Member Reviews
We meet Private Detective Kosuke Kindaichi on his way to the titular Gokumon Island following the death of his friend on a troop transport ship at the end of WW2. As heir to the most powerful family of the island, Kosuke’s friend explains that his imminent death will put the lives of his three step-sisters in danger and begs Kosuke to go to the island to try and save them.
What follows is Kosuke’s investigation as to why the sisters may be in danger and subsequent enquiries as the sisters are killed in increasingly strange ways. Being an island, this has a classic locked-room mystery feel and the various characters, including the local policeman, mayor, barber, priest, doctor, and members of various rival families, are fascinating. I am not very familiar with Japanese culture, but the translation was great and the narrative gave a real sense of the time and place in a very accessible way. The plot was very intricate and kept me guessing all the way to the satisfying end reveal.
I will certainly be seeking out more translations of this author’s work, and would recommend it to any fans of classic detective fiction.
My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.
Although this is being published fourth, it's worth noting that it's actually the <i>second</i> book Yokomizo published in Japan in Kosuke Kindaichi's adventures. That's not necessarily important in terms of the actual mystery, but rather when you think about Kindaichi himself and how he's younger than in <i>The Eight Graves</i>, which Pushkin Vertigo published as book three in English. (In reality, it's the eighth book in Yokomizo's original series.) Once you get past that and simply accept that there are a lot of references to <i>The Honjin Murders</i> (book one in both English and Japanese), there's plenty to enjoy here. Kindaichi is not the narrator, but he's very present in the story, keeping his own motivations hidden from the locals on Gokumon Island, which is a near-perfect depiction of how remote, insular island communities function. The islanders go between trusting him and suspecting him, and this makes Kindaichi's job much more difficult as he tries to sort through the clues, which are doled out by the locals and linger on from a friend who died just after WWII. The clues are, however, all there for both Kindaichi and the reader to find like in any good fair play mystery, and at least one is so hidden in plain sight that it makes for a real head-smacker of a reveal. While not quite as exciting as the book which preceded it (in English), this is still a solid, enjoyable Golden Age mystery and worth picking up if you enjoyed the other books in the series.
This is a classic tale of a quirky detective who goes to an island of weirdos with intergenerational family drama to prevent the death of his war buddy's 3 annoying sisters. The writing and translation were good; the story was creepy and engaging although I felt the final explanation felt contrived.
If you want Agatha Christie without the racist book titles, then this book is for you!
Detective Kosuke Kindaichi arrives on Gokuman Island with a mission. On a ship with Kindaichi back home from war, the son of the island’s most important family’s last words before death warn that his three sisters will be murdered and begs the detective to go save their lives. After Kindaichi gets there, a series of murders begins. Can he solve this mystery and save lives?
This is the first book I’ve read in this series, but it won’t be my last! I enjoyed this classic murder mystery! The premise was very intriguing and the story kept me interested. The atmosphere was great, and though there were lots of characters and lots of information to keep up with, I never got confused. The writing was very clear and straight to the point, so it was easy to keep up. I also found the reveal to be entertaining. I figured out some things, but definitely not everything!
My only real complaint is that I wish it had been more exciting. It was very slow paced, but I never got bored. This was slow paced done right! I just wanted the writing to be a little more engrossing.
I enjoyed this book and will definitely be picking up the other books in the series soon! This was a book that you can easily read without reading any of the previous novels. And it’s great for anyone who loves thought provoking murder mysteries!
Thank you NetGalley and Pushkin Vertigo for this arc! All opinions are my own.
TW for an unchecked “when women say no they really mean yes” conversation.
Death on Gokumon Island is the fourth of the Kosuke Kindaichi novels to be translated into English. This story takes place just after World War II when Kindaichi-san is sent to Gokumon Island by his dear friend Chimata. On his death bed, Chimata requests Kindaichi to go to his home and save his sisters from being murdered. Death on Gokumon Island contains family rivalries, theatricality, lunatics, and even pirates.
While this is the fourth novel to be translated it is the second chronologically but that does not matter if you have read the other three as they are standalone novels that do not require the others (except the first one) in order to read them. These translations are very good. Sometimes translations can be difficult to read but this has a very modern language feel to it.
I highly recommend this series of novels and look forward to the next one to be translated.
Another entertaining entry in the Kosuke Kindaichi series. Maybe not quite on par with The Honjin Murders and The Village of Eight Graves, but still a good setting and mysterious murder series. As always the cover work is brilliant.
It is always so much fun to read classic whodunits from far-off countries in another era. This is a creepy and fiendishly difficult case for Kosuke Kindaichi, the famous Japanese detective, shortly after World War II. Even if they were on the wrong side of history, the concerns of normal people were the same as everybody else’s. Mainly, whether their loved ones would return from war. In this case, one of the soldiers didn’t and he asked Kosuke to prevent the death of his three sisters. The murders are shocking and graphic. They also seem impossible to pull off and not one person could have done it. As usual with the author, and these types of Japanese mysteries, the reader is given all the clues. Also as usual, I couldn’t work it out. But that’s why I’m no Detective Kindaichi and part of the fun is revisiting the plot in my mind after he revealed how it was done. I always find the character name’s confusing in my Western mind, but the author does a good job describing and differentiating everyone. There is no deep psychological insight here, and some of their reactions were strange, but I still enjoyed the action. The novel is entertaining and clever.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Pushkin Vertigo!
The Enigmatic Kindaichi…
A Detective Kindaichi mystery and a classic Japanese mystery in traditional vein from this renowned author. Set on the remote island of Gokumon where Kindaichi has been sent to deliver distressing news. No sooner has he arrived than a bizarre and gruesome series of murders begins. The enigmatic Kindaichi must unravel the secrets of this island before the danger befalls him too. With a satisfying Christiesque plot and a deftly drawn cast this is a wonderful example of a Golden Age mystery in all it’s glory. Aficionados of this era will surely not be disappointed.
A fiendish, classic locked room murder mystery! A nail-bitingly tense crime mystery that will keep you turning the pages late into the night. Great characters, great storyline. I kept turning the pages instead of turning off the light!
First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Vertigo for this ARC! This review is written voluntarily by me.
I was just so excited when I found this book in the ‘Read Now’ section because I think I never read a translated Japanese mystery novel before. Plus, the writer is one of the greatest Japanese crime authors, making me much more excited to read this book.
In general, I do not really have an easy read with this book because of the writing style and the mystery itself. For me, the writing style is not really to my preference but I can bear with it because of the mystery.
I found out that this book is the second book in the series, thus when the event of the first book is referenced in the story, I just quite lost for a bit, but it does not affect the story’s plot. This story is loosely inspired by And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, but really small similarities between both of them.
Set in post-WW2 Japan, it shows a little bit about how Japanese people lived after the war and how they deal with it. Set on the island, this locked-room mystery is one of the craziest cases that I have read (but this may be because I do not read enough mystery novels yet). The mystery itself is bizarre and quite disturbing at the same time, added with a lot of suspicious characters. I don't really like the victims’ characters, but they do not deserve their deaths. When the motives and mystery are solved, I just do not know how to feel because I am just speechless at the motives, like, how do you have the heart to do this? I'm still thinking that the people on the island have different common sense and thinking from normal people. I really like the detective Kosuke Kindaichi because of how human is (based on his characters). He is passionate about his work and very smart he also has weaknesses like his stutters.
Thank you to the translator for your hard work in translating this story. Lastly, I'm hoping to read more stories from the author especially the first installment in the future.
I squealed when I saw this was Read Now on NetGalley because I blew through the first three translations of Seishi Yokomizo's classic mysteries late last year and was eagerly anticipating the publication of the next.
I am a big fan of Golden Age mysteries and I really like Yokomizo's take on them. I think Detective Kindaichi is an interesting main character and we get to see more of his backstory in this one and I love the historical Japan setting. I always leave these books feeling like I learned something about Japanese history and culture while I helped solve a crime.
This is the second in the series, though the fourth to be translated and is loosely inspired by Agatha Christie's classic And Then There Were None. That being said, you don't need to read these in order (though this one does reference Book #1, The Honjin Murders, several times it does not spoil the plot) and when the summary says loosely inspired it really means loosely. Really the only similarities between this and ATTWN is the creepy island vibe.
I think the set up of this one was really interesting. It takes place post World War II so we get to see how the war has impacted the people and I think that plus the creepy island setting really gives this book a great atmosphere. I also thought a lot of the characters were really well developed. Each of them felt unique and had their own motivations; however, I think the final solution to the crime was ...lacking. Especially after such great build up, I really expected more than the forced solution we got.
In an age where a lot of the shelves in the mystery/thriller section lean in to the thriller category, I have been loving some new takes on pure mystery plots and highly recommend to anyone else who is sort of burnt out on thrillers.
Thank you to Pushkin Vertigo and NetGalley for the early copy of this book. Having read The Honjin Murder, I was excited to read the sequel. I liked it better than the first book, perhaps I was already familiar with the style and some characters. Would recommend this book to the fans of classic murder mysteries and Japanese culture. I also really liked the covers of this series.
I am new to the Japanese thriller mystery genre and this is my first ever Kosuke Kindaichi read. It's a delight to have access to an English translation of this classic series!
I did not know what to expect at all and just picked this book on a lark.
What a delightful choice of read! The entire book is filled with an ominous, chilling atmosphere. The ambient writing is strong throughout and does not dip. I enjoyed the descriptive imagery of the island, its climate & geography and its people. The writer has painstakingly crafted relationships between the people, which despite being complicated, are well explained. The characteristics, thought processes, peculiarities and characters of all the inhabitants are craftily laid out.
I thoroughly enjoyed the haiku, their role in the story and the helpful background woven into the prose. Having not much prior knowledge of Japanese literature, these pieces were very enlightening to me.
--------- SPOILERS AHEAD ----------------------------------
The author gives us a fair chance of solving this locked room mystery along with the detective; there is no random twist to make the killer's identity come as a shock.
Perhaps the only weak link in the book is that when the mystery is solved it is done so by severe exposition after all the action has already happened. Even the reasons behind the murders themselves seem quite weak and forced, as if thought of at the last minute.
Full props to the translator on their good command of the classical style. The language does not come across as stilted. Thanks to Pushkin Vertigo and NetGalley for this advance copy!
Classic Golden Age Crime Mystery from Japan
A series of bizarre killings. An isolated community. A brilliant but wayward and quirky private detective, working alongside the regular police. An apparently impossible to solve set of crimes. All the ingredients of a classic old fashioned murder mystery - and that’s exactly what Death on Gokumon Island offers.
It is easy to very read: the story rattles along and the translation is clear and unobtrusive.
Written in the 1950s, the influence of British crime writers of the time is clear: the eccentric family and hints of inherited madness recall Allingham, the crimes a touch of Dickson Carr. The story and its solution are unlikely to be anyone’s idea of a plausible scenario and fall firmly into the golden age tradition of being a way that such an outré set of crimes could have happened.
What makes this stand out, however, is its setting: Japan immediately after the end of the Second World War. It’s an interesting and overlooked period of Japan’s past - a post feudal samurai Japan but still on its way to the new ultra modern Japan - and one that the war has understandably coloured our attitudes towards. Its blend of traditional and modern Japan make this book stand out from many other mysteries and worth a read.
This was my first introduction to this series of mystery books. Whilst not perfect, there was more than enough to make me interested in checking out other Kosuke Kindaich stories.
Advance copy given in return for an honest review.
I adored this classic murder mystery and would recommend it to anyone that loves the classic Agatha christie atmosphere and drama but wants something darker. Seishi Yokomizo writes very clever mysteries that will have you trying to piece together the mystery as you go along only for the big reveal having you feeling like a fool.
Kosuke Kindachi is japans best detective despite his understated appearance. This is supposed to be the best in the series following him as he travels around Japan as a self proclaimed drifter to solve murders and it definitely lived up to the hype. This has been my favourite published in the series in English so far as it’s set after the war and that definitely adds to the atmosphere hanging over the story.
I have recently discovered (and fallen in love) with the Japanese mystery genre. Having recently read 'The Decagon House Murders" I was excited to try another and this novel did not disappoint. I appreciate a book where I am along for the ride, not able to predict (or feel like I need to predict) what is going to happen next.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to enjoy this book.
Like a delicately unfolding flower, Yokomizo-san’s writing slowly reveals more of the plot pulling the reader deeper into the story. One isn’t sure whether minor details are trivial or not as one sees the world through the investigator’s eyes. Poetically described landscapes and family drama are the cherry on top in this intriguing murder mystery.
I've been absolutely itching to read Seishi Yokomizo's work since Pushkin began publishing the English translation, and luck was definitely on my side! This was an absolute riot, through and through.
Death on Gokumon Island follows the blueprint of a classic murder mystery with a compelling protagonist, Detective Kosuke Kindaichi, at the forefront. However, in this installment of the series, we see Kosuke Kindaichi in post-war Japan, several years after the Honshin Murders case, and on his way to the famed Gokumon island. The island, rumoured to be inhabited by generations of pirates and convicts, is also home to his fallen comrade-in-arms and heir to a wealthy fishing family, Chimata Kito. He specifically instructs Kosuke to visit the island in the wake of his death, and save his three sisters from impending murder. This sets offa chain reaction of bizarre and gruesome instances, from the moment Kosuke sets foot on the island right up till the end.
The story is very much rooted in Japanese culture and history, which may come off as a little alienating to readers unfamiliar with the lore, however, the translation and style of narration conveys the nuances in an extremely deft and clear manner. What particularly drew me to the story was not of the case in itself, which admittedly felt a tad half-hearted and all-too-convenient with resolution presented, but rather how utterly delicious and refreshing the writing felt, compelling me to keep reading further. Certain types of narrative styles will have you rereading several lines just to grasp simple facts of the plot, however, Death on Gokumon was incredibly well-translated with the words effortlessly seeping in as you read along.
A fantastic effort, enjoyable read and fun escape from the confines of stereotypical detective fiction. Highly recommended for Agatha Christie fans or anyone in need of a unique murder mystery. Thank you Pushkin Press and Netgalley for this ARC,
4.75/5
Dark and Ominous, Death on Gokumon Island is an atmospheric novel inspired by Agatha Christie. It's a classic novel and the most widely regarded of Seishi Yokomizo's Japanese mysteries.
In the story, Detective Kosuke Kindaichi travels to the remote island (in which the name can be translated to "Hell's Gate) to following the dying wish of his close friend. Not only is he coming to the island after WWII to explain the passing of his friend, he is also tasked with warning the three stepsisters that they are in danger. Thus the clock starts and it's a mad race to solve the underlying mystery before all of the stepsister succumb.
Be prepared, however, for horror is intertwined with this story. The resulting deaths are intricate and unique and chilling. Apparently the detective is known for solving murders after many of the characters involved have....passed.
It's a great detective story and the author plays fair with the audience. If you are a fan of classics and detective novels, like a bit of horror with your murder mysteries or would just enjoy trying a novel from another culture, then Death on Gokumon Island is for you!
.#Pushkin #NetGalley
I picked this up as an ARC on NetGalley because of the awesome cover and I have always been interested in translated works. This one did not disappoint. Death on Gokumon Island was a murder mystery that had me guessing up until the very end and even the very ending was still a shock. I am glad I picked this because it introduced me to Seishi Yokomizo, a beautiful writer and storyteller.
The story itself is very interesting and quite unique because of how it was told from the point of view as a 'watcher' and not a main character. The main character, Kosuke Kindaiche, was portrayed as a nervous and flustered detective who is tasked with solving murders on an isolated island. However, the supporting characters themselves felt very one dimensional and I felt myself getting confused with who was being portrayed. This could be due to the true meaning being lost in translation, so I don’t fault how the story was provided for me.
The writing style of this novel was beautiful and I thought the translator did a really great job with portraying all of the minute details of each scene. The writing flows well and the scenes that were created were so detailed, I felt as if I were watching it as a film.
Overall, I thought this was a great read and I can’t wait to read more from this author.