Crime thriller of the extra class: "The Mysterious Honjin Murders" by Seishi Yokomizo

Created: 09/20/2022, 18:00

By: Jessica Bradley

Cover “The Mysterious Honjin Murders” Seihsi Yokomizo © Aufbau Verlag

With his crime novel The Mysterious Honjin Murders, the Japanese director Seihsi Yokomizo proved that the monopoly of English crime novels can be broken.

My book tip.

Note to our readers:

 If you make a purchase via the links included, we receive a commission from partners.

This changes nothing for you.

I'm a big fan of English crime novels like Agatha Christie or Arthur Conan Doyle.

But already at the beginning of the year I noticed that other authors from other countries also write wonderful classic crime novels.

Whether it's Jürgen Albers with "Crossroads" or Seishi Yokomizo.

Seihsi Yokomizo "The Mysterious Honjin Murders": About the Book

A wonderful classic mystery thriller with sophistication and a dose of nostalgia.

I used to love reading crime novels by Christie, Conan Doyle or Wallace.

The advantage of Seihsi Yokomizo: he's not that old-fashioned and despite the time he's been playing, he comes across as very modern.

It is the winter of 1937 and the town of Okamura is in turmoil: soon the renowned Ichiyanagi family will wed their son.

But amidst the gossip about the upcoming festival is a worrying rumour: a masked man is prowling the town asking people about the Ichiyanagis.

Then, on the wedding night, the family is awakened by a terrible scream, followed by an eerie melody.

Yes, death has come to Okamura, leaving no trace other than a bloody samurai sword stuck in the pure snow in the courtyard of the house.

The murder of the newly married couple is a mystery, as the bedroom was locked from the inside.

But private investigator Kosuke Kindaichi is determined to solve the case.

Structure publishing house

A classic locked room mystery

The secret of a closed room holds even more excitement and increases the fun of solving the puzzle.

That's exactly what author Seihsi Yokomizo delivers to us in his crime novel The Mysterious Honjin Murders.

I was completely amazed and it took me a surprisingly long time to figure out the riddle.

Perfectly staged and captivating, this thriller is highly recommended.

Seihsi Yokomizo "The Mysterious Honjin Murders"

2022, Aufbau Verlag, ISBN 13-978-3-351-05109-9

Price: hardback €20, e-book €4.99, number of pages: 206 (deviating from the format) Order now (promotional link)

Seihsi Yokomizo

Seishi Yokomizo, 1902-1981, is one of the most famous and popular Japanese crime fiction writers.

Born in Kobe, he read countless detective stories as a boy before writing himself.

His series about Kosuke Kindaichi alone consists of 77 books.

The Mysterious Honjin Murders is the first book in this series and it immediately won Japan's first prize for crime writers.