I really wanted to like this book, but it is very sexist and a product of its time. There is no reason for the woman in black to be an exhibitionist except to tantalize the audience that the author was aiming to entertain, i.e. men. She is otherwise a fairly fun femme fatale, but the writing of the dialogue for her and some of the other characters do not carry the story forward as quite believable. Also, some of the sentences are just a bit off. Hard to tell if that is from the original author or the translator.

I am all for a fun, smart detective or thief story, I just don't think this one is for me.

I really liked Beast in the Shadows (except for the couple of lines of like "hysterical women have been known to send threatening letters to themselves, there was a study LOOK IT UP") but didn't particularly love Black Lizard. So many parts were so weird.

This book is basically two nerds (read: a brilliant detective and an infamous crime boss) one-upping each other in a cat-and-mouse style psychological game. Loved it! I can’t decide if Mme. Midorikawa’s characterization is transgressive/progressive or vaguely sexist (probably both tbh), but I loved her and that’s what matters to me. Definitely makes me want to read the other works featuring Akechi. 

I stumbled upon this book by chance thanks to the bookstagram community. After brief google search the author Edogawa Rampo (pseudonym of Hirai Taro, 1894-1965) and learning that he was a grand master of Japan's golden age of crime and mystery fiction, I was intrigued to read his works. 

This book is split into two parts – Introduction and Translation. In the Introduction, it brings us to the history and brief development of the Japanese mystery fiction, including Rampo’s influential role in this genre. Interestingly, some of the western literature such as Edgar Allan Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, were already translated into Japanese as early as the late 1800s and has influenced Rampo’s writing.  

Moving on to the translation, I find it was done very well as I can feel the liveliness of the stories. Both stories are gothic mysteries with grotesque characters, which left me feeling slightly disturbed. 

In The Black Lizard, the interactions between characters, especially detective vs villain, are quite animated. I like that the characters are bold and fierce, distinctive from each other with hints of emotions. The plot is direct and fast paced. 

As for Beast in the Shadows, the story is about a MC, who is a mystery writer trying to help his female friend to solve a problem. The blunt description of his observation and inner thoughts, follow by his subsequent discovery, display the naked truth about human nature. It turns out to be quite an interesting mystery with unexpected plot twist.    

With such a different writing style from decades ago, this is a refreshing read from modern western mystery fiction. But, it might not be for everyone.