An ingenious and highly atmospheric classic whodunit from Japan's master of crime.
Amid the rubble of post-war Tokyo, inside the grand Tsubaki house, a once-noble family is in mourning.
The old viscount Tsubaki, a brooding, troubled composer, has been found dead.
When the family gather for a divination to conjure the spirit of their departed patriarch, death visits the house once more, and the brilliant Kosuke Kindaichi is called in to investigate.
But before he can get to the truth Kindaichi must uncover the Tsubakis' most disturbing secrets, while the gruesome murders continue...
PRAISE FOR SEISHI YOKOMIZO
'The diabolically twisted plotted is top-notch' New York Times
Readers will delight in the blind turns, red herrings and dubious alibis... Ingenious and compelling' Economist
'Plenty of golden age ingredients... with a truly ingenious solution' Guardian, Best New Crime Novels
"Another fiendishly complex mystery from the master of locked room murders... Atmospheric, chilling, and structurally complex" - CrimeReads
"Yokomizo at his absolute best... From the ominous opening through the brilliant final reveal, [he] ably blends suspense and fair-play detection... A classic of the genre" - Publishers Weekly, starred review
"One of the most enticing and twisty takes on the classic murder mystery novel that you'll ever read" - IGN
"Atmospheric and interesting, a Golden Age murder that is well plotted but also powerfully observed socially" - The Critic
"Fiendishly clever. Takes the best traditions of golden age crime but with a distinctly Japanese feel both in setting and psychological outlook. The author's voice punctuates the action brilliantly. Deliciously entertaining, drawing the reader into the puzzle" - Crime Time Podcast
"Praise for Seishi Yokomizo's classic mysteries:" - .
"The diabolically twisted plotting is top-notch" - New York Times
"Readers will delight in the blind turns, red herrings and dubious alibis... Ingenious and compelling" - Economist
"With a reputation in Japan to rival Agatha Christie's, the master of ingenious plotting is finally on the case for anglophone readers" - Guardian
"This is Golden Age crime at its best, complete with red herrings, blind alleys and twists and turns galore... A testament to the power of the simple murder mystery and its enduring appeal" - Spectator
"Plenty of golden age ingredients... with a truly ingenious solution" - Guardian, Best New Crime Novels
"A classic murder mystery... Comparisons with Holmes are justified, both in the character of Kindaichi and Yokomizo's approach to storytelling mixing clues, red herrings and fascinating social insight before drawing back the curtain to reveal the truth" - Japan Times
"At once familiar and tantalisingly strange... It's an absolute pleasure to see his work translated at last in these beautifully produced English editions" - Sunday Times
"Has a touch of Agatha Christie but with so much added spice. There are plenty of twists, red herrings, and suspects in this monkey puzzle of a story. Japan has a wonderful history of crime writing, and Yokomizo is one of their finest authors" - NB Magazine
"Another legendary Yokomizo book... A campy and delightful detective novel" - Books and Bao
"A gory tale of family greed, honour, revenge and loyalty with plenty of red herrings. Full of action and with a detective like no other" - Live and Deadly
"A delightfully entertaining locked room murder mystery... There are plenty of twists, red herrings, and suspects in this monkey puzzle of a story... An ideal book to curl up with on a winter's night" - NB Magazine
"Atmospheric, exciting and knotty whodunits. The covers alone are enough to get any fan of the genre salivating" - Japan Times
"An exceptional whodunit... The brilliant and intricate plot will keep readers turning the pages. Golden age fans will hope for more translations of this gifted author" - Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Seishi Yokomizo took a pinch of John Dickson Carr and a dash of Agatha Christie in creating Kosuke Kindaichi, solver of impossible crimes... Kosuke's arrival [on Gokumon Island] coincides with a string of bizarre and gruesome murders. As deaths mount, the quirky, endearing detective strings together the clues to solve this fiendish puzzle" - The New York Times
