Inhae's blog

This is the third book in the Sergeant Gohara series, and I am not sure whether this is the last one or not. On the Wikipedia page of the author, there is a fourth book listed, 隠花植物, but it is published by another publisher and it does not seem to entirely be part of the series. It is probable that Sergeant Gohara appears in this fourth novel, but the novel might not be centred around his investigation.

Contrary to the first two novels, this one is set in the countryside. Sergeant Gohara is now posted in a small town and seems to see murder everywhere. The suicide of a young woman some time ago looks suspicious to him, but when a man and a woman are found dead in what looks like a double suicide, Gohara is persuaded that there is more to it, but he has a hard time convincing his colleagues, which makes the investigation difficult.

This novel has an interesting setting that goes beyond simple relations of jealousy, envy and resentment. The discovery of hot springs, the desire to make money out of it and concerns about hygiene and regulations are considerations that serve as background to the story.

Otherwise, the way the investigation is conducted is very similar to the first two books, with a lot of discussions around every suspect’s alibi and motives.

Even though this one is my least favourite of the Gohara series, I really enjoyed this series overall, and I will continue to read Shoji Yuki in the future.