The Tokyo Zodiac Murders

by Soji Shimada

Goodreads Synopsis:

Japan, 1936. An old eccentric artist living with seven women has been found dead- in a room locked from the inside. His diaries reveal alchemy, astrology and a complicated plan to kill all seven women. Shortly afterwards, the plan is carried out: the women are found dismembered and buried across rural Japan.

By 1979, these Tokyo Zodiac Murders have been obsessing a nation for decades, but not one of them has been solved. A mystery-obsessed illustrator and a talented astrologer set off around the country - and you follow, carrying the enigma of the Zodiac murderer through madness, missed leads and magic tricks. You have all the clues, but can you solve the mystery before they do?

My Rating:

☆☆☆

"I'm a huge fan of mysteries; in fact, they're almost an addiction. If a week goes by without reading a mystery, I suffer withdrawal symptoms. Then I wander around like I'm sleepwalking and wake up in a bookshop, looking for a mystery novel. I've read just about every mystery story ever written...but it's not an intellectual pursuit; it's more like me getting my fill of gossip."

Dates Read: November 15-24, 2022

Initial Publication Date: December 1981

Translation Published: September 2015

Author Origin: Japan (Hiroshima)

Tone (via Overdrive): Eerie, Gory, Intriguing

Major Characters:

Kazuma Ishioka
Kiyoshi Mitari
Heikichi Umezawa

Personal Notes:

"Whose dark or troubled mind will you step into next? Detective or assassin, victim or accomplice? Can you tell reality from delusion, truth from deception, when you're spinning in the whirl of a thriller or trapped in the grip of an unsolvable mystery? You can't trust your senses and you can't trust anyone: you're in the hands of the undisputed masters of crime fiction ... Timeless books that have been devoured, adored and handed down through the decades. Iconic books that have inspired films, and demand to be read and read again." (Introduction to Pushkin Vertigo's translation of The Tokyo Zodiac Murders.)

Now, this book had a very clever, ingenious solution to the difficult puzzle the locked-room murder presented to readers; however, there was just so much information given to process that reading this novel gave me a headache. As much as I liked the amateur detective duo, pushing through this book was more than a bit of a struggle. I mean, it took me nine days! As of writing this, I have yet to read another Shimada novel, though I do intend to eventually get around to Murder in the Crooked House.

However, of course, I had to read this novel; it's a cornerstone of the Japanese shinhonkaku mystery genre & considered the first of the genre entirely. I'm just disappointed I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd expected to. I will say, I'm amazed that it was Shimada's debut mystery novel, and it certainly deserves the reputation it has - but it was far from an easy read!

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse