I was looking forward to reading this book by Seishi Yokomizo (1902-1981) who was one of Japan's most popular historical mystery writers, often compared to other classic writers in the genre such as Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr. He was best known for his series featururing private detective Kosuke Kindaichi (77books!), a rumpled, self-effacing man who occasionally helps the local police with particularly vexing crimes. Several of his books have been translated into English. Here is the plot summary from the publisher's website:
"An old friend of Kosuke Kindaichi's invites the scruffy detective to visit the remote mountain village of Onikobe in order to look into a twenty-year-old murder case. But no sooner has Kindaichi arrived than a new series of murders strikes the village - several bodies are discovered staged in bizarre poses, and it soon becomes clear that the victims are being killed using methods that match the lyrics of an old local children's song... The legendary sleuth investigates, but soon realises that he must unravel the dark and tangled history of the village, as well as that of its rival families, to get to the truth."
In spite of a wonderful map of the village setting and a list of all the characters involved, I had a really hard time following the relationships that are key to the story. The plot line unwinds very slowly and I was surprised at the outcome, never imagining who the killer was. Nevertheless, his mysteries have received positive reviews in the English press, including the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, the Guardian, and the Economist.
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