Review: The Noh Mask Murder

The Noh Mask Murder by Akimitsu Takagi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This seemed a tad contrived, but in the end it more than made up for some artificial situations by being quite original and clever.


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Review: Honeymoon to Nowhere

Honeymoon to Nowhere by Akimitsu Takagi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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For the first 90 pages or so I thought I had bought a romance novel by mistake. But it was still intriguing. It definitely isn't a fast-paced Harlan Coben style mystery, but this was a good thing. It seemed more like what it is: a classic Japanese noir. 

This is the third novel I read by this author, and unfortunately I think it is the last one in English translation. It's too bad because I really enjoyed all his books. 

I highly recommend reading any of his books if you come across them. 

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Review: The Informer

The Informer by Akimitsu Takagi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think I enjoyed this more than the first one I read by this author (The Tattoo Murder Case). Excellent book with an excellent mystery; original and I did not see the ending coming.

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Review: The Tattoo Murder Case

The Tattoo Murder Case by Akimitsu Takagi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this noir-style thriller. Written in 1948, it takes place in post-war Japan and deals extensively with the tattoo lifestyle and subculture of the time. That alone intrigued me. 

The killing(s) and mysteries were interesting. I confess the answer being revealed by a "genius" toward the end, deus-ex-machina style, seemed a bit contrived. It would have worked better if the detective and/or his brother had arrived at it. Also, some of the clues seemed a bit of a stretch, but there you go. 

I still enjoyed the story and general ambience. I will probably look for more by this author. 

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