'The Japanese Agatha Christie' Sarah Cox, on BBC2's Between the Covers

'The master of ingenious plotting' Guardian

'Dazzling' New York Times

FROM THE FATHER OF JAPANESE CRIME

In the winter of 1937, the village of Okamura is abuzz with excitement over the forthcoming wedding of a son of the grand Ichiyanagi family. But amid the gossip over the approaching festivities, there is also a worrying rumour - it seems a sinister masked man has been asking questions about the Ichiyanagis around the village.

Then, on the night of the wedding, the Ichiyanagi family are woken by a terrible scream, followed by the sound of eerie music - death has come to Okamura, leaving no trace but a bloody samurai sword, thrust into the pristine snow outside the house. The murder seems impossible, but amateur detective Kosuke Kindaichi is determined to get to the bottom of it.

“20 of the Best Classic Murder Mystery Books of All Time”, Town & Country Magazine

“A classic locked-room murder mystery, the first in the Detective Kindaichi series . . . The solution to this mystery came as a complete surprise—exactly what I asked for.”
—New York Times Book Review

“With a reputation in Japan to rival Agatha Christie’s, the master of ingenious plotting is finally on the case for anglophone readers.”
—Guardian

“A beloved Japanese detective at last appears in English . . . If the whole series is as ingenious and compelling, this translation should be the first of many. Readers will delight in the blind turns, red herrings and dubious alibis.”
—Economist

“The perfect read for this time of year. Short and compelling, it will appeal to fans of Agatha Christie looking for a new case to break.”
—Irish Times

“Both [The Honjin Murders and The Inugami Curse are] set in the late 1930s/early 1940s, they promise to be atmospheric, exciting and knotty whodunits. The covers alone are enough to get any fan of the genre salivating.”
—Japan Times

“Japan's Agatha Christie . . . It’s an absolute pleasure to see his work translated at last in these beautifully produced English editions.”
—Sunday Times

"This Golden-Age Japanese mystery reminded me of Twin Peaks, with a mysterious three-fingered man, the perfect couple of newlyweds, and the perfect crime: a locked room that literally no one could have entered"
—Anna Fitzgerald Healy, author of Etiquette for Lovers and Killers

"An absolute hoot"
—Ross Montgomery, author of Murder at Worlds End

“The perfect gift for any fan of classic crime fiction or locked room mysteries.”
—Mrs Peabody Investigates

“The beauty of this book is that it’s never anything less than fun from beginning to end, but it is also smartly political, and the theatrical elements—the fourth wall-breaking, the static setting, the large cast of eclectic characters—make for a truly engrossing novel.”
—Books and Bao

“The Honjin Mysteries is beautifully writing and highly descriptive, rich in period detail and local custom. It’s an ingenious and deceptive mystery. An ideal book to curl up with on a winter’s night."”
—NB Magazine

“The master of Japanese crime.”
—Tuttolibri

“[The Honjin Murders] is a perfect example of a honkaku mystery: a fascinating form of crime writing that first emerged in Japan in the 1920s and, thanks to a recent raft of translations and republications, is now enjoyed by English readers more than ever.”
—The Guardian

“The mystery is carefully set with plenty of red herrings and surprises along the way.”
—The Watertown Public Opinion

“A perfect puzzle . . . Doesn’t fail to deliver in its extremely fun and chilling premise. You’ll be reading way past your bedtime.”
—LitReactor

"Think you got a Sherlock Holmes knack for crime puzzles? Then have a try at Yokomizo’s clever mystery riddle"
—Metropolis Magazine, The Best Japanese Mystery Novels to Read in 2025

Seishi Yokomizo (1902-81) was one of Japan's most famous and beloved mystery writers, best known for creating the legendary detective Kosuke Kindaichi, who featured in more than 70 stories, many of which were adapted for stage and television in Japan. The Honjin Murders, the first Kosuke Kindaichi novel, is regarded as one of Japan's great mystery novels and won the inaugural Mystery Writers of Japan Award in 1948. The Inugami Curse, The Village of Eight Graves, Death on Gokumon Island, The Devil's Flute Murders, The Little Sparrow Murders, Murder at the Black Cat Cafe and She Walks at Night are also available or forthcoming from Pushkin Vertigo.