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snowwhitehatesapples's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Review can also be found at Snow White Hates Apples.
A classic Japanese mystery that’s fascinating and clever, The Honjin Murders is the first of the Detective Kosuke Kindaichi series. This locked-room mystery is set in 1937 in a rural village where a tragedy befalls the wealthy Ichiyanagi family immediately after the wedding of the eldest son and Kosuke is requested to help solve the case by the uncle of the newlywed wife.
A classic Japanese mystery that’s fascinating and clever, The Honjin Murders is the first of the Detective Kosuke Kindaichi series. This locked-room mystery is set in 1937 in a rural village where a tragedy befalls the wealthy Ichiyanagi family immediately after the wedding of the eldest son and Kosuke is requested to help solve the case by the uncle of the newlywed wife.
“…a blood-curdling scream rang out, followed by the eerie strains of a koto being plucked with wild abandon.”
The story is narrated rather matter-of-factly by a writer of detective stories in the future (the fourth-wall-breaking moments were brilliant!) as he reconstructs the events of the murders. Though, despite this and past the initial difficulty I had getting into the story because of the tone, this book still managed to give me goosebumps and kept me in the dark while the mystery gradually unravelled. Yokomizo didn’t really hide anything as there were a bunch of clues throughout the story. Instead, he offered unexpected twists and red herrings that kept me intrigued and clueless. All of this accumulated to an aha! moment that just stunned me and made me realise that yes, Yokomizo’s books deserve to be a classic.
“The ground was carpeted in those deep red spider lilies sometimes known as equinox flowers.”
Other than that, while I understand that different aspects are given more importance in this book and am aware of the period it’s written in, I must add that there’s barely any character development or fleshing of characters until they’re three-dimensional. The ingenious plot and its execution are the stars of the show here, so for those expecting stronger characters, don’t let the lack of it get you down. Focus, instead, on how wicked and clever the mystery is and I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading this book as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
arlaines's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Suicide, Death, and Murder
notartgarfunkel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Body horror, and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Misogyny, and Death
Minor: Mental illness, Addiction, Ableism, Animal death, and War
uranaishi's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Classism, and Suicide
questingnotcoasting's review against another edition
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
3.0
This was an interesting read but it was also a little disappointing. I was really enjoying this to begin with but then I didn't find the second half as compelling and the conclusion wasn't completely satisfying to me. There was a lot hidden from the reader which meant it was hard to figure out the solution before the end. However I did like the premise and the narrative style and I enjoyed the experience of reading a classic crime novel which wasn't set in the UK.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Animal death
house_of_hannah's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The first third of this book is just ok, but then Detective Kindaichi is introduced, which picks up the pace considerably, and makes the story much more intriguing. It's fun trying to put the pieces together as more clues are revealed, but there are some things that are kept from the reader, so you are never going to be able to put together the whole picture on your own. I was able to guess some of the reveals though, so I still felt a sense of accomplishment.
This book is not told from the Detective's perspective. We are relayed information from a third party years later who uses interviews, notes, and police records to piece together the full story. For example there are several back-to-back chapters that are told from the village doctor's perspective, as he wrote down what had happened the day he was there. I thought this was interesting as these types of books are generally told from the perspective of the person trying to solve the case.
The last few pages of this are surprisingly dark ! It's a depressing ending that is essentially an epilogue as to what happens to the family after. It did catch me off guard a bit, so I finished the book with a different feeling than I had just a few pages earlier. However, I am interested in seeing how many books are in this Detective Kindaichi series, and if any more are at my library.
This book is not told from the Detective's perspective. We are relayed information from a third party years later who uses interviews, notes, and police records to piece together the full story. For example there are several back-to-back chapters that are told from the village doctor's perspective, as he wrote down what had happened the day he was there. I thought this was interesting as these types of books are generally told from the perspective of the person trying to solve the case.
The last few pages of this are surprisingly dark ! It's a depressing ending that is essentially an epilogue as to what happens to the family after. It did catch me off guard a bit, so I finished the book with a different feeling than I had just a few pages earlier. However, I am interested in seeing how many books are in this Detective Kindaichi series, and if any more are at my library.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Ableism, Chronic illness, and Misogyny
noahhare's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, Death, Gore, Toxic relationship, and Suicide
Minor: Animal death
cobi's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Sexism, Suicide, Infidelity, and Misogyny
Moderate: Animal death and Chronic illness
Minor: Ableism, Alcohol, and Car accident
tomato_bisque's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This is a typical, classic whodunit murder mystery. Readers are not going to find the types of plot twists you might find in a modern thriller/murder mystery. While there are oddball characters, more of the emphasis rests on solving the crime and finding evidence than on deep character development. It is a short, enjoyable book and I plan on reading more by the author.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Death
Minor: Animal death, Gore, and Sexism
minor sexism
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