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3.25 AVERAGE
3.25 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
slow-paced
I have a feeling that the writer here was a fan of Chesterton, because a few chapters in, a particular conversation plus, let's just say, several elements of the set-dressing had me going "I am getting multiple vibes of a particular Chesterton story* here" and led me to predict both the murderer and a particular plot element. But it's also possible that I'd have guessed the murderer even without it, because how the hell else would Esmeralda know the answers to all the mysteries in so much detail so quickly, when we see so little investigative work ? Obviously the answer is meant to be that Kazuki figures it out himself privately but it's not totally satisfying and definitely raises suspicion, especially as we DO separately see puzzlement and attempts at solving the conundrums from Kawaji .
*The story I refer to isthe second one, The Secret Garden, which makes a murderer of- and kills off- the French policeman, Aristide Valentin, introduced in the first story. While I was misremembering some elements of Valentin's motivations, meaning that the initial conversation about whether the government should aim for absolute justice or not had a more generally-Chestertonian vibe to it than an outright paraphrase of this story in particular, that story too centered a policeman criminal with access to a bunch of heads of executed men for the purposes of concealing the true identity of another beheaded man .
It's hard to judge this as if I'd read it as part of its intended audience, because I really know almost nothing about Japanese history and Japanese names, meaning that I am sure a lot was lost on me and I also had a hard time keeping different characters apart and tracking characters across different narratives within the bookwhich of course meant that those cops being around the whole time was largely lost on me, though I did vaguely notice one or two of the names repeating themselves without getting the significance . The historical fiction part could also be kind of weighty and the pace was pretty slow. I'd add as well that the depictions of women were abysmal to the point of apparently completely purposefully so, which is frustrating as there was no reason WHY they should be! They're used as plot devices and stereotypes and basically nothing else for no really good reason- in fact, the lack of real involvement and dialogue from Esmeralda in particular is honestly obtrusive in the narrative. I get that the book was written in 1979, but I feel like even in 1879 writers did a better job at things like this.
I will also say- I enjoyed some of the underlying themes here, which from the beginning included "what does a detective novel look like in a society with no due process, and thus no real need to PROVE anything in a court of law?" That initial thought ended up being vital to the whole mystery, and leaves things on a really interesting note.
*The story I refer to is
It's hard to judge this as if I'd read it as part of its intended audience, because I really know almost nothing about Japanese history and Japanese names, meaning that I am sure a lot was lost on me and I also had a hard time keeping different characters apart and tracking characters across different narratives within the book
I will also say- I enjoyed some of the underlying themes here, which from the beginning included "what does a detective novel look like in a society with no due process, and thus no real need to PROVE anything in a court of law?" That initial thought ended up being vital to the whole mystery, and leaves things on a really interesting note.
holy shit they were NOT kidding about that ending. review here. (contains spoilers)
It took me almost 3 months to finish this book because I took so many breaks in between and read it slowly.
The 6, 7 cases of seemingly unrelated but actually very connected murders and death by guillotine punishments described in the book have so many names and information that tends to confuse at time but they keep you hooked, nonetheless.
All the time while I was reading those cases, I kept thinking why they always resort to the Miko to solve their cases but the revelations at the end makes it all worth it. I am glad the last 40-50 pages connected all the dots. It also gives you an idea about how much the corruption and power abuse and injustice was prevalent in those times.
I had absolutely no idea that the ending will tear me up but it did
The 6, 7 cases of seemingly unrelated but actually very connected murders and death by guillotine punishments described in the book have so many names and information that tends to confuse at time but they keep you hooked, nonetheless.
All the time while I was reading those cases, I kept thinking why they always resort to the Miko to solve their cases but the revelations at the end makes it all worth it. I am glad the last 40-50 pages connected all the dots. It also gives you an idea about how much the corruption and power abuse and injustice was prevalent in those times.
I had absolutely no idea that the ending will tear me up but it did
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
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:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Overview:
Set after the Boshin War during the opening days of the Meiji Restoration, Inspectors Kawaji and Kazuki work for the Imperial Prosecuting Office, a branch of the government that aims to root out corruption. They tackle a series of cases where various members of the government are murdered in mysterious ways. Eventually, they find that the incidents were orchestrated by a planner behind the scenes, who had been executing his own crusade. Also featuring a gulliotine and a random French woman pretending to be a Japanese shrine maiden.
Things I liked:
- A pretty unique setting that I hadn't seen in other detective novels (except maybe in Ruroni Kenshin). This was a volatile period with plenty of potential for violence and death. Felt like I learnt a lot from the novel.
- The set-up of the individual cases were largely good and felt atmospheric. They also were gory in an enjoyable way - the bodies cradling the severed heads, the body dumped in shit, the leg being cut-off...
- Kazuki and Kawaji were broadly pleasant leads and foils for each other.
Things I was unsure about:
- The French woman. Why was the French woman there, but to insert some sex into the plot?
- The device of the miko seems really contrived.
- Why were the rasotsu so dedicated to Kazuki's mission? Felt unrealistic.
All in all, there was some great atmosphere in the novel, but the events seem sudden and a bit random, which made following it a bit difficult.
Set after the Boshin War during the opening days of the Meiji Restoration, Inspectors Kawaji and Kazuki work for the Imperial Prosecuting Office, a branch of the government that aims to root out corruption. They tackle a series of cases where various members of the government are murdered in mysterious ways. Eventually, they find that the incidents were orchestrated by a planner behind the scenes, who had been executing his own crusade. Also featuring a gulliotine and a random French woman pretending to be a Japanese shrine maiden.
Things I liked:
- A pretty unique setting that I hadn't seen in other detective novels (except maybe in Ruroni Kenshin). This was a volatile period with plenty of potential for violence and death. Felt like I learnt a lot from the novel.
- The set-up of the individual cases were largely good and felt atmospheric. They also were gory in an enjoyable way - the bodies cradling the severed heads, the body dumped in shit, the leg being cut-off...
- Kazuki and Kawaji were broadly pleasant leads and foils for each other.
Things I was unsure about:
- The French woman. Why was the French woman there, but to insert some sex into the plot?
- The device of the miko seems really contrived.
- Why were the rasotsu so dedicated to Kazuki's mission? Felt unrealistic.
All in all, there was some great atmosphere in the novel, but the events seem sudden and a bit random, which made following it a bit difficult.
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
creative, but confusing at times. amazing ending.