It’s an okay procedural murder mystery, but it never quite captured my interest.

Nishinohata, the greedy director of a company whose employees are currently striking for better work conditions, is murdered, and because of his unsavory reputation, there’s a lot of suspects. But once the investigator, Onitsura, finds the person with a compelling motive, he has to figure out how they created their airtight alibi.

I feel like the appeal here is the numerous train timetables that readers can use to figure out the alibi, so it really is like a technical puzzle. Now the timetables on my eARC were formatted badly so I couldn’t take part (plus other issues, like ff, fi, fl all missing for some reason), so that did take away from my reading experience but that’s probably just a me issue. But other than that, I feel like the mystery turned out to be pretty complicated in a way that made it pretty hard for the reader to figure out anything on their own, and it also seemed to try to focus on the boring parts of police work where they walk and talk to people for hours with very little return. It probably wasn’t the type of mystery that I’m a fan of.

The main protagonist seemed to be a detective who didn’t show up until halfway so there wasn’t time to really feel compelled by them. And I’m kinda used to how female characters might be written by old Japanese men, but even then the way some of them were written here was pretty sexist. Of course some of the men were gross too, but it felt like the women were only allowed so many brain cells. Idk, things happened to characters but it felt so hand-waved away or never discussed again that it made me wonder what the point was, so none of the characters interested me.

I guess if you like old Japanese detective stories you might try it out, but I feel like there must be better ones.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

*The Black Swan Mystery* by Tetsuya Ayukawa is a Japanese murder mystery first published in 1960 and recently translated into English. It is the first book in the *Inspector Onitsura* series. The novel follows Chief Inspector Onitsura and his assistant, Tanna, as they investigate the murder of a local mill owner whose body is discovered near railway tracks in Saitama Prefecture. The case initially points toward labor disputes and a rising religious sect, but as the investigation unfolds, more murders occur, leading the detectives across Japan in pursuit of the killer

The novel is a classic detective story, heavily focused on the investigative process rather than character drama. It places great emphasis on logical deduction and intricate details, particularly train timetables, making it appealing to readers who enjoy technical mysteries in the style of *Tokyo Express* or Golden Age detective fiction. It also offers insights into postwar Japanese society, touching on themes such as labor unrest, class inequalities, and shifting cultural norms.

If you enjoy methodical police procedurals with a strong sense of place, this could be an interesting read.

I really think this story could be exceptional.

I'll keep trying but the entire experience jars with the missing copy, etc o may equal off. Is renman fireman or a Japanese terms? Its not policer officer its "oicer" ??? Any chance it can be re-released so we can read it how it's supposed to be read?

NB: There's an irony here...every time I try to write what's in the book, the autocorrect tries hard to make it into an English word *sigh*

The Black Swan Mystery is a 1950s murder mystery talks about a story full of secrets, lies, and surprises. The plot focuses on trains and railway schedules, and it paints a vivid picture of post-war Japan.

I really enjoyed how the author mixes a complicated mystery with a focus on social issues, showing the challenges of life in Japan after the war. The story tackles hot topics like inequality, the rise of consumerism, and the struggles of the working class. It also looks at the way wealthy people live double lives. However, the investigation in the book isa bit weird because many different detectives (and in some cases civilians) work together. The first part of the book feels a bit disjointed, possibly because it was serialized, but it becomes smoother as it goes on.

Inspector Onitsura, the main detective, doesn’t appear until halfway through the book, but he’s a well-developed and interesting character. Overall, the book combines complex details with humor and deep character insights, making it a very enjoyable read.

Classic murder mystery on a train. Highly recommend if you are a fan of Agatha Christie or any fictional crime book.

3.5
I love a good mystery novel - it's my favourite genre - and this one hit all the spots. Unbreakable alibi? Check. Suspicious characters? Check. Smart Investigator? Check. Civilians deciding to take solving a mystery into their hands? And check, again. It was fast paced enough to keep me turning the page without it becoming breakneck, which would have probably made me miss a few very important details - I still did, I was as baffled as Tanna about a certain little thing! The writing was very flowing and engaging, the plot was well constructed (took me quite a bit to suspect the real culprit, like, it had to be rubbed on my face!) and the entire atmosphere was spot on, taking me on a mental and imaginary trip to Japan.
I'm giving it a lower rate because of the typos, though, they were countless, and frankly, very very jarring, breaking my concentration and engagement with the book to the point I almost DNF'ed. I won't mind the occasional typo, but when it's several in the same sentence, and in every single sentence, sometimes even entire words missing, I'm sorry but I will not rate the book high, even if the story was really good. I understand it seems to be common practice for publishing houses to deliver ARCs that are very rough around the edges, but honestly? I find this utterly disrespectful to ARC readers, hence my standards. If self-published and indie authors go to the extent of working on delivering the best possible ARCs to their advanced readers, why won't trad publishers do the same? Are we supposed to use double standards here, where self-pub authors get smashed because there was one little typo on their ARCs but trad publishers get away with it?
Like I said, if it had been only a couple of incidents, I'd not even remarked upon it, but this was way too much. And if it was done in purpose to avoid piracy, I honestly doubt it will work...

'The Black Swan Mystery' by Tetsuya Ayukawa is a painstakingly detailed police procedural that will definitely appeal to people who are ready to indulge in a serious and slow-paced 'alibi deconstruction' story populated with very colorful characters and a vivid picture of post-war Japan.

The owner of a local mill is found murdered alongside a railway track and suspicion falls on the Workers' Union which has been striking because of a labour dispute.While the police are called in to investigate, another man is found murdered and it's feared the killer has struck again and then again.

This murder mystery was originally written many years ago and is set in 1960s Japan, and but recently translated into English. It's an enjoyable murder mystery, filled with a number of devious twists that keep you guessing and turning the pages. Cleverly written, the storyline's unique setting kept me engaged and interested throughout the entire book. I enjoyed the characters and how the plot all came together, and did not guess the outcome at all. The only thing that confused me a little about the book was the insertion of maps and train timetables within the pages, which didn't necessarily add to the storyline and which I felt interrupted the flow a little.

A recommended read. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved this mystery. It was such a well written book and I loved trying to find out who did it. I think the tension and character worked well together to keep the reader engaged

of course i enjoyed yet another mystery from pushkin press!! this publisher never fails to bring out good books and i’m so lucky to read and review arcs from
them!!

This could have been more...

This book has been compared to Tokyo Express, which I also find to be okay. I enjoy this type of mystery but I much prefer honkaku mysteries..

I normally don't add this in a review but the errors in the Kindle version really altered my reading experience.

There were a few publishing errors on the Kindle, which I could have pushed past: the lack of 'f' continuously was off-putting to say the least.... It was the misprint of the train timetables and map that really disconnected me from the book. I felt at a real disadvantage. I like to feel I am able to solve the murders with the detective but I didn't even have a chance with this.

This book wasn’t bad, but it didn’t blow me away either. The mystery had an interesting premise with a murder, a labor dispute, and a growing religious sect, which kept me curious throughout. The investigation itself was pretty straightforward, with Detective Onitsura and his assistant traveling around Japan to track down the killer.

The pacing was decent, and the story had its moments of suspense, but overall, it felt a little predictable. The characters were okay, but I didn’t find myself fully invested in them or the plot. It’s definitely not the most gripping or memorable mystery I’ve read, but if you’re looking for a decent, mid-tier thriller, this could fit the bill.

In the past couple of years I've enjoyed several of the recently translated/republished Japanese mysteries, which is why I was drawn to this book. The mystery itself was very layered and quite complex. But unlike most of the other books I've read, there were some things that just felt "off" in this one. Mainly, the pacing and lay out of story. But also the fact that there was repetition and and feeling of the book being somewhat bloated. On top of that, Inspector Onitsura doesn't even show up until midway through when what appeared to be the main detectives reached a stagnant point in the investigation, and overall wasn't in the book that much. If the story had been edited down I think it would have been much better. I liked it, I just wasn't blown away by it.

quite impressive!!!
if we ignore all the unnecessary details and them wiping their sweat again and again and again, this was a really good book!
plot shifting from whodunit to howdunit and the way they broke the alibi was what impressed me! 👏🏼 the howdunit part was my favourite! the murder was so cleverly planned that if it were not for a sharp-minded detective, it would have been impossible to solve and that is what i love in mysteries – a cleverly planned murder! 🙂‍↕️

thanks to the publisher and the netgalley for the copy!