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Detective Kosuke Kindaichi #4
金田一探案集02：八墓村
位于深山之中的八墓村，400年前曾受到八名惨遭村民虐杀的武士诅咒，村子因此而得名。每隔一段时间，残酷命案必定上演。 在神户工作的寺田辰弥突然得知自己竟是八墓村大户之子，并作为遗产继承人被召回。入村之后，凡他所到之处，诡异杀戮接二连三。 此次连环杀人案是诅咒使然，还是因他而起？在神秘侦探金田一耕助的帮助下，他一面探寻自己的身世，一面接近真相。 他皮肤苍白，个子矮小，有些结巴，爱挠头发。 帽子软塌塌，和服皱巴巴，裙裤松松垮垮，木屐已磨秃，脚趾几乎露出短布袜。 经常被警察误当成嫌疑犯，破案只凭脑袋瓜。 他，就是名侦探金田一！
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First published March 1, 1950
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About the author
Seishi Yokomizo
237 books698 followersSeishi Yokomizo (横溝 正史) was a novelist in Shōwa period Japan.
Yokomizo was born in the city of Kobe, Hyōgo (兵庫県 神戸市). He read detective stories as a boy and in 1921, while employed by the Daiichi Bank, published his first story in the popular magazine "Shin Seinen" (新青年[New Youth]). He graduated from Osaka Pharmaceutical College (currently part of Osaka University) with a degree in pharmacy, and initially intended to take over his family's drug store even though sceptical of the contemporary ahistorical attitude towards drugs. However, drawn by his interest in literature, and the encouragement of Edogawa Rampo (江戸川 乱歩), he went to Tokyo instead, where he was hired by the Hakubunkan publishing company in 1926. After serving as editor in chief of several magazines, he resigned in 1932 to devote himself full-time to writing.
Yokomizo was attracted to the literary genre of historical fiction, especially that of the historical detective novel. In July 1934, while resting in the mountains of Nagano to recuperate from tuberculosis, he completed his first novel "Onibi" (『鬼火』), which was published in 1935, although parts were immediately censored by the authorities. Undeterred, Yokomizo followed on his early success with a second novel Ningyo Sashichi torimonocho (1938–1939). However, during World War II, he faced difficulties in getting his works published due to the wartime conditions, and was in severe economic difficulties. The lack of Streptomycin and other antibiotics also meant that his tuberculosis could not be properly treated, and he joked with friends that it was a race to see whether he would die of disease or of starvation.
However, soon after the end of World War II, his works received wide recognition and he developed an enormous fan following. He published many works via Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine in serialized form, concentrating only on popular mystery novels, based on the orthodox western detective story format, starting with "Honjin Satsujin Jiken" (『本陣殺人事件』) and "Chōchō Satsujin Jinken" (『蝶々殺人事件』) (both in 1946). His works became the model for postwar Japanese mystery writing. He was also often called the "Japanese John Dickson Carr" after the writer whom he admired.
Yokomizo is most well known for creating the private detective character Kosuke Kindaichi (金田一 耕助). Many of his works have been made into movies.
Yokomizo died of colon cancer in 1981. His grave is at the Seishun-en cemetery in Kawasaki, Kanagawa (神奈川県 川崎市).
Yokomizo was born in the city of Kobe, Hyōgo (兵庫県 神戸市). He read detective stories as a boy and in 1921, while employed by the Daiichi Bank, published his first story in the popular magazine "Shin Seinen" (新青年[New Youth]). He graduated from Osaka Pharmaceutical College (currently part of Osaka University) with a degree in pharmacy, and initially intended to take over his family's drug store even though sceptical of the contemporary ahistorical attitude towards drugs. However, drawn by his interest in literature, and the encouragement of Edogawa Rampo (江戸川 乱歩), he went to Tokyo instead, where he was hired by the Hakubunkan publishing company in 1926. After serving as editor in chief of several magazines, he resigned in 1932 to devote himself full-time to writing.
Yokomizo was attracted to the literary genre of historical fiction, especially that of the historical detective novel. In July 1934, while resting in the mountains of Nagano to recuperate from tuberculosis, he completed his first novel "Onibi" (『鬼火』), which was published in 1935, although parts were immediately censored by the authorities. Undeterred, Yokomizo followed on his early success with a second novel Ningyo Sashichi torimonocho (1938–1939). However, during World War II, he faced difficulties in getting his works published due to the wartime conditions, and was in severe economic difficulties. The lack of Streptomycin and other antibiotics also meant that his tuberculosis could not be properly treated, and he joked with friends that it was a race to see whether he would die of disease or of starvation.
However, soon after the end of World War II, his works received wide recognition and he developed an enormous fan following. He published many works via Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine in serialized form, concentrating only on popular mystery novels, based on the orthodox western detective story format, starting with "Honjin Satsujin Jiken" (『本陣殺人事件』) and "Chōchō Satsujin Jinken" (『蝶々殺人事件』) (both in 1946). His works became the model for postwar Japanese mystery writing. He was also often called the "Japanese John Dickson Carr" after the writer whom he admired.
Yokomizo is most well known for creating the private detective character Kosuke Kindaichi (金田一 耕助). Many of his works have been made into movies.
Yokomizo died of colon cancer in 1981. His grave is at the Seishun-en cemetery in Kawasaki, Kanagawa (神奈川県 川崎市).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 696 reviews
March 1, 2025
Eight Graves is a small and remote village in the mountains. It’s named after the eight samurai who came to the village once upon a time, carrying a lot of gold. The mountains whisper that the villagers killed the samurai and kept the gold for themselves. The village is said to be cursed ever since that day.
A young man named Tatsuya doesn’t know much about his own past when he meets his grandfather for the first time in many years. His grandfather asks him to come to the village where he was born and become the heir of the family. But Tatsuya also receives a letter warning him not to come to Eight Graves. Or else the village will be bathed in blood.
It’s clear this author has a thing for isolated settings. And to his credit, the whole back story of the village is very interesting and detailed. It’s also a bit complicated though. And it takes a while for the plot to really get going because so much attention goes to the setting.
Much like in the first book of the series, I can’t help but feel that the narrator holds the story back a little bit. The narrator is Tatsuya, who writes down his experiences in the village many months after the events described here took place. This creates a natural distance between the narrator and the other characters in the story. What I like about him is that he gives us an outsider’s point of view of this fascinating setting, and we slowly get to unearth the secrets it has to offer with him. Detective Kindaichi on the other hand feels a bit lost in the shuffle as he’s pretty much a background character for a long time.
The mystery plot itself is quite a rollercoaster ride, with some very good twists. And the remote setting is once again a highlight. Though the narrator can hamper the story a bit in my opinion.
A young man named Tatsuya doesn’t know much about his own past when he meets his grandfather for the first time in many years. His grandfather asks him to come to the village where he was born and become the heir of the family. But Tatsuya also receives a letter warning him not to come to Eight Graves. Or else the village will be bathed in blood.
It’s clear this author has a thing for isolated settings. And to his credit, the whole back story of the village is very interesting and detailed. It’s also a bit complicated though. And it takes a while for the plot to really get going because so much attention goes to the setting.
Much like in the first book of the series, I can’t help but feel that the narrator holds the story back a little bit. The narrator is Tatsuya, who writes down his experiences in the village many months after the events described here took place. This creates a natural distance between the narrator and the other characters in the story. What I like about him is that he gives us an outsider’s point of view of this fascinating setting, and we slowly get to unearth the secrets it has to offer with him. Detective Kindaichi on the other hand feels a bit lost in the shuffle as he’s pretty much a background character for a long time.
The mystery plot itself is quite a rollercoaster ride, with some very good twists. And the remote setting is once again a highlight. Though the narrator can hamper the story a bit in my opinion.
November 19, 2021
My thanks to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for a review copy of this book.
While I have read and enjoyed a fair few Japanese titles, despite all good intentions, I hadn’t gotten down to picking up any mystery title yet; this book gave me the chance to remedy that, and I enjoyed it very much indeed. The Village of Eight Graves is the third of the 77 detective novels featuring detective Kosuke Kindaichi published between 1946 and 1980 to be translated into English under the Pushkin Vertigo imprint.
The Village of Eight Graves opens with the rather cruel and horrifying legend that gives the fictional village that is our setting its unusual name; the betrayal and murder of eight samurai hiding out in the village by the villagers, for the treasure they were rumoured to be carrying, resulting in the entire village being cursed. We fast forward in time to some twenty-six or twenty-seven years before the current events when the village is subjected to another set of shocking events, a murderous spree that claimed many lives, and was attributed to that very curse.
In the present, our narrator is twenty-eight-year-old Tatsuya, brought up by his mother and later step-father who one day discovers his true antecedents (it was his father who was responsible for all those deaths twenty-seven years ago). His ‘real’ family, or rather the family of his father has been seeking him as he is the heir to the family estate with his only (half) brother being on the verge of death. Alongside, his maternal grandfather has also come to town (Kobe) in search of him. But before Tatsuya can even set out for Eight Graves, his grandfather falls down dead, poisoned. Tatsuya also receives an anonymous threatening letter warning him off returning to Eight Graves. All the same, he is escorted by Miyako Mori, a young widow who’s been living in her ancestral home in the village, and who provides him much needed support on the journey and on his first entry into the village where he finds most villagers hostile to his arrival, believing that this will only unleash another bout of terror. And indeed, it does, for his grandfather’s death is only the first of a series of senseless murders that begin to take place in the village. And in each instance Tatsuya is the prime suspect. While the police and with them Detective Kosuke Kindaichi are investigating the case, and seem to at least partly believe Tatsuya, we essentially follow Tatsuya’s narrative all through as he tries to cope with his new surroundings, get to know his new-found family, and also come to terms with the terrifying events unfolding around him.
This enjoyable mystery/adventure unfolds somewhat differently from the conventional whodunit, for our narrator Tatsuya while looking into matters is not really following the Detective Kosuke Kindaichi, except for the times they interact; and so the police and Kindaichi’s investigations we learn of are only as Tatsuya learns them, and take place for the most part, off the page. The events as we follow them are Tatsuya’s narrative of his experiences which includes not only the mysterious and seemingly senseless murders that are taking place and which place Tatsuya at the centre of accusations but also his navigating his new-found family and the village, learning his mother’s story, and his exploration of family secrets and relationships.
While Tatsuya and the police are convinced the events taking place are entirely in the human realm, events unfold in a rather creepy and unsettling atmosphere for we have the background of the village curse, the murderous rampage that Tatsuya’s father went on, the superstitions and rumours doing the rounds, and also some ill omens like lightning splitting an ancient tree. This made for a pretty eerie background for out story to play out in even though we too, know that the answer is nothing to do with any curse.
Another aspect of the background which I liked was the feel we get of Japan in this period, just after the Second World War—the position people find themselves in, the changing face of things, and also people’s struggle to make ends meet. There is also a glimpse of myth and tradition in rituals, mentions of Tengus, etc. And then there is also the remote village we find ourselves in where superstition looms large, people seem easily manipulated, and the police despite their powers can do little to reign in a mob once provoked which makes the situation for Tatsuya rather grave, fear we can feel with him.
As far as the whodunit itself was concerned, I wasn’t able to guess which of the possible suspects might have done it for there were quite a few with reason enough. With Tatsuya as our narrator, rather than us following the detective’s perspective, I was also not sure how far we were to accept his version and whether we were to look for hidden meanings or inconsistencies. But the solution was satisfactory and there were some hints to it earlier in the book as well.
There is also an adventure thread related to the legend of the Samurais’ treasure and past events which takes Tatsuya and others exploring some underground caves and tunnels which had me thinking of old Enid Blyton favourites, and which was great fun. Tatsuya’s mother’s story and his relationship with his half-sister Haruko bring in some emotional moments and alongside, there is also a thread of romance.
This was all in all a very satisfying and enjoyable read, with a nice and creepy atmosphere, interesting mystery and characters, and quite a few parallel threads to keep one reading all through.
4.25 stars
While I have read and enjoyed a fair few Japanese titles, despite all good intentions, I hadn’t gotten down to picking up any mystery title yet; this book gave me the chance to remedy that, and I enjoyed it very much indeed. The Village of Eight Graves is the third of the 77 detective novels featuring detective Kosuke Kindaichi published between 1946 and 1980 to be translated into English under the Pushkin Vertigo imprint.
The Village of Eight Graves opens with the rather cruel and horrifying legend that gives the fictional village that is our setting its unusual name; the betrayal and murder of eight samurai hiding out in the village by the villagers, for the treasure they were rumoured to be carrying, resulting in the entire village being cursed. We fast forward in time to some twenty-six or twenty-seven years before the current events when the village is subjected to another set of shocking events, a murderous spree that claimed many lives, and was attributed to that very curse.
In the present, our narrator is twenty-eight-year-old Tatsuya, brought up by his mother and later step-father who one day discovers his true antecedents (it was his father who was responsible for all those deaths twenty-seven years ago). His ‘real’ family, or rather the family of his father has been seeking him as he is the heir to the family estate with his only (half) brother being on the verge of death. Alongside, his maternal grandfather has also come to town (Kobe) in search of him. But before Tatsuya can even set out for Eight Graves, his grandfather falls down dead, poisoned. Tatsuya also receives an anonymous threatening letter warning him off returning to Eight Graves. All the same, he is escorted by Miyako Mori, a young widow who’s been living in her ancestral home in the village, and who provides him much needed support on the journey and on his first entry into the village where he finds most villagers hostile to his arrival, believing that this will only unleash another bout of terror. And indeed, it does, for his grandfather’s death is only the first of a series of senseless murders that begin to take place in the village. And in each instance Tatsuya is the prime suspect. While the police and with them Detective Kosuke Kindaichi are investigating the case, and seem to at least partly believe Tatsuya, we essentially follow Tatsuya’s narrative all through as he tries to cope with his new surroundings, get to know his new-found family, and also come to terms with the terrifying events unfolding around him.
This enjoyable mystery/adventure unfolds somewhat differently from the conventional whodunit, for our narrator Tatsuya while looking into matters is not really following the Detective Kosuke Kindaichi, except for the times they interact; and so the police and Kindaichi’s investigations we learn of are only as Tatsuya learns them, and take place for the most part, off the page. The events as we follow them are Tatsuya’s narrative of his experiences which includes not only the mysterious and seemingly senseless murders that are taking place and which place Tatsuya at the centre of accusations but also his navigating his new-found family and the village, learning his mother’s story, and his exploration of family secrets and relationships.
While Tatsuya and the police are convinced the events taking place are entirely in the human realm, events unfold in a rather creepy and unsettling atmosphere for we have the background of the village curse, the murderous rampage that Tatsuya’s father went on, the superstitions and rumours doing the rounds, and also some ill omens like lightning splitting an ancient tree. This made for a pretty eerie background for out story to play out in even though we too, know that the answer is nothing to do with any curse.
Another aspect of the background which I liked was the feel we get of Japan in this period, just after the Second World War—the position people find themselves in, the changing face of things, and also people’s struggle to make ends meet. There is also a glimpse of myth and tradition in rituals, mentions of Tengus, etc. And then there is also the remote village we find ourselves in where superstition looms large, people seem easily manipulated, and the police despite their powers can do little to reign in a mob once provoked which makes the situation for Tatsuya rather grave, fear we can feel with him.
As far as the whodunit itself was concerned, I wasn’t able to guess which of the possible suspects might have done it for there were quite a few with reason enough. With Tatsuya as our narrator, rather than us following the detective’s perspective, I was also not sure how far we were to accept his version and whether we were to look for hidden meanings or inconsistencies. But the solution was satisfactory and there were some hints to it earlier in the book as well.
There is also an adventure thread related to the legend of the Samurais’ treasure and past events which takes Tatsuya and others exploring some underground caves and tunnels which had me thinking of old Enid Blyton favourites, and which was great fun. Tatsuya’s mother’s story and his relationship with his half-sister Haruko bring in some emotional moments and alongside, there is also a thread of romance.
This was all in all a very satisfying and enjoyable read, with a nice and creepy atmosphere, interesting mystery and characters, and quite a few parallel threads to keep one reading all through.
4.25 stars
April 30, 2022
The Village of Eight Graves is another reissue from Pushkin Vertigo featuring the disheveled and unassuming, but highly effective, detective, Kosuke Kindaichi. Filled with feudal history, myth and the scenery of the mountainous countryside, this novel is narrated by a young man, living a rather anonymous life who learns he may the scion to an old family involved with a lingering curse.
Once he has been swept off to the countryside, he - and we readers - learn more about the ages old curse that has doomed his newly discovered family over the years. This novel has ancient curses, modern murders, and the eccentric Kosuke Kindaichi working to make sense of it all and prevent more bloodshed. This is another highly readable outing from Yokomizo.
A copy of this book was provided by Pushkin Press through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Once he has been swept off to the countryside, he - and we readers - learn more about the ages old curse that has doomed his newly discovered family over the years. This novel has ancient curses, modern murders, and the eccentric Kosuke Kindaichi working to make sense of it all and prevent more bloodshed. This is another highly readable outing from Yokomizo.
A copy of this book was provided by Pushkin Press through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
January 31, 2019
Una entretenida historia de misterio centrada en un pueblo pequeño lleno de prejuicios y con un pasado sangriento. Creo que se la comparaba con "El perro de los Baskerville", pero sinceramente me parece que la obra de Doyle es más atmosférica. En "El pueblo de las ocho tumbas" sin embargo, está muy bien descrita esa población de interior, que no tiene mucho contacto con la ciudad o los extranjeros y que ve a todo extraño como un peligro potencial. Además de sumar esa manía nipona de asumir en todo hijo los errores o taras de sus padres.
El ritmo es muy rápido, casi cada capítulo muere alguien, todos son sospechosos y además tenemos un componente de aventura con la búsqueda de un tesoro. ¿Es una historia simple y tal vez el misterio no sea el puzle más complejo del mundo? Tal vez, pero quien quiera pasar un rato entretenido creo que no se verá defraudado.
Es un "murder mystery" con sabor clásico que en vez del típico crimen único, localización única y multitud de sospechosos, tiene un saco de muertos, muchos sospechosos y gente escondiéndose y reapareciendo continuamente. Yokomizo era un amante del género y lo demuestra una vez más en este libro.
El ritmo es muy rápido, casi cada capítulo muere alguien, todos son sospechosos y además tenemos un componente de aventura con la búsqueda de un tesoro. ¿Es una historia simple y tal vez el misterio no sea el puzle más complejo del mundo? Tal vez, pero quien quiera pasar un rato entretenido creo que no se verá defraudado.
Es un "murder mystery" con sabor clásico que en vez del típico crimen único, localización única y multitud de sospechosos, tiene un saco de muertos, muchos sospechosos y gente escondiéndose y reapareciendo continuamente. Yokomizo era un amante del género y lo demuestra una vez más en este libro.
December 1, 2022
The Publisher Says: The third title in Japan’s most popular murder mystery series—after The Honjin Murders and The Inugami Curse—fiendish classics featuring investigator Kosuke Kindaichi.
Nestled deep in the mist-shrouded mountains, The Village of Eight Graves takes its name from a bloody legend: in the Sixteenth Century eight samurais, who had taken refuge there along with a secret treasure, were murdered by the inhabitants, bringing a terrible curse down upon their village.
Centuries later a mysterious young man named Tatsuya arrives in town, bringing a spate of deadly poisonings in his wake. The inimitably scruffy and brilliant Kosuke Kindaichi investigates.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: "The Village of Eight Graves" has a terrible history, and a terrible genesis in violence and unchecked greed. The common run of its people are afraid of life; they believe, and thus find evidence for, their manifold misfortunes being rooted in a curse that hangs over their heads from a long-ago unforgivable act. They are thus creating those conditions, interpreting the common misfortunes of life in that context. Superstition is a powerful drug. It allows us to Be Right, and there is absolutely nothing humans like better, need more, will work as hard to attain and maintain, than Being Right.
Bet you're nodding along....
I wanted to Be Right that Author Yokomizo couldn't tell a poorly paced story. I was...Not Right. The issue with this read is that our usual omniscient Watsonesque narrator is not here. Instead we have an irritatingly dimwitted PoV character called Tatsuya, whose chills are very much on a par with Miss Silver's cough in the irritating-authorial-choice derby. He spends our time sort of vaguely bumbling around while stuff happens and people he has reason to kill up and die, and then Kindaichi-san pops up (as we knew he must but, if I'm honest, I couldn't tell you why or how this hard-luck burg caught his attention...it was that little melded into the story). So the killings and deaths, somehow all connected to the village's ancestral curse, will all stop. Right? Right. But this time it's not Kindaichi-san doing detecting. It's the rush of events that Tatsuya has trouble keeping up with that reveals the malefactors. Kindaichi-san is here as window dressing, like a late Poirot novel! *grumble*
I sense a furtive glance up at the rating...yes, that's a "4" in front of the "*". What...the.... Well, it's like this: the translator, Mr. Karetnyk, proved more than capable of exceeding Ms. Yamazaki, the previous book's translator's, occasionally clunky choices. That was a big plus. Then there was the sheer gonzo pace of the murdering that's happening in Tatsuya's orbit. I can't quit a mystery mid-murder spree! I'm not made of stuff that stern. And the spree being so obviously calculated to implicate Tatsuya, who (poor wee lambkin) only now learned that the father who raised him was not only not his real father but knew who that person was...and Tatsuya was really thrown into emotional chaos by the entire unfolding plot to entrap and incriminate him through his parentage's revelation.
Then, while the bodies were piling up and the exsanguination was about ankle-deep, we go on an historical treasure hunt! The awful crime the villagers committed all those years ago was, you see, fruitless; they did not find the treasure they had filled the titular eight graves for. And now that Tetsuya's here, there's a reason to have a treasure hunt! Why? I don't know, whatever, treasure hunt! Does it make sense? Not to me. I am long past suchlike ponderin' when it comes to these stories. The secret to enjoying them is to flow with the river.
In the end, isn't that sort of a life lesson? Flow with the current, don't resist the pulls and changes, be there wholly and let the events unfold...I enjoyed this read's atypical ending a lot. I admit I don't want another Tetsuya narrator any time soon, but there was a reason he had to be the one to tell this story. It wouldn't have worked any other way, hence my seemingly over-generous rating. But do factor the change of focus via narrator into your reading plans.
Now, Pushkin Vertigo, it's on y'all not to dangle us over the pit for too much longer! More soon, please.
Nestled deep in the mist-shrouded mountains, The Village of Eight Graves takes its name from a bloody legend: in the Sixteenth Century eight samurais, who had taken refuge there along with a secret treasure, were murdered by the inhabitants, bringing a terrible curse down upon their village.
Centuries later a mysterious young man named Tatsuya arrives in town, bringing a spate of deadly poisonings in his wake. The inimitably scruffy and brilliant Kosuke Kindaichi investigates.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: "The Village of Eight Graves" has a terrible history, and a terrible genesis in violence and unchecked greed. The common run of its people are afraid of life; they believe, and thus find evidence for, their manifold misfortunes being rooted in a curse that hangs over their heads from a long-ago unforgivable act. They are thus creating those conditions, interpreting the common misfortunes of life in that context. Superstition is a powerful drug. It allows us to Be Right, and there is absolutely nothing humans like better, need more, will work as hard to attain and maintain, than Being Right.
Bet you're nodding along....
I wanted to Be Right that Author Yokomizo couldn't tell a poorly paced story. I was...Not Right. The issue with this read is that our usual omniscient Watsonesque narrator is not here. Instead we have an irritatingly dimwitted PoV character called Tatsuya, whose chills are very much on a par with Miss Silver's cough in the irritating-authorial-choice derby. He spends our time sort of vaguely bumbling around while stuff happens and people he has reason to kill up and die, and then Kindaichi-san pops up (as we knew he must but, if I'm honest, I couldn't tell you why or how this hard-luck burg caught his attention...it was that little melded into the story). So the killings and deaths, somehow all connected to the village's ancestral curse, will all stop. Right? Right. But this time it's not Kindaichi-san doing detecting. It's the rush of events that Tatsuya has trouble keeping up with that reveals the malefactors. Kindaichi-san is here as window dressing, like a late Poirot novel! *grumble*
I sense a furtive glance up at the rating...yes, that's a "4" in front of the "*". What...the.... Well, it's like this: the translator, Mr. Karetnyk, proved more than capable of exceeding Ms. Yamazaki, the previous book's translator's, occasionally clunky choices. That was a big plus. Then there was the sheer gonzo pace of the murdering that's happening in Tatsuya's orbit. I can't quit a mystery mid-murder spree! I'm not made of stuff that stern. And the spree being so obviously calculated to implicate Tatsuya, who (poor wee lambkin) only now learned that the father who raised him was not only not his real father but knew who that person was...and Tatsuya was really thrown into emotional chaos by the entire unfolding plot to entrap and incriminate him through his parentage's revelation.
Then, while the bodies were piling up and the exsanguination was about ankle-deep, we go on an historical treasure hunt! The awful crime the villagers committed all those years ago was, you see, fruitless; they did not find the treasure they had filled the titular eight graves for. And now that Tetsuya's here, there's a reason to have a treasure hunt! Why? I don't know, whatever, treasure hunt! Does it make sense? Not to me. I am long past suchlike ponderin' when it comes to these stories. The secret to enjoying them is to flow with the river.
In the end, isn't that sort of a life lesson? Flow with the current, don't resist the pulls and changes, be there wholly and let the events unfold...I enjoyed this read's atypical ending a lot. I admit I don't want another Tetsuya narrator any time soon, but there was a reason he had to be the one to tell this story. It wouldn't have worked any other way, hence my seemingly over-generous rating. But do factor the change of focus via narrator into your reading plans.
Now, Pushkin Vertigo, it's on y'all not to dangle us over the pit for too much longer! More soon, please.
May 17, 2024
I understand why we had to shift POV. Kosuke couldn’t have been present during all those specific moments but the lice-infected, head-scratching, shaggy-headed, stuttering detective was barely here!! You can count on one hand how many scenes he had!
June 19, 2022
Having the right Boswell can make all the difference. The few Sherlock Holmes stories not narrated by Dr. John Watson aren’t nearly as good. I think that’s the problem with The Village of Eight Graves.
I absolutely adored Yokomizo Seishi’s The Honjin Murders, the first in this series featuring disheveled young genius Kosuke Kindaichi. In that one, Kosuke’s strait-laced pal narrates the book. He’s a wonderful scribe! In The Village of Eight Graves, the story is told by the nervous nebbish, Tatsuya Terada, the dimwitted heir to the troubled but powerful Tajimi family. Tatsuya told us so often about being “chilled” by this or that event that I’m surprised he didn’t turn into a refrigerator! It also doesn’t help that Kosuke pops up only intermittently and doesn’t really solve the case; the murderer is revealed through circumstance. Frankly, it’s a miracle I finished the book.
I’ll be reading the next book in this series, due for re-release next month, but I’ll be sure to check it out of the library rather than buy it. Here’s hoping that we get a better Boswell.
I absolutely adored Yokomizo Seishi’s The Honjin Murders, the first in this series featuring disheveled young genius Kosuke Kindaichi. In that one, Kosuke’s strait-laced pal narrates the book. He’s a wonderful scribe! In The Village of Eight Graves, the story is told by the nervous nebbish, Tatsuya Terada, the dimwitted heir to the troubled but powerful Tajimi family. Tatsuya told us so often about being “chilled” by this or that event that I’m surprised he didn’t turn into a refrigerator! It also doesn’t help that Kosuke pops up only intermittently and doesn’t really solve the case; the murderer is revealed through circumstance. Frankly, it’s a miracle I finished the book.
I’ll be reading the next book in this series, due for re-release next month, but I’ll be sure to check it out of the library rather than buy it. Here’s hoping that we get a better Boswell.
August 31, 2024
Der 3. in Deutschland veröffentlichte klassische japanische Detektivroman dieser Reihe um den Privatdetektiv Kosuke Kindaichi
- der zu meiner Freude auch wieder einen Einblick in die Traditionen des Landes gibt - hat mir, wie die beiden Vorgänger, sehr gut gefallen.
Ich-Erzähler ist diesmal Tatsuya, einer der Hauptbeteiligten.
Durch seine Augen betrachtet man das Geschehen überwiegend, man kann miträtseln, was mir ja besonders Spaß macht.
Gepaart mit Spannung und dem Einblick in Kulturelles und historische Hintergründe (1946)
sowie einer logisch aufgebauten Auflösung, bekommt er von mir volle 4 Sterne.
- der zu meiner Freude auch wieder einen Einblick in die Traditionen des Landes gibt - hat mir, wie die beiden Vorgänger, sehr gut gefallen.
Ich-Erzähler ist diesmal Tatsuya, einer der Hauptbeteiligten.
Durch seine Augen betrachtet man das Geschehen überwiegend, man kann miträtseln, was mir ja besonders Spaß macht.
Gepaart mit Spannung und dem Einblick in Kulturelles und historische Hintergründe (1946)
sowie einer logisch aufgebauten Auflösung, bekommt er von mir volle 4 Sterne.
April 10, 2022
An interesting read - at different points, I thought it would be 2,3,4 or 5 stars. My #1 advice would be to read till the end, even if you have doubts along the way. Of course, pick this up if "international crime" is your thing.
I read that Yokomizo has been called the Agatha Christie and/or John Dickson Carr of Japan, and I think he shouldn't be. The book has a cozy voice but it's a lot more graphic than the old cozies, having been published in 1972 in Japan. We have to thank Pushkin Press for bringing it to the English market. I also have a paperback copy of The Honjin Murders, but I got to the audio version of this one first.
Sadly, like in the old cozies, the bodies really pile up before the case is solved. The venerable Kosuke Kindaichi is the one who puts the solution together, Poirot style, but the story is told by a young man who is a woman-magnet, Tatsuya. The plot, in my humble opinion, is a jumble .
I struggled a bit to figure if I was enjoying all of it, before settling for finding this a charming and unique book, and looking forward to reading the other Kindaichi book in my collection.
Among the things that put me off was the dominant role played by Tatsuya's heart: "My heart was pounding", "My heart was about to explode", etc. happen every few minutes. Luckily he has his heart in the right place and .
I read that Yokomizo has been called the Agatha Christie and/or John Dickson Carr of Japan, and I think he shouldn't be. The book has a cozy voice but it's a lot more graphic than the old cozies, having been published in 1972 in Japan. We have to thank Pushkin Press for bringing it to the English market. I also have a paperback copy of The Honjin Murders, but I got to the audio version of this one first.
Sadly, like in the old cozies, the bodies really pile up before the case is solved. The venerable Kosuke Kindaichi is the one who puts the solution together, Poirot style, but the story is told by a young man who is a woman-magnet, Tatsuya. The plot, in my humble opinion, is a jumble .
I struggled a bit to figure if I was enjoying all of it, before settling for finding this a charming and unique book, and looking forward to reading the other Kindaichi book in my collection.
Among the things that put me off was the dominant role played by Tatsuya's heart: "My heart was pounding", "My heart was about to explode", etc. happen every few minutes. Luckily he has his heart in the right place and .
September 26, 2024
Series still going strong!
Kindaichi takes a bit of a backseat in this one, as our narrator stars. He's caught up in the troubling murders happening in the Village, and Kindaichi's solving of the crime is almost a background feature of the startling story.
Really enjoyed the telling here, and another great cast of suspicious characters to follow. There are some great contemplations of madness and motives that really tangle the story nicely.
I would have liked more puzzles to solve, and for the rhymes to have meant more, but otherwise I followed along eagerly.
Still enjoying this series a lot - won't be getting rid of these books any time soon!
Kindaichi takes a bit of a backseat in this one, as our narrator stars. He's caught up in the troubling murders happening in the Village, and Kindaichi's solving of the crime is almost a background feature of the startling story.
Really enjoyed the telling here, and another great cast of suspicious characters to follow. There are some great contemplations of madness and motives that really tangle the story nicely.
I would have liked more puzzles to solve, and for the rhymes to have meant more, but otherwise I followed along eagerly.
Still enjoying this series a lot - won't be getting rid of these books any time soon!
August 21, 2024
Der dritte Fall für Privatdetektiv Kindaichi Kôsuke.
Japan in der Nachkriegszeit. Tatsuya erfährt, dass er der Erbe einer reichen Großgrundbesitzersfamilie mit einer langen Geschichte bis in die Zeit der Samurai ist. Um sein Erbe anzutreten, muss er sich jedoch ins Dorf der acht Gräber begeben.
Als wäre allein der Name des Dorfes nicht schon gruselig genug, erhält er auch noch einen anonymen Drohbrief. Wenn er zurückgeht, wird die Büchse der Pandora geöffnet werden und viele unschuldige Menschen sterben…
Der Fall ist gut konstruiert und mit vielen Details der japanischen Kultur verwoben. Die Geschichte aus der Perspektive von Tatsuya (Ich-Erzählung, Präteritum) liest sich rasant und macht Yokomizos Bezeichnung als japanische Antwort auf Agatha Christie alle Ehre.
Mehr zum Buch in meiner Rezension auf meinem YouTube-Kanal „Japan Connect“.
https://youtu.be/K7Z7xC7L9BY?si=2G3dB...-
Japan in der Nachkriegszeit. Tatsuya erfährt, dass er der Erbe einer reichen Großgrundbesitzersfamilie mit einer langen Geschichte bis in die Zeit der Samurai ist. Um sein Erbe anzutreten, muss er sich jedoch ins Dorf der acht Gräber begeben.
Als wäre allein der Name des Dorfes nicht schon gruselig genug, erhält er auch noch einen anonymen Drohbrief. Wenn er zurückgeht, wird die Büchse der Pandora geöffnet werden und viele unschuldige Menschen sterben…
Der Fall ist gut konstruiert und mit vielen Details der japanischen Kultur verwoben. Die Geschichte aus der Perspektive von Tatsuya (Ich-Erzählung, Präteritum) liest sich rasant und macht Yokomizos Bezeichnung als japanische Antwort auf Agatha Christie alle Ehre.
Mehr zum Buch in meiner Rezension auf meinem YouTube-Kanal „Japan Connect“.
https://youtu.be/K7Z7xC7L9BY?si=2G3dB...-
January 2, 2022
like a 3.7 rounded up --
full post here:
http://www.crimesegments.com/2022/01/...
Village of Eight Graves will be the third book I've read that features the somewhat shaggy-looking detective Kosuke Kindaichi, whose creator Seishi Yokomizo wrote him into a grand total of 77 novels. Pushkin Vertigo has also published translations of his The Honjin Murders and The Inugami Clan (my favorite of the bunch so far), and there will be another one, Gokumon Island later this year. I've already preordered the last one, and I bought a dvd of that film as well. I tried to find a copy of Village of Eight Graves on dvd, but I'm not all that sure I really want to pay the $60 the one I actually found goes for. I did however, content myself with the trailer on YouTube (note: if you to and take a look at it you should know ahead of time that there are no English subtitles, but you'll get the drift).
One thing brought out very quickly which is extremely well done here is the effects of fear and superstition on the villagers, all stemming back to the sixteenth-century and the ongoing belief of these people that history tends to repeat itself, as well as what people are capable of when overcome by fear for their own lives. The mystery (and its solution) is beyond satisfying, and there are a number of suspects from which to choose to up the whodunit game. Like any good mystery writer, Yokomizo lays down any number of red herrings that tend to take readers down certain paths before realizing they've been had. Unexpected twists and turns abound right up until the very end, adding to the fun and continuing to add more to the mystery itself as well as ratcheting up the tension level for the reader. Two things: first, my advice would be to copy the cast of characters offered at the front of the book -- I ended up doing this not too long into the novel because I found myself constantly flipping back and forth. Second, the story takes a bit of a turn into the realm of adventure tale having to do with the samurai gold, which was a bit off-putting until I just let myself go with it, figuring we'd get to the solution at some point -- a good decision. And while it's not great literature, who cares? It's an incredibly fun book that will test any mystery reader's solving ability.
Definitely recommended.
full post here:
http://www.crimesegments.com/2022/01/...
Village of Eight Graves will be the third book I've read that features the somewhat shaggy-looking detective Kosuke Kindaichi, whose creator Seishi Yokomizo wrote him into a grand total of 77 novels. Pushkin Vertigo has also published translations of his The Honjin Murders and The Inugami Clan (my favorite of the bunch so far), and there will be another one, Gokumon Island later this year. I've already preordered the last one, and I bought a dvd of that film as well. I tried to find a copy of Village of Eight Graves on dvd, but I'm not all that sure I really want to pay the $60 the one I actually found goes for. I did however, content myself with the trailer on YouTube (note: if you to and take a look at it you should know ahead of time that there are no English subtitles, but you'll get the drift).
One thing brought out very quickly which is extremely well done here is the effects of fear and superstition on the villagers, all stemming back to the sixteenth-century and the ongoing belief of these people that history tends to repeat itself, as well as what people are capable of when overcome by fear for their own lives. The mystery (and its solution) is beyond satisfying, and there are a number of suspects from which to choose to up the whodunit game. Like any good mystery writer, Yokomizo lays down any number of red herrings that tend to take readers down certain paths before realizing they've been had. Unexpected twists and turns abound right up until the very end, adding to the fun and continuing to add more to the mystery itself as well as ratcheting up the tension level for the reader. Two things: first, my advice would be to copy the cast of characters offered at the front of the book -- I ended up doing this not too long into the novel because I found myself constantly flipping back and forth. Second, the story takes a bit of a turn into the realm of adventure tale having to do with the samurai gold, which was a bit off-putting until I just let myself go with it, figuring we'd get to the solution at some point -- a good decision. And while it's not great literature, who cares? It's an incredibly fun book that will test any mystery reader's solving ability.
Definitely recommended.
May 12, 2025
The Village of Eight Graves (Detective Kosuke Kindaichi, #3) - Seishi Yokomizo
"قرية القبور الثمانية... حتى ذكراها تجعلني أرتجف: يا له من اسم فظيع، ويا له من مكان فظيع. وكم كانَ الأمر برمتّهِ فظيعًا ومرعبًا.
"
...
تقع قرية القبور الثمانية في أعماق الجبال المُغطاة بالضباب، وجاء اسمها من أسطورة دموية: في القرن السادس عشر، قُتل ثمانية ساموراي، كانوا قد لجأوا إليها ومعهم كنز سري، على يد السكان، مما جلب لعنة رهيبة على قريتهم.
تقع جرائم بشعة في القرية بشكل متكرر ويعزوها أهل القرية دائمًا لـ اللعنة.. آخرها كان قبل 25 عامًا من أحداث الرواية حيث قتل زعيم إحدى أكبر العائلات أكثر من 20 شخصًا في ما يقال أنه نوبة جنون واختفى بعدها من على وجه الأرض,
والآن يعود الماضي على هيئة جرائم وأسئلة والمحقق كينديشي.
سلسلة المحقق كينديشي شهيرة وأفكارها أصلية، كل مرة يدهشني سيشي يوكوميزو، بكيف يأخذ من البيئة المحلية ويكتب قصةجريمة مرعبة وتحبس الأنفاس وسريعة.
تضم هذه الروية أفعالًا شنيعة تتضمن الخطف والاغتصاب وتعذيب رضيع والعنف المنزلي -ربما ليست الكلمة المناسبة لاستخدمها في هذه الحالة لكن لا أريد التحليل والاستفاضة أكثر.
"قرية القبور الثمانية... حتى ذكراها تجعلني أرتجف: يا له من اسم فظيع، ويا له من مكان فظيع. وكم كانَ الأمر برمتّهِ فظيعًا ومرعبًا.
"
...
تقع قرية القبور الثمانية في أعماق الجبال المُغطاة بالضباب، وجاء اسمها من أسطورة دموية: في القرن السادس عشر، قُتل ثمانية ساموراي، كانوا قد لجأوا إليها ومعهم كنز سري، على يد السكان، مما جلب لعنة رهيبة على قريتهم.
تقع جرائم بشعة في القرية بشكل متكرر ويعزوها أهل القرية دائمًا لـ اللعنة.. آخرها كان قبل 25 عامًا من أحداث الرواية حيث قتل زعيم إحدى أكبر العائلات أكثر من 20 شخصًا في ما يقال أنه نوبة جنون واختفى بعدها من على وجه الأرض,
والآن يعود الماضي على هيئة جرائم وأسئلة والمحقق كينديشي.
سلسلة المحقق كينديشي شهيرة وأفكارها أصلية، كل مرة يدهشني سيشي يوكوميزو، بكيف يأخذ من البيئة المحلية ويكتب قصةجريمة مرعبة وتحبس الأنفاس وسريعة.
تضم هذه الروية أفعالًا شنيعة تتضمن الخطف والاغتصاب وتعذيب رضيع والعنف المنزلي -ربما ليست الكلمة المناسبة لاستخدمها في هذه الحالة لكن لا أريد التحليل والاستفاضة أكثر.
January 1, 2023
I started this a while back, and while I loved the set-up and the story behind the name of the village, I quickly got lost in the first few chapters and put it aside. Having some time off for Christmas, I started again and although I struggled to keep track at the beginning again, I found it more compelling and gradually sorted everyone out.
Right Graves is so named because with fleeing samurai settled there for a while back in the day. Initially, there were accepted by the villagers, but when they heard rumours that they were carrying a lot of gold, coupled with the fact that there was reward money at stake, the villagers turned and murdered them, bringing down a curse. Many years later, one of the head villagers goes on a killing spree and murders many of the villagers. Fast forward to the present, and the long-lost son of the murder has been found living in Kobe, and brought back to the village as the last remaining heir of his household, but almost immediately, murders start to occur again.
This is another instalment of the Kosuke Kindaichi series, but he does not appear very much until T the end of the book; instead it is narrated by the heir to the estate, who is viewed with suspicion by the villagers and is eager to clear his name and find the missing treasure.
I enjoyed this one, the latest to be translated and will look out for further books in this series.
*Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion*.
Right Graves is so named because with fleeing samurai settled there for a while back in the day. Initially, there were accepted by the villagers, but when they heard rumours that they were carrying a lot of gold, coupled with the fact that there was reward money at stake, the villagers turned and murdered them, bringing down a curse. Many years later, one of the head villagers goes on a killing spree and murders many of the villagers. Fast forward to the present, and the long-lost son of the murder has been found living in Kobe, and brought back to the village as the last remaining heir of his household, but almost immediately, murders start to occur again.
This is another instalment of the Kosuke Kindaichi series, but he does not appear very much until T the end of the book; instead it is narrated by the heir to the estate, who is viewed with suspicion by the villagers and is eager to clear his name and find the missing treasure.
I enjoyed this one, the latest to be translated and will look out for further books in this series.
*Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion*.
January 6, 2022
What an intriguing read! This would be my third book from the author and frankly, I find it more ingenious compared to the other two Kosuke Kindaichi series that I have read previously.
Eight Graves that nestled deep in the mountains was trembled with another series of deaths when Tatsuya, the heir of Yozo Tajimi arrives at the village to claim his mysterious inheritance. Years ago, Yozo has caused a massacre; a curse which said came from a legendary tale that has been haunting his hereditary after his ancestor, a ringleader attacked and killed eight samurai during the Sengoku period.
Told in Tatsuya's perspective, it was dark and twisty whodunnit that bizarrely taunted me with its tricky puzzles. Bit draggy at few scenes but I still love how Tatsuya drives the narrative; he intricately mapping out the plotline to keep me enraptured with both his hunt and curiosity. The red herrings making me go baffled at times but I fancy the tension and suspense it builds that I don't mind when Kindaichi only appeared occasionally to help Tatsuya when he reached a blind turn.
A secret underground cave with 3000 tael of gold, on resentment and hatred, a revelation of greed and pride, love and lust-- but people do say that history would repeated itself, and not without reason;
"My birth was entwined with a terrible, bloody tragedy. Maybe I did have some dark alter ego lurking inside me…"
Love the aftermath chapters and though I think it was an abrupt ending for the perpetrator, would still find the revelation as riveting and perfectly wrapped. 5 stars to this!
Thank you Pansing Distribution for this gifted copy!
Eight Graves that nestled deep in the mountains was trembled with another series of deaths when Tatsuya, the heir of Yozo Tajimi arrives at the village to claim his mysterious inheritance. Years ago, Yozo has caused a massacre; a curse which said came from a legendary tale that has been haunting his hereditary after his ancestor, a ringleader attacked and killed eight samurai during the Sengoku period.
Told in Tatsuya's perspective, it was dark and twisty whodunnit that bizarrely taunted me with its tricky puzzles. Bit draggy at few scenes but I still love how Tatsuya drives the narrative; he intricately mapping out the plotline to keep me enraptured with both his hunt and curiosity. The red herrings making me go baffled at times but I fancy the tension and suspense it builds that I don't mind when Kindaichi only appeared occasionally to help Tatsuya when he reached a blind turn.
A secret underground cave with 3000 tael of gold, on resentment and hatred, a revelation of greed and pride, love and lust-- but people do say that history would repeated itself, and not without reason;
"My birth was entwined with a terrible, bloody tragedy. Maybe I did have some dark alter ego lurking inside me…"
Love the aftermath chapters and though I think it was an abrupt ending for the perpetrator, would still find the revelation as riveting and perfectly wrapped. 5 stars to this!
Thank you Pansing Distribution for this gifted copy!
April 22, 2023
Muy bueno, todas las novelas que leí de este autor son super amenas y se leen de un tirón. La trama me encantó, un enigma familiar en el Japón de posguerra. Recomendable!
April 8, 2019
Seishi Yokomizo dedicated with affection to Amparo, Clara María, Anapaulina, and her husband Walter Brayan.
Ladies and gentlemen first of all is to explain the reason for the dedication. These four people to whom I dedicate this criticism helped me to the novel Mt Doran "Toward to the Gleam" elected, and wanted to thank you for the help that lent me to https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... & from_search = true . So I thought that the best way to thank them is thanking them, and devoting a review of a book, which very likely you can taste them all.
Like most of the reviews of my books is also history. I have a great link with Quaterni publishing for many years. The editorial Quaterni, here share the link for users of Goodreads www.quaterni.es/ . Quaterni is a publishing house specialized in edit Asian, especially Japanese literature. Our relationship is very long, fruitful, and long-lasting. We met after make a complimentary comment that for me is the best current modern fantasy "Brave Story", but, although the writer that they have edited, which I liked most is Miyuki Miyabe https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... however users of Goodreads if memory does not betray me the first review, which I wrote in one of his books was "The island of the gate to hell Gokumonto"
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... was my first encounter with a character that I feel a great affection. I know I run the risk of being struck by the rays of the critics of the Japanese detective novel, but in spite of being struck down by them. I will say the same as Darth Vader told him to Obi wan Kenobi “When I disconnect from you it was not more than the apprentice. Now I am the master”. Something similar has happened with Seishi Yokomizo https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... was the disciple of the legendary Edogawa Rampo https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... and feel greater predilection for the disciple, while the master was decisive. But despite having read wonders for Edogawa Rampo, I liked more disciple, and above all his detective with whom I was living in this island of descendants of pirates, then I followed in their first cases in "Murder in the Honjin" https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... this criticism by the way is it dedicated to father Milward one of the few men who remained, which met the Inklings, and was missionary, and University lecturer in Japan. Have you present in your prayers, and non-believers in their memory. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Here I find me with Kosuke Kindaichi in a mystery worthy of his interest. This story is very interesting, because I pointed to some titles to the "Hound of the Baskervilles" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8... & from_search = true because as the an ancient history, that gives color to the current mystery novels of Arthur Conan Doyle. This is the story of (and here is one of the shortcomings of the book, as I will explain later) of Tatsuya Terada a guy, who happens to be the heir to a family fortune. His father descended from a noble family of the village had a neurosis and killed a lot of people. In fact we see here unlike the novels of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as if there is a curse, because the people of the town killed eight Samurai, to seize the treasure, and the burden of guilt, and the consequences of evil will be very present throughout the novel. If you are a lover of the detective novel, and is considered as the good Chesty https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... , that there is nothing more moral than a murder. As in the curse of the Hirado punishment perhaps, that you end up, but you know the gods punished mortals by granting them their wishes:-). Is that pleasures have to be in small quantities, because if they end up not producing the fatigue of the other as would happen in Sweeney Todd, or in the Rome of Nero.
Let's talk about the best novel. A great success by the novelist and Quaterni part (as well as the covers, which are always excellent) is to have included something basic in the detective novels a Dramatis persone. I.e. an index with all the characters in the novel. In such a way that the reader does not know Miss, and know who is who in this macabre game of deaths. Another hit and this is one technique both Edgar Allan Poe https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... and Edogawa Rampo, and the Gothic atmosphere, and oppressive. We also see degeneration and decay, especially in the family of the Tajimi. I don't know know if by inbreeding, or treat disease, ruin and decay is present in them. Even in the priori less sinister members as Haruyo. The village is an oppressive place full of hatred, and revenge. Actor Tatsuya Terada is always under constant danger and threat. This reminded me very much one of my favorite novels of the Lady of the Agatha Christie crime this is "the labours of Hercules". In fact, is novel in common has many things with some cases which Agatha Christie https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... & from_search = true https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... & from_search = true
in this novel Hercules
Poirot emulates his namesake the legendary Hercules, who performed twelve labours, and each case of Poirot is a tribute to the twelve labours of the Theban hero. There are two cases, which have been very present in "the village of eight graves ' and the Hydra of Lerma. Where Poirot traveled to a town like the Tatsuya Terada, and slander should face a terrible enemy. The same happens to the protagonist and Narrator Tatsuya Terada, who faces slander, which spreads the enemy of the protagonist, and a terrible friend superstition. Here the sins of parents affect children. However, not everything is sorrow and desolation. Tatsuya Terada will know love, and is one of the most beautiful things in the novel love story, and this novel all off another sublime element has a treasure hunt (precisely one of the best moments of the novel era as they bypass the obstacles) (, and van deciphering the treasure map). As already by Conan Doyle, or Dorothy Sayers did https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... also reminded me of another case of Agatha Christie's the "works of Hercules" "The Bull of Crete", because the protagonist is sublimated by the issue of inheritance. Pure determinism, and just like Agatha Christie, Seishi Yokomizo will adopt a similar solution. During the narration are Buddhist monks, each more or less holy. You have something, almost a mcguffin is also very modern but the murderer, as he already did in Gokumonto, and will later be in movies such as Seven, or collector of bones seems to follow a pattern, but I won't you say if it continues or not. That you should find out. It makes me almost sad, but I will comment on two things, that have prevented me from giving this novel recognition, which deserves the five stars. The first flaw is that Kosuke Kindaichi has a role as secondary. A character like him should have the main role. It is a crime to waste it, by very good Narrator Tatsuya whatsoever (which incidentally makes crazy girls, as Don Mendo https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...)
) and very entertaining, that is history. The second is more personal, but the reader/user of Goodreads who follow my reviews will be deduced it. There are too many murders. It is true, that Kosuke Kindaichi plays a very secondary role, and does not imply it until near the end, but there is too much death. It almost seems to follow the S.S. system Van Dine, which parodied Dorothy Sayers, in the end only the detective, and the murderer. Perhaps too exaggerated https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... but there are nearly a dozen violent deaths. That if the writer keeps very well the mystery. I was so flabbergasted when Kindaichi revealed the solution, as Captain Hastings in "Curtain"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8... was the only possible solution, and the discard, because I didn't think that that person could have done. Dear user if you accept my suggestion, and decides to read this novel will not have a moment of truce. It will be as if it were the Lagardère https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... on duty by crossing out the names of the dead with red ink, thrilling with the love story, and will be looking for a treasure. Three books for the price of one.
...........................................................................................................................................................................
dedicado con afecto a Amparo, María Clara, Anapaulina, y su marido Walter Brayan.
Damas y caballeros lo primero de todo es explicar el motivo de la dedicatoria. Estas cuatro personas a las que dedico esta crítica me ayudaron a que la novela de T.M. Doran “Toward to the Gleam” fuese elegida, y quería darles las gracias por la ayuda que me prestaron https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... . Así que pensé que la mejor forma de agradecerselo sea dándoles las gracias, y dedicándoles una crítica de un libro, que muy seguramente podrá gustarles a todo ello.
Como la mayoría de las críticas de mis libros esta también tiene historia. Tengo un gran vínculo con la editorial Quaterni durante muchos años. La editorial Quaterni, aquí comparto el enlace para los usuarios de Goodreads www.quaterni.es/ . Quaterni es una editorial especializada en editar literatura asiática, especialmente japonesa. Nuestra relación es muy larga, fructífera, y duradera. Nos conocimos después de hacer un comentario elogioso de la que para mí es la mejor fantasía moderna actual “Brave Story”, pero, aunque la escritora que ellos han editado, que más me ha gustado es Miyuki Miyabe https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... sin embargo usuarios de Goodreads si la memoria no me traiciona la primera crítica, que escribí de un libro suyo fue ”Gokumonto la isla de la puerta del infierno” https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... que fue mi primer encuentro con un personaje por el que siento un gran cariño. Sé, que corro el riesgo de ser fulminado por los rayos de los críticos de la novela policíaca japonesa, pero a despecho de ser fulminado por ellos. Diré lo mismo que Darth Vader le dijo a Obi wan Kenobi “Cuando me separe de ti no era más que el aprendiz. Ahora yo soy el maestro”. Algo parecido ha ocurrido con Seishi Yokomizo https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... Era el discípulo del mítico Edogawa Rampo https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... y siento mayor predilección por el discípulo, a pesar de que el maestro le fue decisivo. Pero a pesar de haberle leído maravillas a Edogawa Rampo, me gusto más discípulo, y sobre todo su detective con el que estuve viviendo en esa isla de descendientes de piratas, después lo acompañé en sus primeros casos en “Asesinato en el Honjin” https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Esta crítica por cierto se la dediqué al Padre Milward uno de los pocos hombres que quedaba, que conoció a los Inklings, y fue misionero, y Profesor Universitario en Japón. Ténganle presente en sus oraciones, y los no creyentes en su memoria. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Aquí vuelvo a encontrarme con Kosuke Kindaichi en un misterio digno de su interés. Esta historia es muy interesante, porque me ha recordado a algunos títulos al “Sabueso de los Baskerville” https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8... porque tiene como las novelas de Arthur Conan Doyle una historia antigua, que da colorido al misterio actual. Esta es la historia de (y aquí está uno de los defectos del libro, como explicaré más adelante) de Tatsuya Terada un chico, que resulta ser el heredero de una gran fortuna familiar. Su padre descendiente de una noble familia del pueblo tuvo una neurosis y mató a una gran cantidad de personas. De hecho vemos como aquí a diferencia de las novelas de Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, si hay una maldición, porque la gente del pueblo mato a ocho samuráis, para apoderarse del tesoro, y el peso de la culpa, y las consecuencias del mal estarán muy presentes en toda la novela. Si usted es un amante de la novela policíaca, y considera como el buen Chesty https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... , que no hay nada más moral, que un asesinato. Quizá como en la maldición del Hirado el castigo sea, que usted se acabe hartando de ello, pero ya saben los dioses castigan a los mortales concediéndoles sus deseos :-). Es que los placeres han de ser en pequeñas cantidades, porque si no acaban produciendo el hartazgo de los bienpensantes como ocurría en Sweeney Todd, o en la Roma de Nerón.
Vamos a hablar de lo mejor de la novela. Un gran acierto por parte del novelista y de Quaterni (amen de las portadas, que siempre son excelentes) es haber incluido algo básico en las novelas policíacas un Dramatis personae. Es decir, un índice con todos los personajes de la novela. De tal manera, que el lector no sé pierda, y sepa quién es quién en este macabro juego de muertes. Otro acierto y esto es una técnica tanto de Edgar Allan Poe https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... y Edogawa Rampo, y es la atmosfera gotizante, y opresiva. También vemos la degeneración, y la decadencia, sobre todo en la familia de los Tajimi. No sé sabe, si por endogamia, o porque capricho la enfermedad, la ruina, y la decadencia está presente en ellos. Incluso en los miembros a priori menos siniestros como Haruyo. El pueblo es un lugar opresivo lleno de odio, y de venganza. El protagonista Tatsuya Terada estará siempre bajo constante peligro, y amenaza. Esto me recordó mucho a una de mis novelas favoritas de la dama del crimen Agatha Christie esta es “los trabajos de Hércules”. De hecho, está novela tiene en común muchas cosas con algunos casos que cuenta Agatha Christie https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... en esa novela Hércules Poirot emula a su tocayo el legendario Hércules, que realizó doce trabajos, y cada caso de Poirot es un homenaje a los doce trabajos del héroe tebano. Hay dos casos, que han estado muy presentes en “El pueblo de las ocho tumbas” y son la hidra de Lerma. Dónde Poirot viajaba a un pueblo como el de Tatsuya Terada, y debía enfrentarse a un terrible enemigo la calumnia. Lo mismo le ocurre al protagonista y narrador Tatsuya Terada, que se enfrenta a la calumnia, que el enemigo del protagonista esparce, y a un amigo terrible la superstición. Aquí los pecados de los padres repercuten en los hijos. Sin embargo no todo es pesar y desolación. Tatsuya Terada conocerá el amor, y es una de las cosas más bonitas de la novela la historia de amor, y por si fuera poco esta novela tiene otro elemento sublime la búsqueda de un tesoro (precisamente uno de los momentos mejores de la novela erá como sortean los obstáculos, y van descifrando el mapa del tesoro). Como ya hicieran Por, Conan Doyle, o Dorothy Sayers https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... También me recordó a otro caso de Agatha Christie de los “Trabajos de Hércules” “El toro de Creta”, porque el protagonista se ve sublimado por el tema de la herencia. Puro determinismo, e igual que Agatha Christie, Seishi Yokomizo adoptará una solución similar. Durante la narración aparecen monjes budistas, cada uno más o menos santos.
Tiene algo, también muy moderno es casi un mcguffin pero el asesino, como ya hacía en Gokumonto, y hará más tarde en pelis como Seven, o Coleccionista de huesos parece seguir un patrón, pero no le voy a decir si lo sigue o no. Eso deberá averiguarlo usted.
Me da casi pena, pero voy a comentar dos cosas, que me han impedido darle a esta novela el reconocimiento, que merece las cinco estrellas. El primer defecto es que Kosuke Kindaichi tenga un papel tan secundario. Un personaje como él debe tener el papel principal. Es un crimen desaprovecharlo, por muy buen narrador que sea Tatsuya (que por cierto vuelve locas a las chicas, como Don Mendo https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... ) y por muy entretenida, que sea la historia. Lo segundo ya es más personal, pero el lector/Usuario de Goodreads que siga mis críticas lo habrá deducido. Hay demasiados asesinatos. Es verdad, que Kosuke Kindaichi juega un rol muy secundario, y no se implica hasta casi el final, pero hay demasiada muerte. Casi parece seguir el sistema de S.S. Van Dine, que Dorothy Sayers parodiaba, que al final sólo quedan el detective, y el asesino. Quizás sea demasiado exagerado https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... pero hay casi una decena de muertes violentas. Eso sí el escritor mantiene muy bien el misterio. Yo me sentí tan patidifuso, cuando Kindaichi reveló la solución, como el Capitán Hasting en “Curtain” https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8... era la única solución posible, y la descarte, porque no pensé que esa persona pudiera haberlo hecho.
Estimado usuario si acepta mi sugerencia, y decide leer esta novela no tendrá un momento de tregua. Irá como si fuera el Lagarderé https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... de turno tachando los nombres de los muertos con tinta roja, emocionándose con la historia de amor, y gozará buscando un tesoro. Tres libros por el precio de uno.
Ladies and gentlemen first of all is to explain the reason for the dedication. These four people to whom I dedicate this criticism helped me to the novel Mt Doran "Toward to the Gleam" elected, and wanted to thank you for the help that lent me to https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... & from_search = true . So I thought that the best way to thank them is thanking them, and devoting a review of a book, which very likely you can taste them all.
Like most of the reviews of my books is also history. I have a great link with Quaterni publishing for many years. The editorial Quaterni, here share the link for users of Goodreads www.quaterni.es/ . Quaterni is a publishing house specialized in edit Asian, especially Japanese literature. Our relationship is very long, fruitful, and long-lasting. We met after make a complimentary comment that for me is the best current modern fantasy "Brave Story", but, although the writer that they have edited, which I liked most is Miyuki Miyabe https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... however users of Goodreads if memory does not betray me the first review, which I wrote in one of his books was "The island of the gate to hell Gokumonto"
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... was my first encounter with a character that I feel a great affection. I know I run the risk of being struck by the rays of the critics of the Japanese detective novel, but in spite of being struck down by them. I will say the same as Darth Vader told him to Obi wan Kenobi “When I disconnect from you it was not more than the apprentice. Now I am the master”. Something similar has happened with Seishi Yokomizo https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... was the disciple of the legendary Edogawa Rampo https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... and feel greater predilection for the disciple, while the master was decisive. But despite having read wonders for Edogawa Rampo, I liked more disciple, and above all his detective with whom I was living in this island of descendants of pirates, then I followed in their first cases in "Murder in the Honjin" https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... this criticism by the way is it dedicated to father Milward one of the few men who remained, which met the Inklings, and was missionary, and University lecturer in Japan. Have you present in your prayers, and non-believers in their memory. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Here I find me with Kosuke Kindaichi in a mystery worthy of his interest. This story is very interesting, because I pointed to some titles to the "Hound of the Baskervilles" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8... & from_search = true because as the an ancient history, that gives color to the current mystery novels of Arthur Conan Doyle. This is the story of (and here is one of the shortcomings of the book, as I will explain later) of Tatsuya Terada a guy, who happens to be the heir to a family fortune. His father descended from a noble family of the village had a neurosis and killed a lot of people. In fact we see here unlike the novels of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as if there is a curse, because the people of the town killed eight Samurai, to seize the treasure, and the burden of guilt, and the consequences of evil will be very present throughout the novel. If you are a lover of the detective novel, and is considered as the good Chesty https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... , that there is nothing more moral than a murder. As in the curse of the Hirado punishment perhaps, that you end up, but you know the gods punished mortals by granting them their wishes:-). Is that pleasures have to be in small quantities, because if they end up not producing the fatigue of the other as would happen in Sweeney Todd, or in the Rome of Nero.
Let's talk about the best novel. A great success by the novelist and Quaterni part (as well as the covers, which are always excellent) is to have included something basic in the detective novels a Dramatis persone. I.e. an index with all the characters in the novel. In such a way that the reader does not know Miss, and know who is who in this macabre game of deaths. Another hit and this is one technique both Edgar Allan Poe https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... and Edogawa Rampo, and the Gothic atmosphere, and oppressive. We also see degeneration and decay, especially in the family of the Tajimi. I don't know know if by inbreeding, or treat disease, ruin and decay is present in them. Even in the priori less sinister members as Haruyo. The village is an oppressive place full of hatred, and revenge. Actor Tatsuya Terada is always under constant danger and threat. This reminded me very much one of my favorite novels of the Lady of the Agatha Christie crime this is "the labours of Hercules". In fact, is novel in common has many things with some cases which Agatha Christie https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... & from_search = true https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... & from_search = true
in this novel Hercules
Poirot emulates his namesake the legendary Hercules, who performed twelve labours, and each case of Poirot is a tribute to the twelve labours of the Theban hero. There are two cases, which have been very present in "the village of eight graves ' and the Hydra of Lerma. Where Poirot traveled to a town like the Tatsuya Terada, and slander should face a terrible enemy. The same happens to the protagonist and Narrator Tatsuya Terada, who faces slander, which spreads the enemy of the protagonist, and a terrible friend superstition. Here the sins of parents affect children. However, not everything is sorrow and desolation. Tatsuya Terada will know love, and is one of the most beautiful things in the novel love story, and this novel all off another sublime element has a treasure hunt (precisely one of the best moments of the novel era as they bypass the obstacles) (, and van deciphering the treasure map). As already by Conan Doyle, or Dorothy Sayers did https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... also reminded me of another case of Agatha Christie's the "works of Hercules" "The Bull of Crete", because the protagonist is sublimated by the issue of inheritance. Pure determinism, and just like Agatha Christie, Seishi Yokomizo will adopt a similar solution. During the narration are Buddhist monks, each more or less holy. You have something, almost a mcguffin is also very modern but the murderer, as he already did in Gokumonto, and will later be in movies such as Seven, or collector of bones seems to follow a pattern, but I won't you say if it continues or not. That you should find out. It makes me almost sad, but I will comment on two things, that have prevented me from giving this novel recognition, which deserves the five stars. The first flaw is that Kosuke Kindaichi has a role as secondary. A character like him should have the main role. It is a crime to waste it, by very good Narrator Tatsuya whatsoever (which incidentally makes crazy girls, as Don Mendo https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...)
) and very entertaining, that is history. The second is more personal, but the reader/user of Goodreads who follow my reviews will be deduced it. There are too many murders. It is true, that Kosuke Kindaichi plays a very secondary role, and does not imply it until near the end, but there is too much death. It almost seems to follow the S.S. system Van Dine, which parodied Dorothy Sayers, in the end only the detective, and the murderer. Perhaps too exaggerated https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... but there are nearly a dozen violent deaths. That if the writer keeps very well the mystery. I was so flabbergasted when Kindaichi revealed the solution, as Captain Hastings in "Curtain"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8... was the only possible solution, and the discard, because I didn't think that that person could have done. Dear user if you accept my suggestion, and decides to read this novel will not have a moment of truce. It will be as if it were the Lagardère https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... on duty by crossing out the names of the dead with red ink, thrilling with the love story, and will be looking for a treasure. Three books for the price of one.
...........................................................................................................................................................................
dedicado con afecto a Amparo, María Clara, Anapaulina, y su marido Walter Brayan.
Damas y caballeros lo primero de todo es explicar el motivo de la dedicatoria. Estas cuatro personas a las que dedico esta crítica me ayudaron a que la novela de T.M. Doran “Toward to the Gleam” fuese elegida, y quería darles las gracias por la ayuda que me prestaron https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... . Así que pensé que la mejor forma de agradecerselo sea dándoles las gracias, y dedicándoles una crítica de un libro, que muy seguramente podrá gustarles a todo ello.
Como la mayoría de las críticas de mis libros esta también tiene historia. Tengo un gran vínculo con la editorial Quaterni durante muchos años. La editorial Quaterni, aquí comparto el enlace para los usuarios de Goodreads www.quaterni.es/ . Quaterni es una editorial especializada en editar literatura asiática, especialmente japonesa. Nuestra relación es muy larga, fructífera, y duradera. Nos conocimos después de hacer un comentario elogioso de la que para mí es la mejor fantasía moderna actual “Brave Story”, pero, aunque la escritora que ellos han editado, que más me ha gustado es Miyuki Miyabe https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... sin embargo usuarios de Goodreads si la memoria no me traiciona la primera crítica, que escribí de un libro suyo fue ”Gokumonto la isla de la puerta del infierno” https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... que fue mi primer encuentro con un personaje por el que siento un gran cariño. Sé, que corro el riesgo de ser fulminado por los rayos de los críticos de la novela policíaca japonesa, pero a despecho de ser fulminado por ellos. Diré lo mismo que Darth Vader le dijo a Obi wan Kenobi “Cuando me separe de ti no era más que el aprendiz. Ahora yo soy el maestro”. Algo parecido ha ocurrido con Seishi Yokomizo https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... Era el discípulo del mítico Edogawa Rampo https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... y siento mayor predilección por el discípulo, a pesar de que el maestro le fue decisivo. Pero a pesar de haberle leído maravillas a Edogawa Rampo, me gusto más discípulo, y sobre todo su detective con el que estuve viviendo en esa isla de descendientes de piratas, después lo acompañé en sus primeros casos en “Asesinato en el Honjin” https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Esta crítica por cierto se la dediqué al Padre Milward uno de los pocos hombres que quedaba, que conoció a los Inklings, y fue misionero, y Profesor Universitario en Japón. Ténganle presente en sus oraciones, y los no creyentes en su memoria. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Aquí vuelvo a encontrarme con Kosuke Kindaichi en un misterio digno de su interés. Esta historia es muy interesante, porque me ha recordado a algunos títulos al “Sabueso de los Baskerville” https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8... porque tiene como las novelas de Arthur Conan Doyle una historia antigua, que da colorido al misterio actual. Esta es la historia de (y aquí está uno de los defectos del libro, como explicaré más adelante) de Tatsuya Terada un chico, que resulta ser el heredero de una gran fortuna familiar. Su padre descendiente de una noble familia del pueblo tuvo una neurosis y mató a una gran cantidad de personas. De hecho vemos como aquí a diferencia de las novelas de Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, si hay una maldición, porque la gente del pueblo mato a ocho samuráis, para apoderarse del tesoro, y el peso de la culpa, y las consecuencias del mal estarán muy presentes en toda la novela. Si usted es un amante de la novela policíaca, y considera como el buen Chesty https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... , que no hay nada más moral, que un asesinato. Quizá como en la maldición del Hirado el castigo sea, que usted se acabe hartando de ello, pero ya saben los dioses castigan a los mortales concediéndoles sus deseos :-). Es que los placeres han de ser en pequeñas cantidades, porque si no acaban produciendo el hartazgo de los bienpensantes como ocurría en Sweeney Todd, o en la Roma de Nerón.
Vamos a hablar de lo mejor de la novela. Un gran acierto por parte del novelista y de Quaterni (amen de las portadas, que siempre son excelentes) es haber incluido algo básico en las novelas policíacas un Dramatis personae. Es decir, un índice con todos los personajes de la novela. De tal manera, que el lector no sé pierda, y sepa quién es quién en este macabro juego de muertes. Otro acierto y esto es una técnica tanto de Edgar Allan Poe https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... y Edogawa Rampo, y es la atmosfera gotizante, y opresiva. También vemos la degeneración, y la decadencia, sobre todo en la familia de los Tajimi. No sé sabe, si por endogamia, o porque capricho la enfermedad, la ruina, y la decadencia está presente en ellos. Incluso en los miembros a priori menos siniestros como Haruyo. El pueblo es un lugar opresivo lleno de odio, y de venganza. El protagonista Tatsuya Terada estará siempre bajo constante peligro, y amenaza. Esto me recordó mucho a una de mis novelas favoritas de la dama del crimen Agatha Christie esta es “los trabajos de Hércules”. De hecho, está novela tiene en común muchas cosas con algunos casos que cuenta Agatha Christie https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... en esa novela Hércules Poirot emula a su tocayo el legendario Hércules, que realizó doce trabajos, y cada caso de Poirot es un homenaje a los doce trabajos del héroe tebano. Hay dos casos, que han estado muy presentes en “El pueblo de las ocho tumbas” y son la hidra de Lerma. Dónde Poirot viajaba a un pueblo como el de Tatsuya Terada, y debía enfrentarse a un terrible enemigo la calumnia. Lo mismo le ocurre al protagonista y narrador Tatsuya Terada, que se enfrenta a la calumnia, que el enemigo del protagonista esparce, y a un amigo terrible la superstición. Aquí los pecados de los padres repercuten en los hijos. Sin embargo no todo es pesar y desolación. Tatsuya Terada conocerá el amor, y es una de las cosas más bonitas de la novela la historia de amor, y por si fuera poco esta novela tiene otro elemento sublime la búsqueda de un tesoro (precisamente uno de los momentos mejores de la novela erá como sortean los obstáculos, y van descifrando el mapa del tesoro). Como ya hicieran Por, Conan Doyle, o Dorothy Sayers https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... También me recordó a otro caso de Agatha Christie de los “Trabajos de Hércules” “El toro de Creta”, porque el protagonista se ve sublimado por el tema de la herencia. Puro determinismo, e igual que Agatha Christie, Seishi Yokomizo adoptará una solución similar. Durante la narración aparecen monjes budistas, cada uno más o menos santos.
Tiene algo, también muy moderno es casi un mcguffin pero el asesino, como ya hacía en Gokumonto, y hará más tarde en pelis como Seven, o Coleccionista de huesos parece seguir un patrón, pero no le voy a decir si lo sigue o no. Eso deberá averiguarlo usted.
Me da casi pena, pero voy a comentar dos cosas, que me han impedido darle a esta novela el reconocimiento, que merece las cinco estrellas. El primer defecto es que Kosuke Kindaichi tenga un papel tan secundario. Un personaje como él debe tener el papel principal. Es un crimen desaprovecharlo, por muy buen narrador que sea Tatsuya (que por cierto vuelve locas a las chicas, como Don Mendo https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... ) y por muy entretenida, que sea la historia. Lo segundo ya es más personal, pero el lector/Usuario de Goodreads que siga mis críticas lo habrá deducido. Hay demasiados asesinatos. Es verdad, que Kosuke Kindaichi juega un rol muy secundario, y no se implica hasta casi el final, pero hay demasiada muerte. Casi parece seguir el sistema de S.S. Van Dine, que Dorothy Sayers parodiaba, que al final sólo quedan el detective, y el asesino. Quizás sea demasiado exagerado https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... pero hay casi una decena de muertes violentas. Eso sí el escritor mantiene muy bien el misterio. Yo me sentí tan patidifuso, cuando Kindaichi reveló la solución, como el Capitán Hasting en “Curtain” https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8... era la única solución posible, y la descarte, porque no pensé que esa persona pudiera haberlo hecho.
Estimado usuario si acepta mi sugerencia, y decide leer esta novela no tendrá un momento de tregua. Irá como si fuera el Lagarderé https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... de turno tachando los nombres de los muertos con tinta roja, emocionándose con la historia de amor, y gozará buscando un tesoro. Tres libros por el precio de uno.
March 16, 2023
3.75 ★
➸ Trigger warnings for .
▷ Representation: Japanese cast & setting; sc with a speech impediment.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph
➸ Trigger warnings for .
▷ Representation: Japanese cast & setting; sc with a speech impediment.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph
March 18, 2022
There are only three Detective Kindaichi books that have been translated so far out of a whopping 77 total, but it's already quite clear that there is not a formula. These books are pretty wildly different, different narrators, different kinds of crimes, different settings. This one is practically an adventure novel, complete with a cursed village, a cycle of killing sprees, and a network of labyrinthine caves where countless chases ensue.
There are a lot of characters to keep track of but once we get the idea of double characters it gets easier. I figured out the killer but not so early that it was annoying. Looking forward to book #4.
There are a lot of characters to keep track of but once we get the idea of double characters it gets easier. I figured out the killer but not so early that it was annoying. Looking forward to book #4.
August 26, 2022
Whaaaat the heck happened here. This was a mess.
In fact, I had such a different reading experience with this third translated book in the Kosuke Kindaichi series that I kind of have to wonder if it was me and not the book, since presumably the English publisher chose to translate and publish this one third out of all the many, many available books in the series for a reason (and it's not third in original publication order). I really wasn't expecting to have such a poopy time with it, but I did!
It started off pretty well, although to be honest I did have to rewind and listen to the first five minutes three times (this should have been a clue in hindsight). The story of the village and the eight graves was really interesting, but part of the problem here is that it was never fully utilized in the rest of the story! I kept waiting for it to matter, but it never did, and instead we got a convoluted and uninteresting (to me, I guess) story about a dude who finds himself unexpected heir to a fortune, and people around him are dropping like flies.
Firstly, Kosuke Kindaichi was barely in this at all. The main character is the inheritance dude, whose name I can't be bothered to look up even though it would take like one second to do so. The result is that instead of getting a book about a quirky detective solving a mystery, we get a befuddled guy who spends half his time being befuddled and just watching as things go to shit around him. Being in his head was not fun. The story also jumped all over the place. I used the word "convoluted" above for a reason. Half the time, I was talking out loud to the audiobook, going, wait, what happened? Who is that? And when the answer was often "I don't even care" I knew this was going to be a two-star book.
The audio narrator was also a problem, which is extra strange, because I loved his performance in the first two books. But here he was called on to voice some truly hysterical people and he overacted the hell out of it. It got incredibly irritating. By the end I was telling the audiobook to shut up like every five minutes.
I'm now wondering as I write this whether the switch in translators had anything to do with it. I'm betting the answer is yes.
So . . . not a success. I'm hopeful for further books in the series, though. I've got #4 up for Spooky Season, and chances are my experience with it will be more like it was with The Honjin Murders and The Inugami Curse than like this one.
[2.5 stars]
In fact, I had such a different reading experience with this third translated book in the Kosuke Kindaichi series that I kind of have to wonder if it was me and not the book, since presumably the English publisher chose to translate and publish this one third out of all the many, many available books in the series for a reason (and it's not third in original publication order). I really wasn't expecting to have such a poopy time with it, but I did!
It started off pretty well, although to be honest I did have to rewind and listen to the first five minutes three times (this should have been a clue in hindsight). The story of the village and the eight graves was really interesting, but part of the problem here is that it was never fully utilized in the rest of the story! I kept waiting for it to matter, but it never did, and instead we got a convoluted and uninteresting (to me, I guess) story about a dude who finds himself unexpected heir to a fortune, and people around him are dropping like flies.
Firstly, Kosuke Kindaichi was barely in this at all. The main character is the inheritance dude, whose name I can't be bothered to look up even though it would take like one second to do so. The result is that instead of getting a book about a quirky detective solving a mystery, we get a befuddled guy who spends half his time being befuddled and just watching as things go to shit around him. Being in his head was not fun. The story also jumped all over the place. I used the word "convoluted" above for a reason. Half the time, I was talking out loud to the audiobook, going, wait, what happened? Who is that? And when the answer was often "I don't even care" I knew this was going to be a two-star book.
The audio narrator was also a problem, which is extra strange, because I loved his performance in the first two books. But here he was called on to voice some truly hysterical people and he overacted the hell out of it. It got incredibly irritating. By the end I was telling the audiobook to shut up like every five minutes.
I'm now wondering as I write this whether the switch in translators had anything to do with it. I'm betting the answer is yes.
So . . . not a success. I'm hopeful for further books in the series, though. I've got #4 up for Spooky Season, and chances are my experience with it will be more like it was with The Honjin Murders and The Inugami Curse than like this one.
[2.5 stars]
April 18, 2022
"Everything takes ten times as long in the countryside: what takes one year to forget in the city takes ten years in that village. The memories stick, they take root - year after year, people stubbornly cling to them."
Review to come!
Review to come!
March 19, 2014
Both the Japanese and Chinese title of this detective novel is "The Village of Eight Graves".
April 17, 2024
เปิดเรื่องได้ดึงดูด ตีหัวเข้าบ้านมาก
แต่พอเล่าไปสักพัก ตัวละครเริ่มผุดเพิ่มไม่รู้จบ
ก็เนือยๆ หน่อย ไม่รู้ว่าควรโฟกัสที่ตัวละครไหนแล้ว
แต่ก็ยังสนุกมากพอที่จะทำให้เราอ่านมันไปเรื่อยๆ
มีช่วงที่สนุกจนวางไม่ลงอยู่เกือบตลอด
นี่เป็นคินดะอิจิเล่มแรกของเรา
เลยไม่รู้ว่าเล่มอื่นสนุกมากหรือน้อยกว่านี้ยังไง
แต่เล่มนี้ก็โอเคดี
เสียดายตอนจบนิดหน่อย
ที่อยู่ๆ ตัวละครก็ดับวูบไป
ตื่นขึ้นมาอีกที ก็มาสรุปจบกันในวงประชุมจืดๆ ไม่พีคเท่าไร
เป็นการคลี่คลายคดีที่จบแหละ แต่ไม่ฟูลฟีล
แต่พอเล่าไปสักพัก ตัวละครเริ่มผุดเพิ่มไม่รู้จบ
ก็เนือยๆ หน่อย ไม่รู้ว่าควรโฟกัสที่ตัวละครไหนแล้ว
แต่ก็ยังสนุกมากพอที่จะทำให้เราอ่านมันไปเรื่อยๆ
มีช่วงที่สนุกจนวางไม่ลงอยู่เกือบตลอด
นี่เป็นคินดะอิจิเล่มแรกของเรา
เลยไม่รู้ว่าเล่มอื่นสนุกมากหรือน้อยกว่านี้ยังไง
แต่เล่มนี้ก็โอเคดี
เสียดายตอนจบนิดหน่อย
ที่อยู่ๆ ตัวละครก็ดับวูบไป
ตื่นขึ้นมาอีกที ก็มาสรุปจบกันในวงประชุมจืดๆ ไม่พีคเท่าไร
เป็นการคลี่คลายคดีที่จบแหละ แต่ไม่ฟูลฟีล
February 18, 2022
Daję 5 gwiazdek, bo ta książka had me in a chokehold przez 4 dni, a ja jestem jak Doja Cat I NEED TO KNOW
January 2, 2025
Having read The Honjin Murders, I was delighted to get the opportunity to read The Village of Eight Graves a second case for Kosuke Kindaichi a renowned private detective.
Indeed I have also bought The Inugami Clan as I love a crime series and I have taken to author, Seishi Yokomizo’s gently paced writing and tense mysteries.
We all need to be grateful for the efforts and commitment of Pushkin Vertigo of revising old classics and often discarded authors, by bringing their work into an English translation. I have discovered Stefan Zweig’s writing in this way and these Japanese crime novels are another case in point. These gems, uncovered and sparkling in all their glory, enable others to share the beauty of forgotten mysteries. Check out Pushkin Press on line.
Set in a time of uncertainty, after the defeat in World War II, this novel is an insight into rural communities, local gossip, customs and superstitions. The author takes his time explaining both the geography and idiosyncrasies of village life. Almost unchanged over time, isolated and insular, The Village of Eight Graves is quite a threatening place for an outsider.
The story is told through Tatsuya who narrates his own journey to the village of his family. He has been called back from his city life to take charge of his ancestral home as the potential heir of the family estate. For various reasons many do not want him around; he has few friends outside his immediate household and his late father was a notorious man who went on a killing spree soon after Tatsuya was born. Indeed his presence seems to be a curse, the Spirit’s demand of retribution for historical events.
A series of killings start upon his return and suspicion quickly turns on him. His only hope seems to be a famous detective visiting these parts but strange happenings seem to compound local fears. In a sense he doesn’t know who to trust and as the murders continue without clear motive he is left more isolated and wishing he never left his city life.
A wonderful multilayered story that remains full of mystery and suspense. A true ‘who done it’ unlike anything you may have read before.
I loved the sense of place and time. There is tension and danger with each recounted incident. You feel the young man’s fear and his need to risk all for the sake of those he cares about. It appears there are clues aplenty, multiple suspects but little police action to apprehend the killer.
You even wonder if the narrator is being truly honest and it is no surprise when he feels the villagers’ hostility running into a lynch mob, seeing him as culpable for the mayhem that has overtaken the community.
But the book draws you in. You want to make sense of it all and so need to read on, almost hoping for the best.
Quite ingenious. Like a full deck of cards, each is turned over but only when all are face up do you begin to see the labyrinth of language, the cardsharp’s dodgy dealing and realise the dots were all there in plain sight. Joining them all up in the detective’s denouncement the author shows his skill and why he is viewed as a great mystery writer.
Indeed I have also bought The Inugami Clan as I love a crime series and I have taken to author, Seishi Yokomizo’s gently paced writing and tense mysteries.
We all need to be grateful for the efforts and commitment of Pushkin Vertigo of revising old classics and often discarded authors, by bringing their work into an English translation. I have discovered Stefan Zweig’s writing in this way and these Japanese crime novels are another case in point. These gems, uncovered and sparkling in all their glory, enable others to share the beauty of forgotten mysteries. Check out Pushkin Press on line.
Set in a time of uncertainty, after the defeat in World War II, this novel is an insight into rural communities, local gossip, customs and superstitions. The author takes his time explaining both the geography and idiosyncrasies of village life. Almost unchanged over time, isolated and insular, The Village of Eight Graves is quite a threatening place for an outsider.
The story is told through Tatsuya who narrates his own journey to the village of his family. He has been called back from his city life to take charge of his ancestral home as the potential heir of the family estate. For various reasons many do not want him around; he has few friends outside his immediate household and his late father was a notorious man who went on a killing spree soon after Tatsuya was born. Indeed his presence seems to be a curse, the Spirit’s demand of retribution for historical events.
A series of killings start upon his return and suspicion quickly turns on him. His only hope seems to be a famous detective visiting these parts but strange happenings seem to compound local fears. In a sense he doesn’t know who to trust and as the murders continue without clear motive he is left more isolated and wishing he never left his city life.
A wonderful multilayered story that remains full of mystery and suspense. A true ‘who done it’ unlike anything you may have read before.
I loved the sense of place and time. There is tension and danger with each recounted incident. You feel the young man’s fear and his need to risk all for the sake of those he cares about. It appears there are clues aplenty, multiple suspects but little police action to apprehend the killer.
You even wonder if the narrator is being truly honest and it is no surprise when he feels the villagers’ hostility running into a lynch mob, seeing him as culpable for the mayhem that has overtaken the community.
But the book draws you in. You want to make sense of it all and so need to read on, almost hoping for the best.
Quite ingenious. Like a full deck of cards, each is turned over but only when all are face up do you begin to see the labyrinth of language, the cardsharp’s dodgy dealing and realise the dots were all there in plain sight. Joining them all up in the detective’s denouncement the author shows his skill and why he is viewed as a great mystery writer.
September 8, 2022
ผมหยิบหนังสือเล่มนี้ขึ้นมาอ่านหลังจากอ่านครั้งแรกน่าจะเกินสิบปีได้ แต่ความรู้สึกสนุกยังคงไม่ต่างจากครั้งแรก เพราะส่วนหนึ่งผมจำคนร้ายไม่ได้แล้วว่าคือใคร จำได้เพียงถ้ำวงกต การตามล่าในถ้ำ กับนางเอกที่น่ารัก เนื้อเรื่องผ่านมุมมองบุคคลที่ 1 ของพระเอกของเรื่องอย่างทะซึยะ ที่บังเอิญเพิ่งรู้ว่าตัวเองเป็นทายาทสืบตระกูลเศรษฐีตระกูลหนึ่ง เรื่องราววายป่วงเริ่มขึ้นจากทุกคนรอบข้างเขา ค่อยๆถูกฆาตกรรมโดยการวางยาพิษ ดูเหมือนหลักฐานต่างๆชี้มาว่าตัวเขาอาจเป็นฆาตกร ถึงแม้จะเริ่มต้นเป็นนิยายสืบสวนสอบสวน แต่กระนั้นก็เป็นเพียงส่วนหนึ่งของเรื่องราวทั้งหมด ทั้งเรื่องเต็มไปด้วยหลากความรู้สึก เราค่อยๆพบปมปริศนาไปกับตัวเอก ผ่านความคิดคนธรรมดาที่ไม่ได้เป็นนักสืบ เรื่องนี้เป็นทั้งข้อดีและข้อด้อยไปในตัว เพราะถ้าใครหวังที่จะมาอ่านนิยายสืบสวนสอบสวนอาจมีผิดหวังได้ เพราะส่วนที่เป็นการสืบมีเพียงบทสนทนาของคินดะอิจิ ที่โผล่มาประปรายตามเรื่องเท่านั้น สำหรับใครที่อ่านคินดะอิจิมานาน ถ้าคดีไหนที่ดำเนินผ่านมุมมองบุคคลอื่น คินดะอิจิก็เตรียมเป็นตัวประกอบได้เลย
แต่ถึงเรื่องสืบสวนสอบสวนอาจจะด้อยไปบ้าง บวกกับทริคที่พึ่งความบังเอิญพอสมควร ทำให้นิยายเรื่องนี้อาจไม่เด่นในเรื่องนั้น แต่กระนั้นถ้าคุณมองในมุมมองที่ว่านี่คือนิยายทริลเลอร์เล่มหนึ่ง หนังสือเล่มนี้จะมอบความระทึกใจให้คุณได้แน่ เพราะฉากการไล่ล่าในถ้ำนี่มันสนุกจริงๆ แถมให้อารมณ์การผจญภัยพอสมควรด้วยครับ
แต่ถึงเรื่องสืบสวนสอบสวนอาจจะด้อยไปบ้าง บวกกับทริคที่พึ่งความบังเอิญพอสมควร ทำให้นิยายเรื่องนี้อาจไม่เด่นในเรื่องนั้น แต่กระนั้นถ้าคุณมองในมุมมองที่ว่านี่คือนิยายทริลเลอร์เล่มหนึ่ง หนังสือเล่มนี้จะมอบความระทึกใจให้คุณได้แน่ เพราะฉากการไล่ล่าในถ้ำนี่มันสนุกจริงๆ แถมให้อารมณ์การผจญภัยพอสมควรด้วยครับ
December 10, 2021
Considering that the detective Koindaichi was practically absent for half of the book and that the solution, as I have already commented for the first book in this series, seemed to be the result of too much chance, I do not think I will continue reading about him, there are better mysteries, even in Japanese.
Considerato che il detective Koindaichi é stato praticamente assente per la metá del libro e che la soluzione, come mi é giá capitato di commentare per il primo libro di questa serie, mi é sembrata derivare da troppe casualitá, non credo che continueró a leggere, ci sono gialli migliori, anche in ambito giapponese.
I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
Considerato che il detective Koindaichi é stato praticamente assente per la metá del libro e che la soluzione, come mi é giá capitato di commentare per il primo libro di questa serie, mi é sembrata derivare da troppe casualitá, non credo che continueró a leggere, ci sono gialli migliori, anche in ambito giapponese.
I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
June 21, 2024
Legendärer Schatz
Durch eine Legende ist das Dorf der acht Gräber zu seinem Namen gekommen. Vor langer Zeit wurden acht Samurai grausam getötet. Sie sollen einen Schatz versteckt haben, der in hunderten von Jahren nicht gefunden wurde. Ihre Mörder haben sie verflucht. Kurz nach dem zweiten Weltkrieg wird ein junger Mann von einem Anwalt aufgesucht. Dieser teilt dem jungen Tatsuya Terada mit, eine Familie im Dorf der acht Gräber suche einen Erben. Wegen einiger Merkmale könne nur er der Gesuchte sein. Sogleich macht sich Tatsuya auf den Weg, um sein unbekanntes Heimatdorf zu besuchen. Noch bevor die Reise richtig losgeht, geschieht ein Mord.
Der berühmte Privatdetektiv Kosuke Kindaichi befasst sich hier mir dem dritten Fall, der in die deutsche Sprache übersetzt wurde. Aus Sicht des wiedergefundenen Erben werden die Ereignisse im Dorf der acht Gräber berichtet. Zunächst scheint es ein wahrer Segen. Tatsuya, ein junger Mann, dessen Mutter früh verstorben ist, soll plötzlich eine Familie haben und er soll Erbe sein. Doch schon der erste Mord vergällt seine Freude in gewissem Maß. Dennoch macht er sich auf den Weg. Es ist ihm nicht zu verdenken, dass er seine Familie väterlicherseits kennenlernen möchte.
Zum ersten Mal bereits im Jahr 1971 im Original veröffentlicht, besticht dieser japanische Kriminalroman durch seine klare Sprache und die ausgeklügelte Handlung. Man merkt Seishi Yokumizi einfach an, dass er Freude am Fabulieren hatte. Auch als europäischer Leser hat man keine Schwierigkeiten, sich in die Handlung hineinzudenken. Vielleicht sind die Kulturen doch manchmal nicht so unterschiedlich. Nur manchmal kommt der Gedanke auf, es gebe etwas viel Naivität oder Vertrauensseligkeit. Dann wieder überzeugt die Gewitztheit Tatsuyas. Er will hinter die Geheimnisse kommen. Schön, dass Kosuke Kindaichi seinen jungen Freund wirken lässt, ohne selbst die Fäden aus der Hand zu geben. Wenn dann zum Finale noch mal alles genauestens beleuchtet wird, wähnt man sich fast bei Miss Marple am Kamin.
Diese sehr lesenswerte Reihe klassischer japanischer Kriminalromane überzeugt durch die gefühlt gute Übersetzung und auch die durchdachte Covergestaltung lassen die Bücher zu einer Zierde im Regal werden.
4,5 Sterne
Durch eine Legende ist das Dorf der acht Gräber zu seinem Namen gekommen. Vor langer Zeit wurden acht Samurai grausam getötet. Sie sollen einen Schatz versteckt haben, der in hunderten von Jahren nicht gefunden wurde. Ihre Mörder haben sie verflucht. Kurz nach dem zweiten Weltkrieg wird ein junger Mann von einem Anwalt aufgesucht. Dieser teilt dem jungen Tatsuya Terada mit, eine Familie im Dorf der acht Gräber suche einen Erben. Wegen einiger Merkmale könne nur er der Gesuchte sein. Sogleich macht sich Tatsuya auf den Weg, um sein unbekanntes Heimatdorf zu besuchen. Noch bevor die Reise richtig losgeht, geschieht ein Mord.
Der berühmte Privatdetektiv Kosuke Kindaichi befasst sich hier mir dem dritten Fall, der in die deutsche Sprache übersetzt wurde. Aus Sicht des wiedergefundenen Erben werden die Ereignisse im Dorf der acht Gräber berichtet. Zunächst scheint es ein wahrer Segen. Tatsuya, ein junger Mann, dessen Mutter früh verstorben ist, soll plötzlich eine Familie haben und er soll Erbe sein. Doch schon der erste Mord vergällt seine Freude in gewissem Maß. Dennoch macht er sich auf den Weg. Es ist ihm nicht zu verdenken, dass er seine Familie väterlicherseits kennenlernen möchte.
Zum ersten Mal bereits im Jahr 1971 im Original veröffentlicht, besticht dieser japanische Kriminalroman durch seine klare Sprache und die ausgeklügelte Handlung. Man merkt Seishi Yokumizi einfach an, dass er Freude am Fabulieren hatte. Auch als europäischer Leser hat man keine Schwierigkeiten, sich in die Handlung hineinzudenken. Vielleicht sind die Kulturen doch manchmal nicht so unterschiedlich. Nur manchmal kommt der Gedanke auf, es gebe etwas viel Naivität oder Vertrauensseligkeit. Dann wieder überzeugt die Gewitztheit Tatsuyas. Er will hinter die Geheimnisse kommen. Schön, dass Kosuke Kindaichi seinen jungen Freund wirken lässt, ohne selbst die Fäden aus der Hand zu geben. Wenn dann zum Finale noch mal alles genauestens beleuchtet wird, wähnt man sich fast bei Miss Marple am Kamin.
Diese sehr lesenswerte Reihe klassischer japanischer Kriminalromane überzeugt durch die gefühlt gute Übersetzung und auch die durchdachte Covergestaltung lassen die Bücher zu einer Zierde im Regal werden.
4,5 Sterne
May 16, 2025
Just completed Seishi Yokomizo's THE VILLAGE OF THE EIGHT GRAVES. This is my first book of Yokomizo.
First things first: It was a thorough entertainer.
But I usually like the activities involving the detective/police in a detective novels/murder mysteries. That was missing in this novel even though it is one of Kosuke Kindaichi's adventures. Kosuke Kindaichi is supposed to be the famous fictional detective created by Yokomizo.
Maybe the other novels are better. I am not sure.
But this novel had everything that a detective novel should have - a series of murders, the motive for the murders and the accompanying explanations for the motive, crime scenes and the eerie atmospheres, possibility of many suspects, a racy story...
The police procedural part was missing. The main detective just appeared at the end and gave some explanations. Some of my friends said that in the other novels, Kindaichi's role is more active. May be I should try one more novel in which Kindaichi is a main detective and then I would make my final judgment.
First things first: It was a thorough entertainer.
But I usually like the activities involving the detective/police in a detective novels/murder mysteries. That was missing in this novel even though it is one of Kosuke Kindaichi's adventures. Kosuke Kindaichi is supposed to be the famous fictional detective created by Yokomizo.
Maybe the other novels are better. I am not sure.
But this novel had everything that a detective novel should have - a series of murders, the motive for the murders and the accompanying explanations for the motive, crime scenes and the eerie atmospheres, possibility of many suspects, a racy story...
The police procedural part was missing. The main detective just appeared at the end and gave some explanations. Some of my friends said that in the other novels, Kindaichi's role is more active. May be I should try one more novel in which Kindaichi is a main detective and then I would make my final judgment.
December 30, 2021
'There must be a story there, they'll think. And indeed, a story there is - and a strange one.'
The third of prolific Japanese author's Seishi Yokomizo's detective series to get an English translation (although, bizarrely, this is actually the 4th in the original series and is being published after the 6th in the series, The Inugami Clan - go figure!). Fans of fiendish puzzles, strange goings-on and clues a-plenty will relish this.
The story is told in the first-person by Tatsuya, who is told that he is to inherit an estate from a family he never knew. His father had gone on a killing rampage some 26 years earlier, and suddenly, now that Tatsuya has been contacted by a lawyer, more people start to die. When he finally arrives at the village that has the name of Eight Graves things get worse and, as the body count increases Tatsuya himself becomes a suspect. Enter the shabby, scruffy detective Kosuke Kindaichi - will he be able to work out just who is killing of the other members of the family?
The first-person narrative voice makes this a slightly different take on events from, say, the other two books previously published in English. The character of Kindaichi is seen only through the eyes of Tatsuya, and really isn't in the book all that much, so it is much more of a feeling of being in the midst of events rather than them being seen from a distance. The clues are there (although I'm such a dolt I can never work out what's going on), but the book is a wonderfully atmospheric and eventful ride and will ensure that you don't want to put the book down until you finish.
4 stars for fans of well-written and well-plotted crime fiction.
The third of prolific Japanese author's Seishi Yokomizo's detective series to get an English translation (although, bizarrely, this is actually the 4th in the original series and is being published after the 6th in the series, The Inugami Clan - go figure!). Fans of fiendish puzzles, strange goings-on and clues a-plenty will relish this.
The story is told in the first-person by Tatsuya, who is told that he is to inherit an estate from a family he never knew. His father had gone on a killing rampage some 26 years earlier, and suddenly, now that Tatsuya has been contacted by a lawyer, more people start to die. When he finally arrives at the village that has the name of Eight Graves things get worse and, as the body count increases Tatsuya himself becomes a suspect. Enter the shabby, scruffy detective Kosuke Kindaichi - will he be able to work out just who is killing of the other members of the family?
The first-person narrative voice makes this a slightly different take on events from, say, the other two books previously published in English. The character of Kindaichi is seen only through the eyes of Tatsuya, and really isn't in the book all that much, so it is much more of a feeling of being in the midst of events rather than them being seen from a distance. The clues are there (although I'm such a dolt I can never work out what's going on), but the book is a wonderfully atmospheric and eventful ride and will ensure that you don't want to put the book down until you finish.
4 stars for fans of well-written and well-plotted crime fiction.
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