাগবে, আর না পড়ে থাকলে নতুন করে পড়ার আগ্রহ জাগবে। তবে সবচেয়ে উল্লেখযোগ্য বিষয় হলো, বহুমাত্রিক বিষয়ের অবতারণা ঘটিয়েও দ্য হোনজিন মার্ডার্সের মূলকাহিনী নির্দিষ্ট পথেই এগিয়েছে। কিছুক্ষেত্রে ধীরগতির বলে মনে হলেও বইটা শতভাগ বাহুল্যবর্জিত।
প্রকাশের বহু বছর পর, প্রথমবারের মতো ২০১৯ সালে ক্লাসিক এই জাপানিজ ডিটেকটিভ ফিকশনের ইংরেজি অনুবাদ প্রকাশিত হয়। বাংলা অনুবাদটাও মানসম্মত, পড়ার সময় ঠেকতে হয়নি।
তৎকালীন জাপানের সংস্কৃতি আর গ্রামীণ দৃশ্যপট স্পষ্টভাবে ফুটে উঠেছে বইয়ের পাতায়। পড়ার সময় কোতো নামক ঐতিহ্যবাহী বাদ্যযন্ত্রের সুর (Source: Youtube) লো ভলিউমে ছেড়ে রেখেছিলাম। আমেজটা আরও ভালোভাবে ধরা দিচ্ছিল তাতে। পারিপার্শ্বিক বর্ণণায় জাপানের নিত্যদিনের ব্যবহার্য আসবাব অথবা টুকিটাকি জিনিসপত্রের নাম এসেছে বারবার। চাইলে তোকোনামা শেলফ/বিয়োবো পর্দা অথবা আনুসঙ্গিক এমন অনেক কিছুর ছবি গুগল করে দেখে নিতে পারেন পড়ার ফাঁকেফাঁকে।
জাপানের 'ডিকসন কার' খ্যাত লেখক সেইশি ইয়োকোমিযো পাশ্চাত্যের বিখ্যাত কিছু ডিটেকটিভ ফিকশনের রেফারেন্স এনেছেন। গল্পগুলো আগে থেকে পড়া থাকলে ভালো লাগবে, আর না পড়ে থাকলে নতুন করে পড়ার আগ্রহ জাগবে। তবে সবচেয়ে উল্লেখযোগ্য বিষয় হলো, বহুমাত্রিক বিষয়ের অবতারণা ঘটিয়েও দ্য হোনজিন মার্ডার্সের মূলকাহিনী নির্দিষ্ট পথেই এগিয়েছে। কিছুক্ষেত্রে ধীরগতির বলে মনে হলেও বইটা শতভাগ বাহুল্যবর্জিত।
প্রকাশের বহু বছর পর, প্রথমবারের মতো ২০১৯ সালে ক্লাসিক এই জাপানিজ ডিটেকটিভ ফিকশনের ইংরেজি অনুবাদ প্রকাশিত হয়। বাংলা অনুবাদটাও মানসম্মত, পড়ার সময় ঠেকতে হয়নি।
July 3, 2020
I not long ago read a book that I marked down a bit for being a locked room mystery. Now I am going to do an about face and say I enjoyed this example of the genre quite a bit for those rules or conventions it breaks or stretches quite widely. I found myself a willing reader as the narrator presented the various stages of the crime: characters and setting involved, set up of events and the deaths themselves. Then there is an unwinding that, for me, was well done. It was true to the characters and family involved and the information the reader was given. There were red herrings, yes, but not absurdities.
This novel was written in the late 1940s, winning the first Mystery Writers of Japan Award in 1948 and only now translated into English. This is the first of a series of an eventual 77 books featuring Kosuke Kindaichi, a brilliant, young, somewhat disheveled detective. I would read more of this series if they became available.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
This novel was written in the late 1940s, winning the first Mystery Writers of Japan Award in 1948 and only now translated into English. This is the first of a series of an eventual 77 books featuring Kosuke Kindaichi, a brilliant, young, somewhat disheveled detective. I would read more of this series if they became available.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
January 18, 2022
the ending sucked but i loved everything else so it balances it out i guess
June 5, 2022
Originally published in 1946 The Honjin Murders is a locked-room murder mystery. Throughout the course of the novel, the author pays homage to Golden Age detective novels, by alluding directly to authors such as Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie and their works and by being quite self-aware when it comes to the conventions that characterise this genre. Sadly, despite my being a fan of detective novels and classic whodunits, The Honjin Murders failed to catch my interest nor I was impressed by its intertextuality. The narrative doesn’t really subvert any of the tropes it mentions, in fact, it seemed to me that it follows too closely in the steps of those classic detective novels. The way the whole murder is related to us also distanced me somewhat. The narrative is very heavy on the telling, with the same events being recapitulated one time too many. The narrator, I’ve forgotten what, if any, role he plays in the case, begins by mentioning this very ‘interesting’ case and relates the day of the murders and the subsequent investigation in an almost matter-of-fact manner. He’s somehow able to recount conversations and interactions that he had no way of witnessing and keeps foreshadowing what is to come in a way that didn’t add any intrigue or suspense to the story. The characters were one-note, dull even.
The murder takes place in the village of Okamura during the winter of 1937. The oldest son of the Ichiyanagi, a family of repute, is set to marry a teacher. Many of his family members aren’t keen on his marrying ‘down’, but he refuses to budge. The wedding takes place and on that very same night, the newlywed couple is found dead in a locked room. The evidence seems to point to a stranger who was sighted in the village earlier in the day. A relative of the bride reaches out to Kosuke Kindaichi, a sort-of-kid detective who, much like Poirot and his ‘little grey cells’, uses ‘logic’ to figure out the culprit and their motives.
I figured out the murderer pretty early on in the narrative which definitely decreased my engagement in the murder investigation.
Predictable and kind of dry (maybe this is due to my having read a translation) The Honjin Murders may appeal to those who haven’t read a lot of detective novels or perhaps those who aren’t seeking anything particularly riveting or complex.
October 20, 2020
When I started this rather thin book I didn't know I was in for a treat. This was so good - a detective story with the actual detective, a seemingly unsolvable mystic mystery and absolutely logical resolving of it. Is that you Sherlock? No. In this book we meet the main star of the series, detective Kindaichi, who solved murder and other crimes (I hope) in next 70 something (!) books.
What I especially appreciated, was the author's conscious choice to go all meta at his reader from the very first page marking that this is going to be a locked room mystery and even mentioning the authors who did it before and did it brilliantly - so reader gets the idea he was aiming high from the very start. And then in the story we saw some characters who themselves were big fans of detective stories and crime fiction and Kindaichi got into detailed conversation about locked room mysteries with one of them. If it's not winking at the reader then I don't know what it is.
There were no unnecessary descriptions in the book, the characters - as basically everything - got short but very on point characteristics, and oh boy, how many cultural and customary levels the author still managed to open. This detective story while taking the best from western tradition is in no way westernized. There's no devil in the detail - there's oni and kappa and probably bakeneko too.
Highly recommended if you're into this kind of detective story and a bit of the red herring in your maki. ;)
What I especially appreciated, was the author's conscious choice to go all meta at his reader from the very first page marking that this is going to be a locked room mystery and even mentioning the authors who did it before and did it brilliantly - so reader gets the idea he was aiming high from the very start. And then in the story we saw some characters who themselves were big fans of detective stories and crime fiction and Kindaichi got into detailed conversation about locked room mysteries with one of them. If it's not winking at the reader then I don't know what it is.
There were no unnecessary descriptions in the book, the characters - as basically everything - got short but very on point characteristics, and oh boy, how many cultural and customary levels the author still managed to open. This detective story while taking the best from western tradition is in no way westernized. There's no devil in the detail - there's oni and kappa and probably bakeneko too.
Highly recommended if you're into this kind of detective story and a bit of the red herring in your maki. ;)
November 27, 2022
Der Roman wurde bereits 1973 in Japan veröffentlicht und ist der erste von insgesamt 77 Bände rund um den Ermittler Kosuke Kindaichi. Pro Buch - ein abgeschlossener Fall.
Im Jahr 1937 wird ein kleines Dorf von einem schrecklichen Verbrechen erschüttert: In einem von innen verschlossen Raum werden in der Hochzeitsnacht der Bräutigam und seine Braut tot aufgefunden.
Was ist passiert?! - Der Leser wird eingeladen mitzudenken und mitzuraten. Ein echtes "Locked-Room-Murder Mystery", der mich ein wenig an meine Zeit von Detektiv Conan erinnern ließ.
200 Seiten, die ich sehr gern gelesen habe und mit der Auflösung von dem Fall sehr zufrieden bin. Ich freue mich bereits auf die weiteren Bände.
Im Jahr 1937 wird ein kleines Dorf von einem schrecklichen Verbrechen erschüttert: In einem von innen verschlossen Raum werden in der Hochzeitsnacht der Bräutigam und seine Braut tot aufgefunden.
Was ist passiert?! - Der Leser wird eingeladen mitzudenken und mitzuraten. Ein echtes "Locked-Room-Murder Mystery", der mich ein wenig an meine Zeit von Detektiv Conan erinnern ließ.
200 Seiten, die ich sehr gern gelesen habe und mit der Auflösung von dem Fall sehr zufrieden bin. Ich freue mich bereits auf die weiteren Bände.
May 6, 2023
Enjoyable Japanese mystery where social and cultural anxieties prevail. Nod to the golden age of detective novels. Hells bells, what an outrageous solution!
April 23, 2024
I'm a sucker for a locked-room mystery and I had so much fun with this!! I loved the atmosphere set by the author.
Here's to hoping all the books in the series get translated🤞🏾🤞🏾
Here's to hoping all the books in the series get translated🤞🏾🤞🏾
January 23, 2020
Yokomizo Seishi (1902-1981) was a Japanese mystery novelist. He’s especially known for his series of stories featuring young detective Kosuke Kindaichi (77 total). His influence can still be seen today in many authors. Among them, Kanari Yozaburo who took inspiration for his manga (and anime) series Kindaichi Shōnen no Jikenbo (featuring the fictitious grandson of Kosuke Kindaichi) or Aoyama Gosho, author of the Metantei Conan series.
In spite of his influence, he has seldom been translated. Part of his works have been published in French, but none in English as far as I know, until now.
The Case of the Honjin Murders is the first story featuring Kosuke Kindaichi, and is considered a classic.
In 1937, at the large mansion of the Ichiyanagi family, the wedding of the eldest son and heir, Kenzo, is being prepared. Meanwhile, a strange vagrant missing two fingers on one hand is seen at a nearby village.
Several members of the family are present at the ceremony, during which the koto, a 13 string musical instrument, is played, as it is traditional in the family. The ceremony then ends with a celebration of the couple by the locals.
Later that night, a cacophony of koto and screams is heard across the mansion. Members of the family rush outside to the annex in which the couple’s bedroom is located. As it is locked from the inside, they have to force their way in, and they discover the couple brutally murdered. The katana used to commit the crime is found outside, in the middle of the garden, on a coat of snow, with no footprints around.
A perfect locked room mystery.
While the police looks for the vagrant, the late bride’s suspicious uncle calls for his protégé, young detective Kosuke Kindaichi.
The book was a great read. It has been translated in English in quite an adequate style by Louise Heal Kawai. We can feel the contagious enthusiasm of the young detective jump from the pages, and share the bafflement of the police and other protagonists while he unravels the intricate mystery.
The story is narrated after the fact by an « author of detective novels », allowing Yokomizo Seishi to introduce us to his own influences from occidental and Japanese mystery authors.
This is a book that will be enjoyed both by Agatha Christie lovers, and fans of mystery manga and anime such as those I’ve referenced above. I hope Pushkin Press will continue their effort in adapting all further entries in the series.
Thanks to Pushkin Press and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for this unbiased review.
In spite of his influence, he has seldom been translated. Part of his works have been published in French, but none in English as far as I know, until now.
The Case of the Honjin Murders is the first story featuring Kosuke Kindaichi, and is considered a classic.
In 1937, at the large mansion of the Ichiyanagi family, the wedding of the eldest son and heir, Kenzo, is being prepared. Meanwhile, a strange vagrant missing two fingers on one hand is seen at a nearby village.
Several members of the family are present at the ceremony, during which the koto, a 13 string musical instrument, is played, as it is traditional in the family. The ceremony then ends with a celebration of the couple by the locals.
Later that night, a cacophony of koto and screams is heard across the mansion. Members of the family rush outside to the annex in which the couple’s bedroom is located. As it is locked from the inside, they have to force their way in, and they discover the couple brutally murdered. The katana used to commit the crime is found outside, in the middle of the garden, on a coat of snow, with no footprints around.
A perfect locked room mystery.
While the police looks for the vagrant, the late bride’s suspicious uncle calls for his protégé, young detective Kosuke Kindaichi.
The book was a great read. It has been translated in English in quite an adequate style by Louise Heal Kawai. We can feel the contagious enthusiasm of the young detective jump from the pages, and share the bafflement of the police and other protagonists while he unravels the intricate mystery.
The story is narrated after the fact by an « author of detective novels », allowing Yokomizo Seishi to introduce us to his own influences from occidental and Japanese mystery authors.
This is a book that will be enjoyed both by Agatha Christie lovers, and fans of mystery manga and anime such as those I’ve referenced above. I hope Pushkin Press will continue their effort in adapting all further entries in the series.
Thanks to Pushkin Press and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for this unbiased review.
August 10, 2019
Un delitto della camera chiusa nel Giappone degli ex grandi feudatari del 1936, in cui dominano ancora un forte classismo e un solido legame con le tradizioni.
Un’atmosfera cupa e suggestiva accompagna le indagini di Kindaichi, un giovane detective privato dall’aspetto trasandato, balbuziente e incredibilmente brillante. Lo seguiamo dipanare la matassa di un caso estremamente intricato, reso ulteriormente spinoso dalle reticenze di un’antica famiglia di proprietari terrieri.
Un’atmosfera cupa e suggestiva accompagna le indagini di Kindaichi, un giovane detective privato dall’aspetto trasandato, balbuziente e incredibilmente brillante. Lo seguiamo dipanare la matassa di un caso estremamente intricato, reso ulteriormente spinoso dalle reticenze di un’antica famiglia di proprietari terrieri.
October 19, 2020
A classic of the honkaku genre, 'The Honjin Murders' is the first of Yokomizo's mysteries to feature the perennially scruffy but ingenious investigator, Kindaichi Kōsuke. While Yokomizo wrote 76 stories featuring the intrepid detective, only two have been translated into English to date (the second is The Inugami Curse).
In this novel, Kindaichi makes an appearance fairly late in the story, well after an unnamed narrator (clearly a man of a certain age and some importance) establishes the characters, setting, and plot. The initial framing is a bit slow but it does establish the setting well and once Kindaichi arrives on the scene the story picks up momentum and emotional weight.
This is an exceptionally tightly focused mystery, its private wedding plot narrowing the potential murderers down to a small circle. As with most locked-room type stories the puzzlement is not so much who or why as how, and Yokomizo does not disappoint in the complexity with which he concocts the actual (truly heinous) crime. But what impressed me most in the book was how surprisingly metafictional and modern much of discussion between characters is: in Chapter 10, "A Conversation About Detective Novels", Kindaichi and Ichiyanagi Saburo (an avowed fan of detective stories) engage in an argument on locked-room mysteries as a genre that is really quite remarkable and delightfully sly. This sort of slightly jaded side-eye at the conventions of classic mystery stories continues throughout much of the book and gives it a uniquely piquant, intellectually stimulating feel, a welcome counterpoint to the genuine ugliness of the crime at its center.
This should be a must read for anyone interested in the development of the detective story, in locked-room mysteries, or just good crime fiction. I hope Pushkin Press publishes more translations of Yokomizo's work. I'll certainly buy and read them.
In this novel, Kindaichi makes an appearance fairly late in the story, well after an unnamed narrator (clearly a man of a certain age and some importance) establishes the characters, setting, and plot. The initial framing is a bit slow but it does establish the setting well and once Kindaichi arrives on the scene the story picks up momentum and emotional weight.
This is an exceptionally tightly focused mystery, its private wedding plot narrowing the potential murderers down to a small circle. As with most locked-room type stories the puzzlement is not so much who or why as how, and Yokomizo does not disappoint in the complexity with which he concocts the actual (truly heinous) crime. But what impressed me most in the book was how surprisingly metafictional and modern much of discussion between characters is: in Chapter 10, "A Conversation About Detective Novels", Kindaichi and Ichiyanagi Saburo (an avowed fan of detective stories) engage in an argument on locked-room mysteries as a genre that is really quite remarkable and delightfully sly. This sort of slightly jaded side-eye at the conventions of classic mystery stories continues throughout much of the book and gives it a uniquely piquant, intellectually stimulating feel, a welcome counterpoint to the genuine ugliness of the crime at its center.
This should be a must read for anyone interested in the development of the detective story, in locked-room mysteries, or just good crime fiction. I hope Pushkin Press publishes more translations of Yokomizo's work. I'll certainly buy and read them.
April 1, 2022
The mystery novels of Yokomizo are starting to show up translated into English. This novel was written in 1946 and introduces us to amateur detective Kosuke Kindaichi as he unravels an ingenious murder mystery. The killer had submitted the problem of a locked room murder and dared us to solve it. It was going to be a battle of wits. Perfect. Challenge accepted! If it was brains, logic and wit that were required, I was ready to go. Very Sherlock Holmes in his thinking and observing.
An enjoyable read. 3.5 stars. It bogged down in the telling at times which kept me from ascribing a full 4 stars to the read.
An enjoyable read. 3.5 stars. It bogged down in the telling at times which kept me from ascribing a full 4 stars to the read.
August 3, 2020
The Honjin Murders (1946) by Seishi Yokomizo is the first book to feature the detective Kosuke Kindaichi, a Sherlock Holmes type character.
The tale concerns the wealthy, high class, and status conscious Ichiyanagi family. On the night of the wedding of eldest son Kenzo and his young bride Katsuko, both are murdered by a mysterious assailant who flees into the night, leaving nothing but a handprint and a bloodied katana in the snow. The Honjin Murders is a "locked room murder mystery" in which there is no obvious way the murderer could have entered or left the murder scene and was popularised by the likes of Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and Gaston Leroux.
I enjoyed the interesting insight into Japanese society in the immediate pre-WW2 era but have to confess I found much of it tedious and, when it finally arrived, the denouement to be ridiculous. I'm not the biggest fan of this type of book so please don't pay my negative reaction too much heed. Many people who love this genre regard The Honjin Murders as something of a classic.
2/5
More about The Honjin Murders...
One of Japan's greatest classic murder mysteries, introducing their best loved detective, translated into English for the first time.
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 around the village.
Then, on the night of the wedding, the Ichiyanagi household 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. Soon, amateur detective Kosuke Kindaichi is on the scene to investigate what will become a legendary murder case, but can this scruffy sleuth solve a seemingly impossible crime?
The tale concerns the wealthy, high class, and status conscious Ichiyanagi family. On the night of the wedding of eldest son Kenzo and his young bride Katsuko, both are murdered by a mysterious assailant who flees into the night, leaving nothing but a handprint and a bloodied katana in the snow. The Honjin Murders is a "locked room murder mystery" in which there is no obvious way the murderer could have entered or left the murder scene and was popularised by the likes of Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and Gaston Leroux.
I enjoyed the interesting insight into Japanese society in the immediate pre-WW2 era but have to confess I found much of it tedious and, when it finally arrived, the denouement to be ridiculous. I'm not the biggest fan of this type of book so please don't pay my negative reaction too much heed. Many people who love this genre regard The Honjin Murders as something of a classic.
2/5
More about The Honjin Murders...
One of Japan's greatest classic murder mysteries, introducing their best loved detective, translated into English for the first time.
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 around the village.
Then, on the night of the wedding, the Ichiyanagi household 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. Soon, amateur detective Kosuke Kindaichi is on the scene to investigate what will become a legendary murder case, but can this scruffy sleuth solve a seemingly impossible crime?
September 30, 2023
The Honjin Murders is a 1940s Japanese mystery novel that has a surprisingly complex plot and interesting descriptions of local traditions, customs, and classes all in a unique setting.
An anonymous narrator who plays amateur sleuth pieces together evidence that he’s found regarding an old infamous double murder case that occurred following the marriage of the eldest son of a highly respected regal family who operated a honjin or an inn for traveling nobility.
The case concerns an apparent locked-room suite surrounded by fresh snow where screams and eerie music were heard immediately before the discovery of the bodies belonging to the bride and groom. Is it a coincidence that a foreboding stranger with only three fingers on one hand was seen asking questions about this family’s compound on the day before the murders happened?
The local police haven’t a clue, so thankfully, a relative requested the assistance of an eccentric and unconventional detective, Kosuke Kindaichi, to solve this crime. What a colorful character he was! About as far from the fastidiousness of Hercule Poirot as one can be.
This book had all the elements you’d expect in a classic style Golden-Age mystery. The isolated locked room, ominous stranger, bloody fingerprints, mysterious note, multiple suspects with motive. If you’re a fan of John Dickson Carr or Gaston Leroux or A.A. Milne, then what a treat that awaits you here.
Wisely, the author provided a character list that aided me in keeping up with the names that I found to be difficult to pronounce or remember. Too bad I didn’t have an audio to listen to; I would have enjoyed hearing the names and accents spoken.
As I mentioned the plot is complex. Just when I thought I had a solution, another layer would appear. Let’s say I didn’t come close to guessing the full conclusion – which was delivered Hercule Poirot style near the end. The only grumble I had with the plot was the motive for the crime. I don’t wish to leave spoilers so I will only say I thought it was petty; however, I will assume it fit within the cultural setting or period.
The Honjin Murders was an exciting find from this new author. With all the typically mystery elements that felt familiar, the setting and customs were a breath of fresh air. I hope to find more books in this thirty plus series. And, if I’m lucky, I may be able to locate the 1976 Japanese horror film adaptation, Death at an Old Mansion.
An anonymous narrator who plays amateur sleuth pieces together evidence that he’s found regarding an old infamous double murder case that occurred following the marriage of the eldest son of a highly respected regal family who operated a honjin or an inn for traveling nobility.
The case concerns an apparent locked-room suite surrounded by fresh snow where screams and eerie music were heard immediately before the discovery of the bodies belonging to the bride and groom. Is it a coincidence that a foreboding stranger with only three fingers on one hand was seen asking questions about this family’s compound on the day before the murders happened?
The local police haven’t a clue, so thankfully, a relative requested the assistance of an eccentric and unconventional detective, Kosuke Kindaichi, to solve this crime. What a colorful character he was! About as far from the fastidiousness of Hercule Poirot as one can be.
This book had all the elements you’d expect in a classic style Golden-Age mystery. The isolated locked room, ominous stranger, bloody fingerprints, mysterious note, multiple suspects with motive. If you’re a fan of John Dickson Carr or Gaston Leroux or A.A. Milne, then what a treat that awaits you here.
Wisely, the author provided a character list that aided me in keeping up with the names that I found to be difficult to pronounce or remember. Too bad I didn’t have an audio to listen to; I would have enjoyed hearing the names and accents spoken.
As I mentioned the plot is complex. Just when I thought I had a solution, another layer would appear. Let’s say I didn’t come close to guessing the full conclusion – which was delivered Hercule Poirot style near the end. The only grumble I had with the plot was the motive for the crime. I don’t wish to leave spoilers so I will only say I thought it was petty; however, I will assume it fit within the cultural setting or period.
The Honjin Murders was an exciting find from this new author. With all the typically mystery elements that felt familiar, the setting and customs were a breath of fresh air. I hope to find more books in this thirty plus series. And, if I’m lucky, I may be able to locate the 1976 Japanese horror film adaptation, Death at an Old Mansion.
March 25, 2022
It's absolutely crazy that there are 70+ Kosuke Kindaichi books and only three have been translated into English! It's also crazy that this book was written in 1948 and it took seventy-one (!) years for a translation.
It feels criminal because this book is not only fun to read, but it is actively in a conversation with contemporary novels. It's a locked room murder mystery that discusses other types of locked room mysteries (Yokomizo is clear that he does not consider mechanical solutions to be elegant or praiseworthy), and he even introduces Kosuke Kindaichi by saying he has "something of the Antony Gillingham about him." Antony, of course, is the lead detective from A.A. Milne's The Red House Mystery! (Anyone mentioning Antony Gillingham wins my heart.) This book expanded my reading list by at least ten new authors:
I enjoyed several aspects of the mystery and Kosuke Kindaichi is a really fun main character. His defining characteristics are his unruly hair and his stammer. Reading a mostly contemporary book set in 1930s Japan is also interesting; there's the tension between the new order and the old order (the honjin family who is careful of their lineage), and the differences between rural and urban life. (I love the section where Yokomizo explains that rural farmers are canny with money and thus have their own charcoal kilns.) Ultimately, though, the solution leans a little too locked room for my taste, and the strong misogynistic undercurrent is disappointing, though understandable.
I got this book for Matt for Christmas. My toddler spent at least a week sitting down with it, telling us, "I read this book!" and then carefully flipping to find the page with the map of the Ichiyanagi annexe house. Now both the toddler and I have read Yokomizo, and Matt has yet to read it. Merry Christmas to me!
Other Kosuke Kindaichi reviews:
The Village of Eight Graves
It feels criminal because this book is not only fun to read, but it is actively in a conversation with contemporary novels. It's a locked room murder mystery that discusses other types of locked room mysteries (Yokomizo is clear that he does not consider mechanical solutions to be elegant or praiseworthy), and he even introduces Kosuke Kindaichi by saying he has "something of the Antony Gillingham about him." Antony, of course, is the lead detective from A.A. Milne's The Red House Mystery! (Anyone mentioning Antony Gillingham wins my heart.) This book expanded my reading list by at least ten new authors:
There was the whole collection of Arthur Conan Doyle, Maurice Leblanc's Lupin series, and every translated work that the publishers Hakubunkan and Heibonsha had ever released. Then there was the Japanese section: it began with nineteenth-century novels by Ruiko Kuroiwa, and also featured Edogawa Ranpo, Fuboku Kozakai, Saburo Koga, Udaru Oshita, Takataro Kigi, Juza Unno, Mushitaro Oguri all crammed in together. And then as well as Japanese translations of Western novels, there were the original, untranslated works of Ellery Queen, Dickson Carr, Freeman Wills Crofts and Agatha Christie, etc. etc. etc. It was a magnificent sight: an entire library of detective novels.
I enjoyed several aspects of the mystery and Kosuke Kindaichi is a really fun main character. His defining characteristics are his unruly hair and his stammer. Reading a mostly contemporary book set in 1930s Japan is also interesting; there's the tension between the new order and the old order (the honjin family who is careful of their lineage), and the differences between rural and urban life. (I love the section where Yokomizo explains that rural farmers are canny with money and thus have their own charcoal kilns.) Ultimately, though, the solution leans a little too locked room for my taste, and the strong misogynistic undercurrent is disappointing, though understandable.
I got this book for Matt for Christmas. My toddler spent at least a week sitting down with it, telling us, "I read this book!" and then carefully flipping to find the page with the map of the Ichiyanagi annexe house. Now both the toddler and I have read Yokomizo, and Matt has yet to read it. Merry Christmas to me!
Other Kosuke Kindaichi reviews:
The Village of Eight Graves
July 21, 2020
This Japanese murder-mystery is set in the 1930’s and involves the marriage of Kenzo, the proud, eldest son of the Ichiyanagi family, with Katsuko, a schoolteacher. There is some family dispute about the match, with Katsuko not being seen as of a good enough background for Kenzo. Although her Uncle Ginzo is worried about the match, he accepts the marriage. However, the wedding night becomes a tragedy and Ginzo calls in private investigator, Kosuke Kindaichi, to uncover the truth.
I enjoyed the setting of this book and I liked the fact it was a homage to Golden Age crime, with many a nod to locked room mysteries, and classic detective fiction. I wavered between three, or four, stars, and have decided it should probably be a four, but 3.5 probably reflects how I felt about it better. I would read the next book in the series, which has been translated, ‘The Inugami Curse,’ and I find the period a very interesting one and liked the detective and his barely disguised pleasure at solving the crime; despite the fact that it was his benefactor’s niece who was killed.
I enjoyed the setting of this book and I liked the fact it was a homage to Golden Age crime, with many a nod to locked room mysteries, and classic detective fiction. I wavered between three, or four, stars, and have decided it should probably be a four, but 3.5 probably reflects how I felt about it better. I would read the next book in the series, which has been translated, ‘The Inugami Curse,’ and I find the period a very interesting one and liked the detective and his barely disguised pleasure at solving the crime; despite the fact that it was his benefactor’s niece who was killed.
April 29, 2021
Dopo Tokyo express, un altro giallo giapponese da cui sono rimasta affascinata!
Kenzō, il primogenito di una famiglia benestante, e la moglie vengono ritrovati assassinati nella depandance durante la loro prima notte di nozze. La singolarità di questo caso è che ci troviamo davanti a un perfetto delitto a porte chiuse: l’abitazione viene ritrovata completamente chiusa dall’interno mentre l’arma del delitto, un’antica spada giapponese, è rinvenuta all’esterno della dependance.
Sarà il giovane detective Kindaichi a far luce su questo crimine ricco di particolarità e minuziosi indizi, fornendoci un’accurata ricostruzione degli eventi che non ci saremmo mai aspettati.
Kenzō, il primogenito di una famiglia benestante, e la moglie vengono ritrovati assassinati nella depandance durante la loro prima notte di nozze. La singolarità di questo caso è che ci troviamo davanti a un perfetto delitto a porte chiuse: l’abitazione viene ritrovata completamente chiusa dall’interno mentre l’arma del delitto, un’antica spada giapponese, è rinvenuta all’esterno della dependance.
Sarà il giovane detective Kindaichi a far luce su questo crimine ricco di particolarità e minuziosi indizi, fornendoci un’accurata ricostruzione degli eventi che non ci saremmo mai aspettati.
October 24, 2021
I love crime fiction and nothing thrills me more in this genre than the locked room mystery. Fortunately, it appears Seishi Yokomizo also loved detective stories growing up and went on to become an accomplished author in his own right.
He is one of Japan’s most famous and best loved mystery writers. It was a joy to be given a copy of his first Kosuke Kindaichi story. The Honjin Murders also happens to be a Locked Room Murder Mystery.
The head of an aristocratic family appears to be marrying beneath his status; his future bride has secrets of her own and despite her future husband’s family lack of enthusiasm the wedding goes ahead.
But in the early hours of the next day eerie screams reveal a horrific and brutal crime. The room is completely enclosed and locked; snow has fallen and not one footprint has been made leaving the crime scene. Yet somehow a murderer has struck and disappeared in thin air.
The local police seem competent but unable to catch the main suspect. A relative of the murdered bride knows someone who can break the impasse.
Enter Kosuke Kindaichi a young man with a canny ability to reason and bring logic to a murder mystery and find solutions others overlook.
Nothing gives me more pleasure in addition to my words above than finding new detective stories, in fresh locations and from different perspectives. Sadly not all good detective novels have been translated and this is where readers should be grateful to publishers like Pushkin Press to bring an English translation of this Japanese classic. Mention should go to Louise Heal Kawai for her readable translation that made my experience with the book smooth and comfortable.
The writing flows with great energy so that the story never seems to stumble or pause. This impetus means that the pages pass quickly, you feel comfortable with the plot and characters without the need to recap or return to an early passage.
I liked the detective and the problems that confronted him at the murder scene. I smiled as he got more animated discerning clues and scratching his head to show his lifted mood and contentment. It was also clever in that the account was like a report of the events and we were being drawn into a notorious murder from a earlier time.
You don’t feel an outsider, rather a privileged member of a crime club being given insight into this mystery. Japanese culture is shared and again the writing draws you into all aspects of the story so you feel included rather than a voyeur or a witness just too far away to understand.
I was at ease as much as I when I am reading a Maigret, yet I have walked those Paris streets but never travelled to Japan.
I loved the story, the writing and the detective and hope other stories will become available and others will be encouraged to read and learn more about Japanese fiction and crime mysteries especially.
He is one of Japan’s most famous and best loved mystery writers. It was a joy to be given a copy of his first Kosuke Kindaichi story. The Honjin Murders also happens to be a Locked Room Murder Mystery.
The head of an aristocratic family appears to be marrying beneath his status; his future bride has secrets of her own and despite her future husband’s family lack of enthusiasm the wedding goes ahead.
But in the early hours of the next day eerie screams reveal a horrific and brutal crime. The room is completely enclosed and locked; snow has fallen and not one footprint has been made leaving the crime scene. Yet somehow a murderer has struck and disappeared in thin air.
The local police seem competent but unable to catch the main suspect. A relative of the murdered bride knows someone who can break the impasse.
Enter Kosuke Kindaichi a young man with a canny ability to reason and bring logic to a murder mystery and find solutions others overlook.
Nothing gives me more pleasure in addition to my words above than finding new detective stories, in fresh locations and from different perspectives. Sadly not all good detective novels have been translated and this is where readers should be grateful to publishers like Pushkin Press to bring an English translation of this Japanese classic. Mention should go to Louise Heal Kawai for her readable translation that made my experience with the book smooth and comfortable.
The writing flows with great energy so that the story never seems to stumble or pause. This impetus means that the pages pass quickly, you feel comfortable with the plot and characters without the need to recap or return to an early passage.
I liked the detective and the problems that confronted him at the murder scene. I smiled as he got more animated discerning clues and scratching his head to show his lifted mood and contentment. It was also clever in that the account was like a report of the events and we were being drawn into a notorious murder from a earlier time.
You don’t feel an outsider, rather a privileged member of a crime club being given insight into this mystery. Japanese culture is shared and again the writing draws you into all aspects of the story so you feel included rather than a voyeur or a witness just too far away to understand.
I was at ease as much as I when I am reading a Maigret, yet I have walked those Paris streets but never travelled to Japan.
I loved the story, the writing and the detective and hope other stories will become available and others will be encouraged to read and learn more about Japanese fiction and crime mysteries especially.
September 18, 2020
The book is the first one in the Kosuke Kindaichi series and covers a murder that happened in a locked room of a Japanese mansion.
The story is set in the 1930s at the Ichiyanagi house in Okayama. Kenzou Ichiyanagi and Katsuko Kubo got murdered on their wedding night. On that very night, everyone heard the sound of a lot coming from the room of the couples. Hearing this, Ginzo, Katsuko's uncle, rushes to the spot, as it was an unusual sound to be heard at night, unfortunately, to witness bodies of the couple drenched in blood. As for the evidence, a Japanese style sword was found thurst in the middle of the garden; however, the snow made it impossible to recover footprints. Although all entries to the room were bolted from inside, the bloodied prints of a three-fingered hand were found on the crime scene.The suspicion falls on a man who visited that area a day before the incident and had only three fingers on his right hand.Ginzo felt that the police couldn't solve the mystery, so he hired detective Kosuke, who dramatically unfolds the mystery.
The best part of the story is the way the author introduced the incident. He started with the settings, then moved on to the characters, and finally, the incident. The details of the location were narrated like the way a teacher explains things in class. This style was followed throughout the story without giving away the essence/ mystery. Like the location, the characters were also introduced in such a way that it was impossible to skip any details.
With the blueprint of the location and the details of the characters and incident, one will be in a rush to reach a conclusion. Ah!! hold on, there comes the magic of the author's mastermind.
The story is written flawlessly, and the narration has an intimacy. The translator, too, has done a great job.
I would really like to hide this, I made a mistake while reading the book, or should I say I got carried away by the mystery. The mistake is not looking up for the images and meanings of Japanese words mentioned in the story. I shouldn't have forgotten the items that we consider trivial can be key to solve the puzzle.
In short, this book is a perfect choice to feed your hunger for a gruesome murder mystery.
The story is set in the 1930s at the Ichiyanagi house in Okayama. Kenzou Ichiyanagi and Katsuko Kubo got murdered on their wedding night. On that very night, everyone heard the sound of a lot coming from the room of the couples. Hearing this, Ginzo, Katsuko's uncle, rushes to the spot, as it was an unusual sound to be heard at night, unfortunately, to witness bodies of the couple drenched in blood. As for the evidence, a Japanese style sword was found thurst in the middle of the garden; however, the snow made it impossible to recover footprints. Although all entries to the room were bolted from inside, the bloodied prints of a three-fingered hand were found on the crime scene.The suspicion falls on a man who visited that area a day before the incident and had only three fingers on his right hand.Ginzo felt that the police couldn't solve the mystery, so he hired detective Kosuke, who dramatically unfolds the mystery.
The best part of the story is the way the author introduced the incident. He started with the settings, then moved on to the characters, and finally, the incident. The details of the location were narrated like the way a teacher explains things in class. This style was followed throughout the story without giving away the essence/ mystery. Like the location, the characters were also introduced in such a way that it was impossible to skip any details.
With the blueprint of the location and the details of the characters and incident, one will be in a rush to reach a conclusion. Ah!! hold on, there comes the magic of the author's mastermind.
The story is written flawlessly, and the narration has an intimacy. The translator, too, has done a great job.
I would really like to hide this, I made a mistake while reading the book, or should I say I got carried away by the mystery. The mistake is not looking up for the images and meanings of Japanese words mentioned in the story. I shouldn't have forgotten the items that we consider trivial can be key to solve the puzzle.
In short, this book is a perfect choice to feed your hunger for a gruesome murder mystery.
February 1, 2020
I found the elements of this book that are uniquely Japanese fascinating - the house, garden and everything in it, the way of life in Japan just before WWII, the formality and feudalism that persisted until then. The locked-room murder mystery, though cleverly conceived, left me cold and the reason for it…. what can I say, only in Japan perhaps. The plot was structured effectively for me - well paced and the several different narrators’ perspectives on events mixed it up nicely.
A quick, absorbing read but not one I’d care to repeat or particularly recommend. I’m guessing I’m not enough of a crime mystery devotee for this and others will enjoy its foreshadowing of more recent authors’ offerings.
With thanks to Pushkin Vertigo via NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.
A quick, absorbing read but not one I’d care to repeat or particularly recommend. I’m guessing I’m not enough of a crime mystery devotee for this and others will enjoy its foreshadowing of more recent authors’ offerings.
With thanks to Pushkin Vertigo via NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,032 reviews