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fraise's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Drug abuse, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Child death, Gore, and Grief
Minor: Infidelity and Rape
toffishay's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Violence, Vomit, Confinement, Murder, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Grief, Gaslighting, Blood, Suicide, and Medical content
Minor: Rape, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Infidelity
snowwhitehatesapples's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
The Decagon House Murders is a perhaps best described, first, as the author’s testament of his love of mystery fiction. We have characters who are members of the fictional counterpart of a mystery club the author was in in real life, direct nods to actual American and European mystery authors, plot moments inspired by Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None , and more. We’re also given a (practically meta) explanation of Honkaku mysteries through a discussion between the characters where they likened the subgenre to a game between the author and the reader.
(PS: According to the Guardian, ‘Honkaku translates as “orthodox”, and refers to the crafting of fiendishly clever and complex puzzle scenarios–such as a murder in a locked bedroom–that can only be solved through logical deduction’.)
Sadly, all of the above elements didn’t translate to an impactful, shocking or deep piece of mystery fiction for me. The first thing that lessened my enthusiasm for The Decagon House Murders is the almost mind-numbing (made worse by the bland prose) length of time the author took to set the stage. Considering the book’s blurb, I’d expected murder to happen within less than 100 pages of the book but instead, it took an exact 118 pages. Immediately after that, everything went downhill so quickly that if this book were an IRL ride, I would’ve gotten whiplash.
It’s also painfully obvious that The Decagon House Murders is nothing more than a mystery with clever puzzle scenarios. Sure, the deaths were shocking, but that’s it. The characters are so flat, they’re clearly just here as puppets to move the game forward. I guessed who the murderer was very early on as well, though it was interesting to know how the murders were carried out and how much space played a huge role in everything.
Everything considered, I don’t recommend this book to anyone looking for depth or complex/strong characters in their mystery novels. However, if you enjoy playing a deduction game, this could pique your interest. Otherwise, if you’re looking for some classic Japanese mysteries that have several layers to them or more human characters, you might like the Detective Kosuke Kindaichi series by Seishi Yokomizo.
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Toxic friendship and Injury/Injury detail
linguaphile412's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Blood and Gore
Minor: Suicide, Rape, Vomit, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
bilitis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Suicide, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Death, Grief, Alcoholism, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, and Violence