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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
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:
No
fast-paced
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
This reminded me of an episode of 'Colunbo' the disheveled man coming into the crime scene and asking the right questions. But I found myself a little underwhelmed.- this could have been because it was hyped up as the best loved mystery in Japan- or I could have been expecting some profound problem solving? Regardless, I would still recommend because I know someone would enjoy this kind of gentle detective mystery novel
dark
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:
No
I thought this one was OK, but not terribly exciting. It’s an easy read with some interesting insights into post-war Japanese culture, but the characters aren’t particularly well drawn or realistic and I never felt invested in them. In particular, the Kito sisters are shallow stereotypes who are only there to drive the plot forwards. There are lots of info-dumps as characters tell the detective what has gone on which get a bit boring. The summing up takes about 20 pages. I’m not itching to read the other books in the series.
An atmospheric, gripping, and enthralling traditional whodunnit that kept me guessing since the first pages.
I fell in love with the creepy atmosphere of the island, the fleshed out characters, and the complex puzzle kept me guessing.
An excellent mystery that I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I fell in love with the creepy atmosphere of the island, the fleshed out characters, and the complex puzzle kept me guessing.
An excellent mystery that I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A fine mystery, mainly notable for its interesting cultural context, very intertwined with Japan's experience in World War II, and indeed that provides the impetus for the mystery: the novel's central detective, Kosuke Kindaichi, has been demobilized after the war and is sent to the titular Gokumon Island by the dying words of a comrade-in-arms (ironically dying of illness on the way home after surviving the war). A disappointing aspect of the story: Kindaichi is sent to prevent the predicted murders of his late friend's sisters, but completely fails to do so and is left only to solve their murders after the fact. Certainly escalating body counts are not uncommon in the mystery genre, and we don't usually judge Hercule Poirot or his ilk too harshly for failing to stop subsequent murders in one book, but given that his explicit goal was to save them from the start it still felt like it dinged his reputation as one of Japan's greatest private detectives.
Thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the ARC.
Thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the ARC.