The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Honjin Murders is a mystery novel set in Japan in the late 1930s. It is a classic “locked room” mystery story written in the 1940s and only recently translated into English. It is a great story, revolving around the murders of a couple on their wedding night. There is really not much more that I want to say about the plot for fear of giving something away, but as I mentioned above it is a locked room kind of mystery with plenty of twists and turns, and a few red herrings. The mystery kept me guessing all the way to the end.

This is the introduction of the author’s detective Kosuke Kindaichi, who is instrumental in solving the case, when the police investigation becomes bogged down. There are another 76 books in the Kosuke Kindaichi series, and I’m looking forward to reading them as they become available in English. And I will say that the translator for this book did an excellent job.

I definitely recommend this book – it’s an entertaining and well-written mystery.