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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Vomit
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Well done locked room mystery with a solution that managed to elude me even though I thought I knew all of the references or was pulling from.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to like this one a lot more than I did. Murder mystery inspired by And Then There Were None? Sign me up!! But, I was left quite disappointed. I couldn't really invest in any of the characters. Most of them had zero personality, and the killer's story wasn't exactly worth my while either. All in all, it was just okay. A bit lackluster.
The Decagon House Murders is a classic locked room murder mystery (with a twist) taken place on an island where revenge is being exacted for the untimely death of a fellow student. All the elements are there for this Japanese take on the genre. However, for me there is something that I can quite pin down that made the book just okay for me.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was excited for this as an opportunity to read more outside the Western mystery canon, but it didn’t really land for me. Well-plotted and the twist totally caught me by surprise, but an odd reading experience. The conspicuous clues and “fair play” aspect elevate the mystery over the narrative or any character development, which made it feel suited for younger readers, yet the plot is quite dark and adult. It unfortunately suffers from a pretty stilted translation - I can’t imagine dialogue between college students sounds this awkward in the Japanese. And finally I cannot recommend it on audio. The character voices were OK, but I can’t fathom what he was going for with the narration. In reading other reviews I can see I’m not the only one who had to check whether it was read by AI. So overall a strange mixed bag!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a puzzle box mystery -- the point is not so much the story or the characters but how the murderer did what they did. It was good, engaging, and kept me guessing.