The Honjin Murders

The story revolves around an impossible crime very much in the classic John Dickson Carr tradition. Two newlyweds are found dead and blood-soaked just after their wedding in a building securely locked from the inside. The bridegroom’s family members are inordinately proud of their ancestry as owners of an inn where nobles stayed in the Edo period. Old feudal attitudes from the time of the Shogunate find echoes in the present mystery. The police are befuddled by misdirection and false clues. The murderer is too clever for them — but not for the amateur sleuth invited to the scene by the dead bride’s grieving uncle. Kosuke Kindaichi is not an impressive investigator. He’s only twenty-five or -six. His clothes are wrinkled, his hair is wild and shaggy, and he stutters. But somehow he manages to charm the police inspector, who lets the young man snoop around to his heart’s content. In no time Kindaichi is directing the investigation! There is a highly sinister three-fingered man in the neighborhood at the time of the double murder. This is fun. And Japanese koto music is somehow involved with the crime. The bride plays the koto, and we wonder if perhaps the murderer does too. This novel, like its scruffy amateur sleuth, has a peculiar charm. The mix of Western crime fiction conventions with Japanese traditions makes for a very engaging mystery.

The book was as described. Price and condition were right. My granddaughter enjoyed the book. Excellent all around.

Having finished this book I was torn between giving it 3 or 4 stars and certainly would have given it 3 and 1/2 if possible. I had actually read the author’s second mystery The Igunami Curse before reading this one and really enjoyed that one. This one I didn’t really care as much for as I began to read it. I didn’t like the writing style and I felt it was somewhat slow and boring at first. However by the time I reached the end I was impressed with the overall plot and how it was resolved. I almost gave it up after several chapters and so glad I stayed with it. I strongly recommend it - just give it a chance.

Amazing. Blends psychology and mystery. Just the premise is wonderful. There is also a degree of rashomon effect in which the author himself gives deceptive leads.

This is a classic “locked-room mystery” that the narrator admits up front is a locked-room mystery and then compares, more than once, to other classic locked-room mysteries. I don’t want to give away too much, so I’ll just say that it’s very clever in both the plotting and the writing. The one drawback is the Japanese setting, which results in many things being casually mentioned that I, not being from Japan, wasn’t familiar with, but overall that wasn’t too big an issue. If you like locked-room mysteries, I think you’ll like this one.

This book is my first read from this author. What a wonderful find. Very well written, to the point and not extra words to fill up a page. The historical and traditional information was exceptionally interesting. A Very good read. Worth every minute.

Detective Kindaiichi was not an unfamiliar name but it was my first time reading a book featuring him. Quite an charming character. This story features an intriguing a locked room mystery. Although the conclusion is a bit outlandish (I suppose to make an "impossible crime" work, it has to be like this somehow), but it does not decrease my enjoyment. The simple and clear prose moves the story forward nicely. And it is a nice touch to have the narrator break to fourth wall and talk to the reader directly. The skills of the translator is also praiseworthy.

Had too much expectation from this one as it's hailed as "one of the best locked room murder mysteries". But just a shocking ending doesn't guarantee that. The author relies on certain potholes in the plot (mainly related to personality traits which do not show up before the 'BIG reveal') to guarantee the shock towards the ending. I'm giving it 3 stars because, 1) you can finish it in one go, there's no dull moment, it's almost like a film script, good or bad; and 2) the original is quite old, set in 1937 Japan, written in 1946, so probably, there was room to make such mistakes! It also accounts for some of the regressive subplots in the novel. Verdict: Entertaining one-time read, carry it with you if you have a 2 hour boring flight or so, and then forget about it! Nothing great about it, but a good time pass!

What a prolific author with 77 books in the Detective Kindaichi series! I think this is the first to be translated into English though there now about half a dozen. Each a good read and while the books were written and set 50-80 years ago, the character of the hero is very modern. For anyone looking for other Detective Series, David Rudlin's Mclean series are worth a read too.

Interesting, as Japanese fiction often is. The complexity of the means by which the crime is committed is difficult to fully understand: I decided to read it once only and accept the explanation and move on.

Very intriguing plot! A tour-de-force with a surprising plot twist at the end. I was caught by surprise with the revelation of the real murderer and the chilling crime scene. A nice read!

I'm excited to read the novel.

This is a book by an author about whom I knew nothing, read an article about him which said that he is the most loved mystery authors from Japan. The next attribute which made me curious is the comparison with Agatha Christie. His protagonist Kindaichi is very interestingly portrayed. He has all the features of good detective should have. A very logical mind with weird features and prosaic deductions is his key characteristics. I will not discuss the story line and be a spoiler but I must say one thing the presentation of this lock room mystery is great and it is surely going to keep you hooked till the end. A must read for all mystery writers.