『Wの悲劇』, whose title is an homage to Ellery Queen, is certainly one of the most famous works by Shizuko Natsuki, but I did not enjoy it as much as I expected.
Book review: 『蒸発』by Shizuko Natsuki
『蒸発』won the Mystery Writers of Japan Award in 1973 and belongs to Shizuko Natsuki’s most famous novels.
Book review: 『アリスの国の殺人』by Masaki Tsuji
A murder mystery that both takes place in reality and in a dream inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Even though I enjoyed some aspects of this book, the dream parts were a bit too absurd and fantastical to me, with references and humour that were hard to understand as a language learner.
Book review: 『終着駅殺人事件』by Kyotaro Nishimura
An engrossing murder mystery revolving around the sleeper train linking Aomori and Ueno stations. Also one of my favourite winners of the Mystery Writers of Japan Award.
Book review: 『白ゆき姫殺人事件』by Kanae Minato
白ゆき姫殺人事件 belongs to my favourite books by Kanae Minato. An engrossing mystery with a unique structure that shows how different persons can have completely different perceptions of past events.
Book review: 『乱れからくり』by Tsumao Awasaka
Several elements prevented me from really enjoying this mystery novel centred around mechanical devices and toys manufacturing.
Book review: 『華麗なる醜聞』by Yo Sano
I had a hard time going through this book, and although it is quite short (under 300 pages), it took me a whole month to read. The story follows two threads: on the one hand a couple of journalists are trying to learn more about the concept of ”high hostess” that they heard in the..
Book review:『殺意という名の家畜』by Tensei Kono
A fast paced hardboiled novel of the 60s that won the Mystery Writers of Japan Award.
Book review: 『夜の終る時』by Shoji Yuki
This collection of novella and short stories gives a good insight into the challenges faced by the police in the 60s. Recommended!
Book review: 『影の告発』by Takao Tsuchiya
A classic police investigation and an engrossing book! This book is the first in the prosecutor Chigusa series and won the Mystery Writers of Japan Award in 1963.
Book review: 『細い赤い糸』by Takashi Asuka
Winner of the MWJ Award of 1962. I found this book frustrating to read at first, because it was hard to see where the story was leading us. I started enjoying it more about halfway through and the end was quite good.
Book review: 『人喰い』by Saho Sasazawa
A simple mystery novel that won the Mystery Writers of Japan Award. Even though the end might be a bit foreseeable, the mystery is a pleasant read all along.