I've been slowly making my way through Seishi Yokomizo's mystery books and once again, I am enjoying myself. Part of the fun is trying to figure out who did the murder, how, and why. Naturally, it's also fun to not figure out everything and be shocked at the very end. A wonderful addition to my collection.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different to a lot of others I’ve read and as such it held my attention from the start and I would recommend to anyone looking for a well written exciting book.

All the Japanese detective fiction put out by Pushkin Press has been wonderful. A great setting, great plotting, though the dialogue is a little iffy (possibly a translation issue) and the resolution seems a little far fetched. Neither of those cons is enough to spoil the enjoyment of reading though.

This reads like a very Japanese Japanese mystery. There’s deep family complications, matters of honor, and a very different approach to pacing than in western mysteries. If you like Japanese mysteries, you’re going to love this. I wouldn’t put it as an entry point. The mystery itself is both simple and complex, with the final solution spooling out elegantly at the end. The hints are present throughout the story, but easy to overlook.

A super interesting and exciting mystery with many layers. I really enjoyed the post-war setting, and the themes of loyalty and inheritance, and as always Kosuke Kindaichi was amazing.

The ending truly took me by surprise which I loved and am now used to with Yokomizo's work. But unfortunately, while the beginning and the ending were super engaging, the middle dragged a lot.

It's after WWII, and Kosuke Kindaichi arrives on Golumon Island with tragic news for the Kito family: their eldest son died. Unbeknownst to anyone else, the man's dying words alerted the detective to possible, impending crimes that could occur when someone heart that the heir was dead.

Kindaichi meets the main Kito family, and finds them on odd bunch, with the teen daughters somewhat flirting and cruel, the father locked in a room because of his mental illness, and everyone still living with the now dead patriarch's harsh assessments of them all. He also meets the island's priest and the branch Kito family, whose eldest son has yet to be repatriated post-war.

Very soon after his arrival, the first murder occurs followed swiftly by more. Most are elaborately staged, making references to specific haiku, and causing much grief and consternation amongst the island residents. Kindaichi investigates, getting a better handle on the workings of the main and branch families, and the history between them.

The story moves at a slow pace, as the author describes the culture and attitudes on the island, as well as its history as a haven for pirates in the past. The current island people are insular and isolated, and Kindaichi struggles to determine who the culprit is, and even coming under suspicion himself.

The mystery slowly evolves, and I had a suspicion who the murderer was, though not necessarily the motive, which, when revealed, was awful. (I also saw a similarity to an Agatha Christie and a Patricia Highsmith novel, which I won't name as they would hint at part of the plot.) The story is complex, and takes its time getting to its resolution. If you're willing to amble to the resolution, this is a satisfying story,

Thank you to Netgalley and to Pushkin Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Elegant historical prose combining shocking, haunting events with old-school sleuthing based on thinking and careful combing through the various details and hearsay to investigate the truth. What is interesting here is the historical background of pre- and postwar Japan, presenting the type of acts typical for that time era - while today´s reader might go more for the shocking murder details here, the lover of the historical topics (like me) might enjoy the cultural details the most. The cultural differences are present and visible, but this presents a good teachable moment or two for the enthusiast like me.

When reading a book written more than fifty years ago, you can expect a certain amount of clashing cultural mores, but when I read Agatha Christie, for example, it's usually just little things you can roll your eyes at and be like, but here, the sexism gets in the way of effective storytelling.
In this case, sexism almost entirely destroys the mystery by taking an intriguing plot and unsettling environment.

This was a solid murder mystery. I thought the main character was a bit dry but I think maybe I would need to read the original Honjin Murders to really understand the character's personality and what makes him such an intriguing detective. In this book, I didn't find the narrator/detective very engaging but the characters surrounding the mystery were all pretty interesting and I thought the way in which the mystery was solved was also done well. Not sure if I'll continue with the series but I think if I ever need a solid mystery to go to I'll definitely give another one of Yokomizo's mysteries a try.

trigger warning
<spoiler> ableism, misogyny, mention of suicide, trauma, mental illness, alcoholism, joking about tape and sexual assault, xenophobia</spoiler>

World War II has ended and the soldies are slowly trickling back home. Kosuke Kindaichi is asked by a friend to deliver the message of his death and also to prevent his cousins from getting murdered - but said friend dies before he can share who he thinks will the culprit be.

We have this tiny island where everybody knows each other and people are mistrusting of foreigners. Matters are done as they have always been done - well, nearly. There is a ruling family, and now, with every able-bodied young man having been conscripted, it is unsure who'll run things in the future. It all depends on who is able to come back, and this is where things get tricky.

Now, I enjoy japanese crime fiction in general but this aged too badly.
The man who would in theory be patriarch is mentally ill and literally kept in a cage. It's a nice cage, roomy and with furniture, but a cage nonetheless. Women are vilified or treated as fragile.
Yesterday, when I picked the book up again, I happened on a scene where men are drinking and saying that the "height of pleasure" is sleeping with a woman who doesn't want to sleep with you.

I was too far in at that point to just chuck it, but the solution of the crime novel felt iffy, too.
<spoiler> They find a paper maché bell that has been submerged in water for hours but apparently still holds form. What did they put in there that the paper doesn't dissolve? </spoiler>

Big fat nope from me on all accounts.
The arc was provided by the publisher.

I've read and really liked The Honjin Murders, and was really excited to read this one. Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. I struggled in following the story, as it was really confusing and felt disjointed at times. I am not sure if it was because of the translation. Please do not let my personal opinion deters you from picking up this book. You may enjoy it!

***Thank you Pushkin Press for this gifted reading copy. All opinions expressed are my own.***

This was a twisty classic mystery with a limited pool of suspects on an isolated island and a renowned detective looking into the details. What I liked about this book was the setting and the way in which the author was able to evoke a real sense of place. I also thought that Kindaichi was an interesting character, with a bit of a bumbling air about him, but actually razor sharp (I got Columbo vibes). Unfortunately, I didn't love the plot so much and often found it a bit difficult to follow, but I'm not sure whether that's a result of the time it was written or the writing itself. Overall, this will definitely appeal to fans of mysteries, particularly locked room examples, but it just didn't quite work for me.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Yokomizo sensei does it again, and boy I enjoyed this book very very much!

"It's a horrifying thought. Not the feelings of a human being. Inhuman feelings rather."


The thing with Seishi Yokomizo's books is that, they will always leave us just staring at the wall for a few minutes. The crime heinous, smart and technical, but what makes Yokomizo works interesting is the subject matter of each parts that the book was written at its period of time, integrating with the culture and the honour of each families that is instilled as well.

Reading cult-classic-crime-thrillers always left you with that bitter sense of; these crimes can never be prevented .

Albeit Gokumon Island is the fourth translated to English for that particular order, the book is actually the second in the standalone series, after The Honjin Murders, and I STRONGLY suggest reading the series in the particular order

1) The Honjin Murders
2) Death on Gokumon Island
3) The Village of Eight Graves
4) The Inugami Curse

This is because, eventhough it is a standalone series, the growth of the detective , Kosuke Kindaichi is one that you can see if we follow the order of the Japanese release. In this case, Gokumon Island is set 9 years after The Honjin Murders, and after the period of war, in which Kosuke goes on a somewhat secret mission of sorts.

I loved the pacing in Gokumon Island, and the end of the book makes you icky in a sense that doesn't sit by right with you. Novels set in this era showed how heavy words can contain and how sometimes, the reason for each crime is right under your nose.

Seishi Yokomizo had set to be one of my favourite authors this year. I love the pacing for each story and I like that, even when the killers have been revealed, you can't seem to blame them as well. Its unfortunate as it is heinous. Given the time period, the mechanics for the murders are absolutely, genius I would say. Grotesque but genius.

All in all, would definitely recommend the series! I have to thank Netgalley for this copy!

An intriguing and fun read. It was easy to follow and I think the translation was good and made it even easier to get into the story. I liked the main character’s voice, he was an interesting character to follow. I think I’d like to read more from this author in the future, and if you like mysteries, this one might be up your alley.

This is supposed to be a classic in Japan. Yet, I couldn't muster up the excitement to read it. It was too slow and dragged on quite a lot before settling a plot and even then, it was sloooooowww.

2 stars for an interesting premise. Maybe the essence was lost in translation.

Thanks to Netgalley and Pushkin Press for the ARC.

Death on Gokumon Island is Detective Kindaichi's second mystery, set several years after The Honjin Murders right after the end of World War II, Japan is in turmoil as it tries to rebuild itself, and Kindaichi sets out to a small, mysterious island bearing terrible news: the heir to the island's most powerful family is dead. What he doesn't say, is that he's been warned that the death would result in three murders - which he will try to prevent to the best of his ability.

This slim novel was a pleasant read, reminiscent of the Agatha Christie mysteries that I enjoyed in my youth, and it especially brought to mind And Then There Were None (which is it seems to be loosely based on). The strongest points of this mystery to me were the familiar beats of a classic-style mystery, and the very interesting setting in 1940s Japan. This reads easily and pleasantly, and if you're in the mood for something like that, I can definitely recommend it. It's a charming read that gives such incredible insight into the life and dynamics in a very insular, particular kind of community, plus I doubt many readers will guess the ending.

However, it was not really a book for me. Although there were parts of it I truly enjoyed and found ingenious, there was just too much going on in terms of red herrings and cleverness, plus the motivations of several characters never felt truly explored or explained. I don't want to spoil the novel's ending, so I will not go into detail here, but this left me feeling not too fulfilled by the end. I'm not too happy either with the treatment of the victims, but I'm willing to forgive this a bit due to the audience being so different from me - but still, it was callous, misogynistic and, frankly, cold. Not that you don't find such treatment in older mysteries, it's just that here it struck me as so dismissive of girls, with no attempt to humanize them at all. Actually, none of the female characters were humanized at all (I'm not too impressed with the men, either, but those got to be complex characters, sometimes). The novel struck me sometimes as a bit naïve in terms of human behavior and social complexities.

To be honest, I think this might work well for cozy mysteries, where one relies upon familiar tropes and it makes for a comfortable read, so I'm not as upset about that as I made it sound in the paragraph above.

This is a book I will recommend, with a grain of salt - if the kind of things I mentioned might take you out of the story or hinder your enjoyment of the book, skip it. Otherwise, I think it's worth a try, if only to get immersed in this interesting world!

🏯🏯🏯🏯 / 5

Thank you to @netgalley and Pushkin Vertigo for early access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review (this was published earlier this year).

This is the second book in the Detective Kosuke Kindaichi series. I was super excited to read this one, as I loved THE HONJIN MURDERS. I enjoyed this one, but it took me forever to finish it because the chapters are so long. Though it was difficult to keep up with at times because there are so many characters, the mystery and the beautiful writing and culture are what kept me invested. I always enjoy the endings to these mysteries as well because they clear everything up.

I would have been shocked if this book didn't live up to expectations because Japanese crime fiction is elite. This is a 10/10 reading experience, absolutely thrilling

This reminded me of an episode of 'Colunbo' the disheveled man coming into the crime scene and asking the right questions. But I found myself a little underwhelmed.- this could have been because it was hyped up as the best loved mystery in Japan- or I could have been expecting some profound problem solving? Regardless, I would still recommend because I know someone would enjoy this kind of gentle detective mystery novel

Enjoyment: 3.5
Total rating: 3.57

I am a big fan of Seishi Yokomizo and (shin) honkaku novels, and had very high expectations for Death on Gokumon Island, especially since it was loosely inspired by And Then There Were None, one of my favourite novels... Did it deliver? Sadly, no.

I have read other books in the Kosuke Kindaichi series, but I struggled to finish this one for some reason. I think I know why - the translation was off to me. I do not speak Japanese, just so I am clear, but I have read many translated works (including from Japanese) and tend to walk away satisfied, but for some reason, in Gokumon Island, the translation felt too grammatical, at the cost of the atmosphere and overall enjoyment. Or maybe it is just me?

Either way, I recommend this and all the other Yokomizo novels; they truly bring the essence of the Golden Age Mysteries back to life. I am looking forward to more translations (this series has 77 books!)

Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to the publishers and NetGalley for providing a copy of Death on Gokumon Island.