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danaisreading 's review for:
The Decagon House Murders
by Yukito Ayatsuji
Translations are always hard, because it won't have the same rhythm and flow as the original language. This is better than others, but there still is the feeling while you are reading it that it's not meant to be read in English. I don't think that detracts from the story, but adds a little bit of atmosphere into it.
As others have mentioned, this is a Japanese nod to [b:And Then There Were None|16299|And Then There Were None|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391120695l/16299._SY75_.jpg|3038872]. It's a locked room mystery on an island off the coast. The island was the scene of some grisly murders several months earlier. Seven university students in a murder mystery club think they are staying there for a week to put their amateur detective skills to the test. Instead they themselves are the victims of an elaborate murder plan, dying one by one. There are also some alternating chapters with two other members of the club are drawn into the murder, along with a new friend they meet, as they also try to figure out the events of the first set of murders.
Given the limited number of characters, it is surprising that I still did not manage to figure out who the murderer is. I really thought the person would be one of the early victims. The shocking twist that everyone raves about isn't that the person is the murderer, but how the revelation that they are the murderer plays out. The next chapter basically goes over the entire book from their point of view, explaining everything. It's obvious once you get to that chapter, but the clues are very well hidden beforehand. Once they were revealed, I literally sat there with my mouth open for a minute. The book plays very well into the assumptions the author wants you to make, and I was fooled into making those assumptions.
As others have mentioned, this is a Japanese nod to [b:And Then There Were None|16299|And Then There Were None|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391120695l/16299._SY75_.jpg|3038872]. It's a locked room mystery on an island off the coast. The island was the scene of some grisly murders several months earlier. Seven university students in a murder mystery club think they are staying there for a week to put their amateur detective skills to the test. Instead they themselves are the victims of an elaborate murder plan, dying one by one. There are also some alternating chapters with two other members of the club are drawn into the murder, along with a new friend they meet, as they also try to figure out the events of the first set of murders.
Given the limited number of characters, it is surprising that I still did not manage to figure out who the murderer is. I really thought the person would be one of the early victims. The shocking twist that everyone raves about isn't that the person is the murderer, but how the revelation that they are the murderer plays out. The next chapter basically goes over the entire book from their point of view, explaining everything. It's obvious once you get to that chapter, but the clues are very well hidden beforehand. Once they were revealed, I literally sat there with my mouth open for a minute. The book plays very well into the assumptions the author wants you to make, and I was fooled into making those assumptions.