Another Kosuke Kondaichi mystery. It’s been a while since I read one of these brilliant Pushkin Vertigo books and I did so enjoy this return to rural Japan and a string of horrific murders.

Seishi Yokomizo is nothing if not fiercely atmospheric- and this tale is no different, set as it is in a tiny village at the foot of mountains in rural Japan in the 1950s’. There’s the usual rather large cast of characters and their twisted relationships, that can be a pain to remember initially. However as the narrative progresses, it gets easier to keep track.

Kosuke Kondaichi and his friend Inspector Isokawa are on holiday in the tiny mountain retreat of Onikobe, when a string of horrific murders seemingly based on an old children’s rhyme or temari and shatters their peace and that of the village. Kosuke and his friend must race against time to find the killer and stop the killing spree. Inspector Isokawa is also keen to unravel a connection between a murder that happened two decades ago and the more recent killings. I find Japanese police procedurals rather vague - none of the high tech NCIS type investigations here. Instead they are very much golden-age inspired investigations, where crimes are solved largely through conversation and dialogue that back up the physical clues. An homage to Christie 😊

There was a satisfactory twist, even if it was fairly obvious and even though the motivations of the murderer remained rather far-fetched (I’ve often found them so in Japanese crime), the climax was gratifying. Enjoyed my long delayed sojourn back into Kosuke’s world!