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sweenaj's review against another edition
2.0
I appreciate what Seishi Yokomizo tried to do, but it just wasn't for me. I usually love a murder mystery but maybe it was the narrative, or the constant references to other mystery books that I hadn't read or even the fact that the characters kept linking the murder that happened to novel like murders.. I can't pinpoint what it is but it was just confusing to me and not very easy to follow. I did not expect the last 50-60 pages, and I think the Yokomizo wrapped up this murder mystery so well. But if you were to ask me what this was actually about, I don't think I'd be able to tell you - I was like lost 80% of the time.
That being said, it is interesting and there's no harm in picking it up if you fancy a murder mystery that doesn't really follow the conventional outline.
That being said, it is interesting and there's no harm in picking it up if you fancy a murder mystery that doesn't really follow the conventional outline.
vvanillapopcorn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
orangearcade's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bhrfletcher's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Described as both a Japanese Agatha Christie and Conan Doyle, it certainly hit the right spot for that with a similar style of mystery and big reveal at the end plus a Holmes-esque detective even if it was arguably darker than either of those but was definitely a good read, good enough to immediately buy the other book in the series published by Puskin.
jubi666's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
lilcareed's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-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
3.25
bunbobabe's review against another edition
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? Yes
3.5
bfls's review against another edition
3.0
A curious story. On one hand, the characters and their motivations were very Japanese. On the other hand, the setting (family manor house outside a village) and the plot (locked room murder mystery) was a pure English Golden Age mystery.
rainandroses's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The author did a great job of plotting and pacing, and I enjoyed the aspect of the omniscient narrator. I loved learning about the culture of towns and villages in the Japanese countryside between the world wars. The method of the murder confused me, but that's more my lack of knowledge about Japanese architecture than anything else. The translator did an excellent job keeping true to the story while giving context to English speaking audiences.