3 out of 5

Seishi Yokomizo’s Murder at the Black Cat Café is a curious entry in the canon of classic Japanese mystery fiction—one that hasn't yet been released, but early readers will no doubt find themselves puzzling over long before the first body hits the floor.

The most immediate impression is the lengthy, almost meandering introduction, which takes its time setting the scene with the deliberate pace of someone recounting a memory they’re reluctant to let go of. For fans of Yokomizo’s atmospheric setups, this may feel familiar—but here, the effect is amplified to the point of excess. Readers may find themselves wondering when, exactly, the “murder” promised in the title will begin to unfold.

The prose is dense and laden with detail, a far cry from the breezy whodunits Western readers might expect. Yokomizo asks for patience, and a lot of it. While his writing rewards close attention, the sheer weight of exposition and internal digression risks overwhelming even seasoned mystery fans. This isn’t a book you can skim through on a lazy afternoon—it demands commitment.

Then there’s the titular Black Cat Café, and the truly puzzling fixation on black cats—plural. One has apparently been buried, while the other prowls around very much alive. The symbolism here is opaque at best and distracting at worst, unless you're prepared to dive deep into possible allegorical interpretations. Is this a metaphor for duality? Death and rebirth? Guilt and innocence? Or is it simply an eccentric flourish? Either way, the focus borders on obsessive, and not always in a satisfying way.

Despite these quirks, Yokomizo’s knack for moody, slow-burn storytelling still surfaces here and there, and mystery aficionados willing to brave the fog may uncover a rewarding tale underneath the layers of literary dust. But for the casual reader, Murder at the Black Cat Café might feel more like a riddle wrapped in fur than a gripping page-turner.

Rating: ★★★★

"Murder at the Black Cat Café" by Seishi Yokomizo features the brilliant Kosuke Kindaichi. The book includes two cases, and I actually enjoyed the second one a bit more—it felt sharper and more atmospheric.

I have to give credit where it’s due: I couldn’t guess the culprit in either story, which made the reveals genuinely satisfying. There were a few typos, but they didn’t get in the way of the reading experience.

Overall, a clever, well-plotted mystery that left me wanting more.

This book gave me exactly what I didn’t know I was looking for, a crime story that manages to be both atmospheric and oddly playful. Murder at the Black Cat Café is full of smoke, secrets, and sharply drawn characters. The pacing felt intentionally erratic at times, almost like the narrative was leading me in circles on purpose and weirdly, I liked that. It made the solution, when it came, feel earned.

What I enjoyed most wasn’t just the puzzle itself, but the way Yokomizo lets small details build tension slowly. The café isn’t just a setting, it becomes a character in its own right. The tone is melancholic but never heavy; there’s a sense of mischief in the storytelling that balances the darker moments.

Some parts felt slightly over-explained, but it didn’t take away from the experience. I read it in two sittings and found myself thinking about it afterward, especially the last few pages.

★★★★☆ 4 out of 5 stars

I think this book was fine. It reminds me of Nita Prose but with a darker side. I don't know if I would say this book is ready to be published just yet. There were numerous typos and spelling mistakes that could easily be fixed. I would say it's nothing to worry about but there are some words that are odd enough that made me question if I was reading it incorrectly or if I just didn't know the definition of the word. I would look it up only to find out that the word didn't exist and it was just a typo. This did make reading the book a tad difficult.

This book contains two short stories from the Detective Kosuke Kindaichi series.

Murder at the Black Cat Cafe: 4 stars
The first story begins with the discovery of the bodies of a woman and a black cat in the backyard of the Black Cat Cafe. It features the faceless killer trope. There are various twists and turns in the story and the ending was unexpected. An excellent short story to check out while waiting for the next Kindaichi novel!

Why Did The Well Wheel Creak: 3.5 stars
The second story is told through an epistolary format in a series of letters. There is no investigation of the mystery as is typically the case in the other Kindaichi novels and the detective appears very briefly in the story. While the story is enjoyable, I did not like the second story as much as the first.

This started out as a fairly decent murder mystery, well written and full of intrigue, clues were dropped into the story that kept you guessing, then came the big reveal... Sadly this felt out of line with the rest of the story, what was for me a light cozy-ish mystery descended into something far more dense, and I'm sad to say boring.

Posted on Goodreads
Truth is stranger than fiction
The world is full of the most inventive people
Thanks to Steerforth & Pumpkin àd Netgalley for the ARC
The book has two novels : the main story, murder at the black cat cafe followed by The Well Wheel Creaks
This was good to read. As an international reader, I learned a lot of new english words and personally, the fact I understood the story was enjoyable (I was quite frightened as it was my first mystery novel in English).
I didn’t resolve the case so I believe the writer actually won its gamble : this faceless corpse mystery was well written and great.
I was a bit lost between all the characters at the beginning of the book.
I understand this book was published in the late 90’s in Japan, and the story is set after WW2.
It had a fair share of plot twists, discoveries (even if the detective sold way to quickly the answer for me), and had a kind of cosy vibes actually. Perfect read for the start of autumn!

I’ll admit, if a book has a cat on the cover, in the title, or in the description, I’ll probably buy it. That habit of mine absolutely applies to Murder at the Black Cat Café—the cover is gorgeous and I'd love to also see it on my bookshelf one day.

The mystery in both stories had me hooked, I didn’t guess the outcome—but the translation was occasionally hard to read. While minor errors are understandable in translated works, this edition had many missing words and letters. That made it difficult for me to connect with the characters and see myself within the narrative. Unfortunately, I would link this disconnection to constantly having to stop and guess what something is meant to say.

That said, the epilogue of Murder at the Black Cat Café left a lasting impression on me and will likely influence how I read other mysteries. You’ll need to read it to understand what I mean.

In the words of Kindaichi, “If I could suggest one thing it would be…” to please re-edit this book. With proper editing, it could be truly amazing—a book I’d not only read again but enthusiastically recommend to others.

It was not really my taste surprisingly and sadly enough. It was not because it wasn’t well written, but I just couldn’t seem to become very interested in the plot or characters. It read a lot like an article or a report of events, if that makes sense?
But, regardless of all that, I still give it three stars since it was not poorly written, just not really my style when it comes to books.

Ultimately, both stories aren't really that special. You can tell that they were originally published as additions to the Honjin Murders book in Japan, as there really isn't enough plot to carry them individually. The solutions are both fine, though not something that I was particularly wowed by them anyways. Almost certainly my least favourite of the Kindaichi books in English so far.

*2.5 stars rounded down to 2 on here*

This is my first time reading anything by this author although I have often looked at Thier books when out book browsing. After reading this I'm unsure if their style is for me.

Both the stories felt very dry and often read like you were reading newspaper articles rather than a fictional story so at times I did find myself feeling a tad bored.

They were both short yet due to the language used still felt plodding and felt twice as long as they actually were.

Of the two stories I much preferred the first as the premise was much more interfering. The second was quicker to read due to it's style of being set up as letters but the plot lacked any umph for me.

Overall this wasn't really for me but I can see how it would appeal to other readers who enjoy cosy/traditional styles of mystery telling .

(thank you pushkin press and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review)

❝I cannot help recalling that fusty old saying: that truth is stranger than fiction.❞

‘Murder at the Black Cat Café’ is the seventh title in the Detective Kosuke Kindaichi series in order of translation. It is a collection of two stories that both had me point to my screen, grinning like a banshee while resentfully muttering, “You tricked me!”

In the first story, the titular ‘Murder at the Black Cat Café’, behind the Black Cat Café, a police officer on patrol discovers someone digging up the soil, only to find the decomposing body of a woman and a dead black cat by her side. Her identity cannot be confirmed but once the former owners (who suddenly sold their café) are investigated, the police start untangling a messy story of love, jealousy and betrayal.

The second story, ‘ Why Did The Well Wheel Creak?’, is a murder case told in the form of newspaper articles and letters between the main characters, the Honiden family.

I thoroughly enjoyed these two stories, the first especially. (Mainly because our beloved Kosuke is present) I especially love how they made a fool out of me. My update at the 30% was: ❝This must have been mind-blowing in 1947 but I've read way too many mysteries to not have already figured this out😅❞ only for my expectations to be completely shattered at the 50% mark: ❝I would like to apologise to Seishi Yokomizo. Turns out, I did not guess that correctly💀❞ Oh the hubris I displayed.

I can’t wait for the next one!

I’m a sucker for any Japanese translation that has a cat on the cover or in the title. I also love a good mystery so was interested in reading this. The overall story was interesting but like in some translated mysteries, it was a bit flat. It was just the facts laid out without the emotion behind it. I didn’t feel the connection to the characters, however with that said, I did like Kosuke himself. I know this book is part of a series but this could also just be a good standalone. Even if you haven't read the previous books, you aren't missing information that you need for this story.
It was slow to start and at times because it lacked the emotional side, was tougher to read.This is a good read for someone who wants a classic old school Japanese murder mystery

★★☆☆☆ — Not really for me, but I can see the appeal for people who enjoy classic mysteries

Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Vertigo for the ARC of Murder at the Black Cat Café.

I’ve been trying to read more mysteries and crime fiction, and I’d heard a lot about Seishi Yokomizo, so I was excited to give this one a try. Unfortunately, this just didn’t quite work for me personally. The story itself was interesting enough, especially the setting of post-war Tokyo and the café, but I found it difficult to connect with the characters, and I prefer more emotionally grounded, character-driven stories.

The writing style felt quite dry and distant, and the structure (especially in the first story) made it hard for me to engage. I understand that it’s a product of its time, and I imagine fans of classic detective fiction will find more to love here.

The bonus story at the end was a bit more engaging for me, and I appreciated the change in format. The translation was clear and easy to follow throughout, and the atmosphere was one of the book’s strong suits.

While this wasn’t a hit for me, I’d still be curious to check out The Honjin Murders or other entries in the Kosuke Kindaichi series to see if they're more my tastes.

This was an interesting read - it was much dryer than I anticipated. It reads more like a newspaper article than a work of creative writing. Kindaichi is endearing, a sort of Japanese Hercules Poirot, but no one character was developed enough for me to care very much.

I'm not sure what passed for thriller in 1947, but I'm surprised by how... normal the first crime was? I know True Crime wasn't really a genre, but given the proximity to WWII, its hard to believe that there wasn't more creativity when it came to imagining crime scenarios.

That being said, I didn't expect the twist. it was enjoyable as a short story but I feel like I will forget it shortly.

The second story was much more interesting to me, but there was a shock factor involved that made it memorable. The letter format was more enjoyable.

Either way, this book suffers from telling us, not showing us, the details of the story.

As far as the translation goes, it was perfectly understandable to me and a job well done.

Murder at the Black Cat Cafe is a 1940s Japanese detective story, newly translated and published with a frankly beautiful cover. When the body of an unidentifiable woman is found in the back yard of the recently vacated Black Cat Cafe, Detective Kosuke Kindaichi finds himself with a “faceless corpse” mystery. He’s genre savvy, and knows how these things usually go - usually the identity of the deceased and the supposed murderer are discovered to be the opposite. But is there more at play here in the Black Cat than Kindaichi’s experiences have led him to expect?

I’m a big fan of meeting books where they are, so I’m rating this against other classic detective stories, other Japanese mysteries, and other translated novels. In that setting it gets a 3.75 or a 4 star! It’s a quick read, the translation is smooth, and the mystery is one that you *could* figure out on alongside the detectives in the story if you were dedicated to putting clues to paper and puzzling through them on your own. Despite it taking place in the 1940s, there’s no real time-period esoterica going on that prevents you from figuring out the solution yourself (thinking here about how often Agatha Christie’s older mysteries involve some piece of extremely obsolete tech that I didn’t even know existed). The book has charming little black cat chapter illustrations that I love, and comes with a second short story following the same detective, which is a neat little bonus. Would recommend to anyone trying to enjoy their Sunday coffee over a short mystery novel, as I so often am!

I just finished this book in one sitting lol and while it wasn’t one of the best books I’ve read, I still really enjoyed it, I liked the Honjin Murders more I guess. The setting is post-war Tokyo and the mysterious little café was probably my favorite part. It had a great atmosphere: eerie but grounded, and the mystery kept me curious the whole time.

Kosuke Kindaichi is an interesting detective though, kind of scruffy and unpolished, but smart. I liked the way the story slowly revealed secrets, even if some parts felt a little slow or distant. It wasn’t super emotional or character-driven, which maybe made it harder to fully connect with, but the mystery itself was solid.

If you like classic-style murder mysteries with a bit of a twist and don’t mind a slower pace, this one’s worth checking out. I also liked the bonus story at the end–it was a nice extra.

Glad I read it, even if it didn’t totally blow me away.
3.5 💓

The mystery itself is fascinating and plays on the “faceless corpse” trope within mysteries and mystery novels. There were a few plot twists that I didn’t see coming because the author explains what a faceless corpse mystery is leading you to believe that this mystery fits perfectly within that trope to lead the reader into believing a simple explanation for the murder. While the plot twist and short nature of the story was enjoyable how the story itself was set up was a little odd in my opinion. The entire mystery is being told to you rather than you experiencing the investigation through the eyes of a specific character, so it felt a little bland.

I read this as an ARC from Netgalley.

This book has an atmospheric setting and an accessible writing style. Perfect for anyone in the mood for a mystery. This is not my usual fare, but I will be recommending it to others that are mystery readers!

2.75 stars

Overall, I thought this book was okay. The mystery itself is engaging, and the final payoff was satisfying enough to keep me reading to the end.

However, despite the novel's relatively short length, it felt slow to get going. The opening chapters in particular dragged, and I often found myself wishing the prose and dialogue were more concise. At times, long conversations and detailed descriptions caused me to lose track of the story's momentum.

Additionally, the large number of characters was difficult to keep straight, and I occasionally found myself flipping back to remember who was who. This sometimes lessened the impact of the twists, as I was just slightly confused.

Still, Murder at the Black Cat Cafe is a worthwhile read for fans of classic mysteries, especially those interested in metafictional storytelling and post-war Japanese crime fiction. It’s a clever concept with an intriguing resolution, even if it requires a bit of patience along the way.