Reviews - The Decagon House Murders

The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji

2.36k reviews for:

Pretty straight forward murder mystery as far as vibes go. I totally did not see the twist coming or at least did not at all anticipate it, but sometimes that’s worse to me?? Like when the twist being unveiled means giving information that was not in any way present, hinted at, or alluded to, that sometimes doesn’t feel as satisfying to me. Like hearing the twist, however good it is, is kind of lame when you didn’t have the pieces to put it together at any point. Also the language is very redundant, both the characters and the book itself recaps the investigation a lot and often times literally back to back. Also it’s written in a way that feels like a middle-school reading level, maybe just an uninspired translation from Japanese to English? Still worth getting through once you’ve started, just to close the loop, but a little underwhelming for a “cult classic”. Three maybe three and a half stars.

OH also Orczy the “shy nerdy girl” is written SO incredibly one dimensional and pitiful it pissed me off

breech's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark mysterious 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: Complicated

barmson's review against another edition

4.25

mysterious medium-paced

cinderellee's review against another edition

3.25

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

anna_hepworth's review against another edition

3.5

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

There are a lot of fascinating details in this book, and many, many tiny references to works of crime fiction that the author (and the characters) are familiar with. I love that there are many tiny details that are slowly revealed, giving different perspectives on the characters, the setting, and the historical and current tragedies.

As a story, it didn't really work for me. I found the characters indistinguishable, and as such had little sympathy, and no empathy for them as the horrors of the story unfold. I feel that the reason that it qualifies as a murder mystery, rather than slasher horror, is the wider field of view (characters both in and away from the context), and the somewhat dispassionate viewpoint from which it is told. I think there is a single scene from the perspective of one of the victims, and even that the character comes across as dissociated. Where it deviates from the traditional Western murder mystery (rather than thriller) is that no-one is dead early on, but the murders happen prior to any detective involvement (other than the decidedly amateur members of the Mystery Club, as their members are slowly killed).

What I did find fascinating was the world building, and the intricacies of the multi-threaded plot. Also, the almost total absence of the police.

Thus, if you interested in complex mystery plots with slow reveals, and characterisation is not a high priority, this is a strongly recommended option. If, however, you are like me and read these more for the characters than the high stakes, it is going to feel somewhat flat.