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fyodorholmez's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
When I read about the past of Keikichi Ōsaka I couldnt help but feel frustrated about how he never got the recognition he deserved. The book was a collection of small detective stories but unlike most crime books the author built the stories extremely informative that at some point I felt like I was reading encyclopedias. Every page taught different subjects such as ships, weather, lights and such. The stories were not only informative, Also the pages were built with genius and creative twists. Sadly most stories didn't leave that much of an impact on me and I am afraid I will be forgetting them in time, however the one called "Funeral Locomotive" left an incredible impact on me that as an artist I even drew the woman in it. If you are into crime books and short stories its a must to read in Japanese literature.
8797999's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book on a whim as part of Kindle Unlimited and what a fantastic collection of mystery stories. I went into it blind and thoroughly enjoyed each story. What often appears supernatural has a very human and basic solution.
Some of the stories I concluded the truth before all was revealed but still very enjoyable and opens up a new world of mystery fiction for me. Looking forward to reading more of the same in the future.
Some of the stories I concluded the truth before all was revealed but still very enjoyable and opens up a new world of mystery fiction for me. Looking forward to reading more of the same in the future.
noodle2221'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
4.5
jeansnow's review against another edition
4.0
I quite enjoyed this, and felt like it was especially a success since it's a collection of short stories, and so you often tend to have a mix of good and less good, but I was very satisfied with all of them. I think this is also the first time I read murder mysteries in the form of short stories, and I was impressed that the author managed to created this very intriguing whodunnits in just a few pages. The mysteries themselves are bit more conventional than all of the other Japanese honkaku murder mysteries I've been reading of late, but I still felt satisfied.
tombomp's review
3.0
This is my first read of any honkaku stories and my first impression was just how much more ludicrous most of the solutions here are compared to English ones. Which I mean as a compliment - the characters are non existent and the writing in general is absolutely paper thin, so the only interest is the puzzle. And it's fun coming to the end and realising like, yes, this is technically, possibly, feasible, and yes, you did in fact have the clues to come up with this solution before the end. But it's still hard to imagine reading these stories and trying to guess the answer because they are very out of left field. So broadly you'll only enjoy this if that appeals to you.
There's one exception which I think is just a really solid mystery story and doesn't need any special pleading - The Demon in the Mine. There's a lot of clever misdirection with a clever motive that appears inexplicable at first. I really liked it.
There's one exception which I think is just a really solid mystery story and doesn't need any special pleading - The Demon in the Mine. There's a lot of clever misdirection with a clever motive that appears inexplicable at first. I really liked it.
jl_shioshita's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0