From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

The Honjin Murders (Detective Kosuke Kindaichi, #1)

Seishi Yokomizo,

Louise Heal Kawai (Translator)

Start date: September 1, 2023

Finish date: September 30, 2023

Discussion: Group Challenges

Why we're reading this: Next in our Scenes of Classic Crime challenge.
[close] Next in our Scenes of Classic Crime challenge.

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Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 168 topics — 7,798 comments total

Group Challenges

* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) by Agatha Christie
By Susan · 17 posts · 20 views

last updated Sep 25, 2025 01:00PM

* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) - SPOILER Thread
By Susan · 13 posts · 22 views

last updated Sep 16, 2025 12:58PM

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What Members Thought

Nov 29, 2022 Shauna rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2022

An ingenious locked room story which pays homage to the greats in the genre. What lets it down is the description of the detective who comes across as smug and irritating.

9 likes · Like · see review

Jan 03, 2023 Laba Deka rated it really liked it

Kindaichi reminds me so much of L from Death Note. Imagined him as L throughout the novel. Loved every bit of this.

1 like · Like · see review

Aug 25, 2023 Laurel rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Awesome story

This book is my first read from this author. What a wonderful find. Very well written, to the point and not extra words to fill up a page. The historical and traditional information was exceptionally interesting. A Very good read. Worth every minute.

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Jan 25, 2022 Suzanne Robertson Moutis rated it it was ok

So, I think maybe this book was just not what I was expecting. It certainly delivered on the locked-room plot, but I just wasn't satisfied with the how and the who and the why. It was certainly original, but it seemed really convoluted to me. Also, I found the character of Kosuke Kindaichi lacking depth – I just wasn't invested in him. Maybe because the book was short it necessitated curtailing some of the "meat" that would have made not just Kindaichi but all the characters more relatable? It w ...more

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