KindlePrintReviews

The Ginza Ghost and Other Stories

Written by Keikichi Osaka, translated by Ho-Ling Wong — Tokyo has changed a great deal in the past century or so. There have been two catastrophic earthquakes, heavy bombing during World War II, and spiralling property prices that led to an eventual collapse. On the…
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KindlePrintReviews

The Moai Island Puzzle

Written by Alice Arisugawa, translated by Ho-Ling Wong — Golden Age mysteries are formulaic and, far from being a flaw, it’s a major part of their appeal. The stories follow patterns, and the reward for readers is not in being tricked by a new and…
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KindlePrintReviews

Hard Cheese by Ulf Durling

Translated by Bertil Falk — Män som hatar kvinnor (Men who hate women) became The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Polis, polis, potatismos! (Police, police, potatoes) became Murder at the Savoy, the sixth novel in Sjöwall and Wahlöö’s Martin Beck series. In a similar way, Gammal ost (Old Cheese)…
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Book Club

The Decagon House Murders

Author Yukito Ayatsuji is part of a group that advocates the use of SS Van Dine’s set of ‘rules’ when it comes to writing crime novels. They’re not followed much by English writers anymore, but Japanese readers have a taste for Golden Age-style crime. Consequently,…
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Features

Japanese crime fiction: Six of the best

The Japanese love to read. A combination of near-universal literacy and long commute times means that you’re likely to see trains full of everyone from high school students to company owners with an open manga, paperback or kindle. This, coupled with a less clear distinction…
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