Rating: 4.5 stars

Looking at the title, I was skeptical. Was this just another ‘copy’ of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle or perhaps like The Man Who Died Twice? But then I learned that though this English translation is recent, the original book in Japanese was published in 1995, way before the two books I mentioned came into existence.

The premise was good: Hisataro, a 16-year-old boy was in line to inherit a vast fortune from his successful grandfather upon his death. His still lively grandfather however, had another shall we say, a mischievous plan. Amongst his children and grandchildren, he planned on choosing a worthy successor and invited them during the New Year’s Day to announce his decision. Unfortunately, the grandfather died an untimely death, before he could crown his successor.

The kick was that unknown to everyone else, Hisataro suffered a condition where he was thrown into a time-loop where on certain days, he had to go through the same date nine times! And unluckily for him, one of those days happened to be on the death of his grandfather. He had at least 8 loops to make things right and figure out what actually happened to his grandfather and possibly prevent his death before the loop ended!

What I loved about the book was how the explanation was done in detail, but straight to the point that it was easy to understand. Time-loop mysteries tend to be confusing because they’re either vague or feature overly done explanations. However, I thought what was done in this book was splendid because it was realistic and easy to digest. I also applaud the translator, Jesse Kirkwood, because the wordings were excellent. I could almost imagine how it could have been worded in Japanese, and I felt like nothing (or even if there was, very little) was lost in translation. I can only assume the translator not only had a good mastery of both languages, but had a good understanding of the culture. No typos either, which is unfortunately rare in the publishing world these days.

Highly recommended to those who love time-loop mysteries!

I absolutely adored this.

The Man Who Died Seven Times is Groundhog Day, mixed with equal parts Arrested Development, The Butterfly Effect and Agatha Christie.

This is a cozy, twisty-turny mystery, where young Hisataro occasionally gets thrown in a loop where he lives the same day 9 times, so after learning the rules, he uses this knowledge for quite childish selfish reasons like passing the entry test for a prestigious school.

After a particularly lively new years celebration, he enters the loop and finds that his somewhat estranged grandfather has been murdered.

The main meat of this is in the second act, as there is a lot of building at the start of the book, but once you know the ground rules it’s a book you can go back again, and again to!

I delayed starting this for a while because I was worried it would be repetitive. Thankfully I didn’t find it to be that way at all, each loop was a new theory being put into practice, with interesting variances. It did take some time to get into the actual time loops, would be my only criticism. I could have done without knowing so much about the history of their condition. It was quick and easy to read however and something a bit different from the norm.

A story with some interesting ideas. I admire the author’s creativity.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This was a delightful book! I would happily recommend this to any patrons looking for a fun mystery, quirky translated work, or are fans of the Knives Out series, See How they Run, or Wes Anderson films. I am excited this book is coming out the same year as the new installment of knives out because it makes Reader's Advisory that much easier!

This was interesting in the way the loop would restart. I think this might be my first japanese cosy mystery in a loop. Occasionally i was bored because of the slow pacing

An interesting premise of a time loop is the basis of this crime mystery in Yasuhiko Nishizawa’s, The Man Who Died Seven Times (2025). Jesse Kirkwood has translated the original 1998 Japanese novel. Hisataro Fuchigami is sixteen years old and has to relive the same day multiple times. However, he is fortunate enough to return to the day of his grandfather’s murder. Whilst part murder mystery, it’s also a coming-of-age tale, with some offbeat family dynamics and a family feuding over an inheritance. Although the repetitiveness of the day was to be expected, it felt jumpy and lacked a certain believability. Unfortunately, the promising murder mystery story did not eventuate and so has a two and a half star read rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement. With thanks to Pushkin Press and the author for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes.

the man who died seven times leverages the classic time loop plot line but takes it to a whole other level. you won't find yourself stuck reading the same thing over and over again because each time the day resets, you're fed with a whole new series of events.

fair warning, there's a bit of a wide gap between the context building and the actual murder mystery section so just be prepared to have to read through in-depth explanations.

once you get the ball rolling, just when you thought everything would have been solved - you get thrown into another pit.

i really enjoyed my time with this one! the ending was straight up comical and i wouldn't have it any other way.

thank you NetGalley and Pushkin for sending over an ARC! :)

A Groundhog Day murder mystery!

Hisataro attends a New Year’s celebration at his wealthy grandfather’s estate along with other members of his family - his two brothers, his mother, his aunt, her two daughters - plus two employees from his grandfather’s company.

Every year his grandfather revises his will and picks a new successor to both his business and his personal estate. All seems to be normal until his grandfather is found dead just as everyone is set to return home. And it appears he has been murdered.

With a vast fortune on the line, there is no shortage of suspects. But as the clock strikes midnight, Hisataro awakens to find himself reliving that fateful day all over again.

At its heart, this is a murder mystery interlaced with drama about a fractured family. But the sci-fi twist and repeating timeline set it apart from more traditional stories in the genre.

We follow Hisataro as he navigates each repetition of the day, desperately trying to prevent his grandfather’s death. Each iteration brings new challenges, variations, and surprising revelations.

Hisataro is likeable - as are the supporting cast - and whilst the premise isn’t entirely original, it remains engaging. The recurrent timeline naturally results in numerous plot twists.

Fans of shifting timelines and locked-room mysteries will find plenty to enjoy with this book!

An appreciator of Japanese culture I was excited to read this, and thankfully, it didn’t disappoint.
Thank you to Yasuhiko Nishizawa, Pushkin Press | Pushkin Vertigo and NetGalley for the advanced copy and opportunity to read this early.

The Man Who Died Seven Times is a gripping and inventive thriller that kept me hooked throughout. The pacing is fast, and the plot twists kept me guessing. While some elements felt a bit familiar or predictable, the novel’s unique concept and strong execution make up for it. Overall, a really engaging read that offers plenty of suspense and intrigue.

An intriguing idea, to be trapped and relive the same day over and over, only for time to carry on after a set number of repeats.

It makes for a really good mystery setting, after all the protagonist doesn't need to be as careful if he knows the day will reset, we get to see many different sides to the same story.

This book is certainly a brain teaser, and i did not see the end turning out the way it did at all.

Hisataro Fuchigami is a teenager in a wealthy Japanese family who possesses a bizarre, uncontrollable gift: he repeatedly relives single days—up to nine times in a row. On one of these loops, his grandfather is murdered during an inheritance gathering. Trapped in this Groundhog‑Day scenario, Hisataro becomes the sole observer of each iteration. With each reset, he tests new theories and uncovers fresh clues—until by the ninth and final loop, he must piece together the truth: Who killed his grandfather, and can he stop it before time runs out?

Yasuhiko Nishizawa’s The Man Who Died Seven Times is an inventive and delightfully twisty murder mystery that adds a time-bending premise to the classic locked-room setup. When teenage heir Hisataro Fuchigami discovers he’s reliving the same day again and again—up to nine times—he quickly realizes he may be the only one who can solve his grandfather’s murder… before time resets for good.

Nishizawa’s writing (and the translation) balances dry wit with escalating tension. The structure could feel repetitive in less capable hands, but here each loop deepens the mystery while cleverly subverting expectations. Hisataro is a charmingly reluctant detective, and the final resolution is both satisfying and emotionally resonant.

Thank you Yasuhiko Nishizawa, Pushkin Press and NetGalley!

WARNING: it's another unpopular opinion!!

I always try to read more translated fiction, and I loved the sound of this Japanese timeloop slash locked room thriller... It sounded like such an unique concept, and the comparison to The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle only made me want to read it more. Sadly, my experience with this story didn't exactly end up being a positive one. While I can't deny that The Man Who Died Seven Times had a very strong premise, I can't say that I was a fan of the execution. More about why this book ended up being an unpopular opinion for me below.

Like I said, there is nothing wrong with the premise of The Man Who Died Seven Times. In fact, it was such an unique angle for a murder slash locked room mystery, with the main character being stuck in a timeloop and being able to change certain things about his day to see if he can save his grandfather. The incorporation of the clues was also solid, although I did guess part of the truth quite early on... But still, this plot had SO much potential, and it is probably the main reason why I kept reading until the end.

Where did it go wrong for me then? Before I go straight to the main issue, I'll try to point out some of the smaller points. The first definitely had to do with the fact that there was quite some repetition in both the plot and the writing itself. The plot can be easier forgiven considering the fact that it IS a timeloop mystery, but certain words and phrases were repeated over and over again and it made the writing seem quite clunky. There also was something about the tone of the writing that felt overly formal, and especially considering the fact that the narrator is a sixteen-year-old teenager... Him being an old soul or not. I'm not sure if this was a translation issue or the fact that the Japanese language and culture is simply so different, but either way it didn't work as well for me personally.

Now on to the main issue, which had everything to do with the main characters. They were all extremely unlikeable and hard to keep apart, and I can't say that I cared about what happened to any of them. Sure, they all made for great suspects in grandfather's murder, but still... This alone I could have moved past, but then the incest arrived, was there to stay and everything went down the drain. Am I the only one who is disgusted by the fact that cousins are actually actively hooking up and pining over each other?! And the rest of the cast are not only not bothered by this, but actually actively encourage it?! I'm sorry, but my mind just isn't able to look past this. To make things worse, there is another character who is in love with a minor and actually wants to marry him, and the plot seems to encourage this as well... Absolutely revolting if you ask me.

I honestly don't know why I didn't just DNF it after the incest started appearing, but I guess I was intrigued enough by the timeloop and murder mystery to try and move past my repulsion. Sadly, the ending itself wasn't really worth it either and considerably underwhelming... Oh yes, The Man Who Died Seven Times without a doubt ended up being a miss for me. If you are able to look past the incest, adult/minor crush, constant family drama, unlikeable characters and repetition, I guess this timeloop murder mystery could in theory work better for you though.

I loved this book. I found Nishizawa's writing to be so much fun to read and I really enjoyed the style. I found their style to be unique and kept me engaged because of it.

I didn't expect much - the quality of murder mysteries from Japan varies widely, and I've read my fair share of duds. I didn't know what this will be like, but it exceeded my expectations, by a margin.

The story is a Groundhog Day-style take on a more traditional Agatha Christie murder mystery. Our protagonist is (biologically) a 16-year-old boy, who happens to have a "condition" that makes him relive random days in his life a few times. The plot of the novel takes place when the family gets together at the behest of the patriarch, and a murder occurs. The protagonist tries to figure out what is happening, and, in the process, discovers various things about his family and their scheming, as he relives the "loops" of that single day.

The story is well written with a very believable and well-rounded protagonist. The plot itself has multiple twists and turns, and while some were quite expected (enough clues were left lying around), others really surprised me, in a good way. It's clear the author gave it all a lot of thought, and the puzzle really challenges one's intellect to unravel and fully comprehend. The translation was also great - it was smooth and felt very natural.

Overall, highly recommended to fans of Christie. It's also a very easy and enjoyable read - so anyone looking for something light to enjoy will have a lot of fun with this one. It's perhaps not as deep as I would like from a book (and some of the characters weren't developed enough), but in this genre specifically - it ticks all the boxes.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with early access to this book in return for an honest review.

‘The Man Who Died Seven Times’ follows Hisataro, a boy who unwillingly gets stuck in 9-day time loops fairly frequently. Most of the time he’s only forced to repeat mundane, uneventful days but that changes when the loop decides to revolve around the murder of his grandfather, and Hisataro is forced to play detective if he wishes to prevent the death.

The book will of course draw comparisons to ‘Groundhog Day’ but the 9-day limit of the loop does inject something fresh to the time-loop narrative and I appreciated how the absurdity surrounding the murder grew with each loop. That being said, the book does struggle with pacing issues. The story feels quite slow to start and the repetition in the first half does get tiring- it feels as though, in an attempt to make sure we understand the concept of the loop, Nishizawa describes it over and over again without telling us anything new, subjecting us to our own 9-time explanation of the 9-day loop. From the 5th or 6th loop, the pacing does improve and I had fun going through the different iterations of the loops and ultimately, I was satisfied with the outcome of the 9th loop. The final 2 chapters however, felt far too rushed which is really a shame. The clever use of misdirection is revealed in the penultimate chapter but the explanation is sped through so quickly that it doesn’t get the weight it deserves.

For me this was a fun read, if at times a little difficult to get through, and I think if you’re a fan of works revolving around time-loops then you should give this a go. Thank you to Pushkin Press | Pushkin Vertigo and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

I would like to thank Pushkin Vertigo, Penguin, and NetGalley for the Arc. I won't get too much into the plot as it is pretty self-explanatory.
Yes there are the normal comparisons to Groundhog Day and Happy Death Day, as there is a repeating day and there is a murder. I was not a fan of this novel, and there are a few reasons why, and I will admit I was excited to read this as this is a concept I love and I had such high hopes. Also, I really did judge this book by the cover as it is by far the coolest thing about it.
I don't know if there was an issue with translation, but I found the whole novel to be very dry. Almost no emotion at all, which made it hard to keep track of all the characters. I have read a few other translated Japanese novels and while I am aware of some cultural differences this was just too unbelievable. While there is some emotion/drama when the body is discovered it just wasn't enough.
Also there were people who were in love with other people. Seems normal, NOPE, they are first cousins. Like, how am I supposed to feel about that? I can get past heirs and adopting members of the family, but FIRST COUSINS getting together is a big nope from me, this isn't the 19th century anymore.
And while I knew I was going to experience the same day over and over it was still too repetitive, and I got bored. And then in the epilogue, the resolution is completely taken away. There is no ending, a woman is in love with an underage boy, just too much ick. Not worth your time.

The premise is good but the execution is lackluster, with a soggy middle and lackluster characters. On the upside, it was a short, easy read and had some intriguing elements at the end that definitely made me think.

This was a quick and interesting read for me, I enjoyed following Hisataro as he repeats the same day over and over trying to prevent his grandfather's murder. I know this is a translation of the title from the 90s, but in my mind this story is a mesh of a more recent "Knives Out" and "The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle", so if those appeal to you, give this book a try, Dysfunctional family dynamics are written well, and all of the characters are flawed and unlikable, which makes for a realistic list of suspects as everybody has their own agenda.
My only gripe is that I felt uncomfortable with cousins dating and everyone discussing marriage between cousins as something acceptable and normal. Same goes for a suggested romance between a teenager and a grown woman (even if we're told that his mind is that of a 30 year old). A solid read otherwise.

I’ve read plenty of stories that begin with a family gathering, usually for a will reading, an heir announcement, or a party and for the patriarch or matriarch to end up dead. This one started similarly, but quickly took a unique turn that made it stand out.

The story follows a boy with a peculiar condition where he occasionally falls into a time loop, repeating the same day eight more times. He randomly falls in these time loops and his actions have power to alter the course of events. In one such loop, his grandfather is murdered. Now, it’s up to him to use the remaining loops to prevent that death because whatever happens in the final loop becomes reality.

What I didn’t expect was to be laughing out loud during a murder mystery. But the absurdity of a pillow fight scene had me genuinely cracking up. The book strikes a nice balance between tension and lighthearted moments, which made it even more enjoyable.

The ending was shocking as I had hoped and wrapped up the story with a satisfying twist. A clever, entertaining mystery.

4.5⭐