Reviews

If I am going to be super honest, let me first say that I am quite vexed at myself for discovering this genre quite late "The CLASSIC JAPANESE MYSTERIES", I mean.

So recently @pushkin_press republished a number of Japanese noirs and this is my second read from the lot and like my last read "The HONJIN MURDERS", this impressed me a lot! Fine, I'll admit. Quite a lot!

It was manipulative, engrossing and all-consuming at the same time where we follow Kentaro Hatanaka, the lawyer of a convicted serial killer, Ichiro Handa as he sets on a quest to untangle the web of mystery behind the murders of his client's bedmates.

With Hatanka, we retrace the steps with the grace of his expertise intricately. I don't want to give away much about this book by getting into the details because it is something that's better when read by yourself!

The starting might feel a bit difficult to get a grip on but rest assured if you love an atmospheric setting where the story plays itself as the protagonist, then this is a MUST.

Also, I think translated Japanese murder mysteries have sort of become my thing

malongorose's review

Go to review page

mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

willsouth's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

alen97's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

natasha29singh's review

Go to review page

2.0

My most uncertain two-star-rating ever. Togawa writes very engagingly, and I enjoyed the legal aspects of the story, especially the classic dilemma of law versus morality. The whole time I was reading the book, I was wondering, “It can’t be that predictable, can it?” And to the author’s credit, it was not! But unfortunately, it was because the wife turned out to be ten times more reprehensible than the husband. The conclusion was just too salacious for my liking.

PS: I have since read and (really) enjoyed [b:The Master Key|1143506|The Master Key|Masako Togawa|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1278602927l/1143506._SY75_.jpg|1130949], but I don't want to dishonestly revise my rating to three stars.

More...