Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
adventurous
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
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A really fantastic mystery that I just loved to read. It's so artful and perfectly put together to make something really special, so it's no wonder it's a classic! It's especially interesting to read with Western eyes as it is v much a uniquely Japanese story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, War
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Japanese mysteries are truly in a class of their own in my opinion! This one was fantastical and believable only in a Japanese cultural context, where honour and keeping a promise are taken very seriously! Insanely seriously if thrush be told!
Be that as it may, it was an easy, quick read with the mandatory Japanese cultural bits, tight plot & quirky characters, especially, Yokomizo’s whacky private detective Kosuke Kindaichi, who unfortunately doesn’t cover himself in glory in this case, until the climax. As always with Japanese crime, emotions are repressed and suppressed, and even a series of horrible murders can often times read like ordinary occurrences. Yokomizo’s prose is not as spare as Higashino’s, but there are no overt displays of emotions, nuance often being conveyed by fleeting changes in expression or a tightening of muscles.
The plot is straightforward. Kindaichi arrives on a rather forbidding Gokuman island at the request of his friend Chimata san. They served together in WWII but when a dying Chimata san requests Kosuke to visit his home, it triggers a series of murders that plunge the island’s rather uniquely peculiarly community into chaos. There are secrets, insanity and warped loyalties that complicate matters and throw obstacles in Kosuke’s path toward finding the truth. I enjoyed the Haiku in this book and the way they tied into the narrative. I thought the solution was refreshingly unique although like I said I wouldn’t have easily accepted or believed it in a non-Japanese context!
Loosely inspired by Christie’s classic, And Then There Were None, (very loosely I would say), this was an enjoyable if rather fantastical read! A great addition to my Pushkin Vertigo Yokomizo collection 😊
Be that as it may, it was an easy, quick read with the mandatory Japanese cultural bits, tight plot & quirky characters, especially, Yokomizo’s whacky private detective Kosuke Kindaichi, who unfortunately doesn’t cover himself in glory in this case, until the climax. As always with Japanese crime, emotions are repressed and suppressed, and even a series of horrible murders can often times read like ordinary occurrences. Yokomizo’s prose is not as spare as Higashino’s, but there are no overt displays of emotions, nuance often being conveyed by fleeting changes in expression or a tightening of muscles.
The plot is straightforward. Kindaichi arrives on a rather forbidding Gokuman island at the request of his friend Chimata san. They served together in WWII but when a dying Chimata san requests Kosuke to visit his home, it triggers a series of murders that plunge the island’s rather uniquely peculiarly community into chaos. There are secrets, insanity and warped loyalties that complicate matters and throw obstacles in Kosuke’s path toward finding the truth. I enjoyed the Haiku in this book and the way they tied into the narrative. I thought the solution was refreshingly unique although like I said I wouldn’t have easily accepted or believed it in a non-Japanese context!
Loosely inspired by Christie’s classic, And Then There Were None, (very loosely I would say), this was an enjoyable if rather fantastical read! A great addition to my Pushkin Vertigo Yokomizo collection 😊
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
for the first couple of pages i really thought i would dnf this after 100 pages, but it managed to grip me somehow
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:
Complicated