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Death on Gokumon Island (Pushkin Vertigo) (Detective Kindaichi Mysteries): Seishi Yokomizo

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There were what seemed like clues (and which were those, but differently than I interpreted), and at one point past the 60 per cent mark, I was sure I’d picked up a strong hint and worked out the solution, but boy, was I wrong. Kosuke Kindaichi arrives on the remote Gokumon Island bearing tragic news - the son of one of the island's most important families has died, on a troop transport ship bringing him back home after the Second World War. I was pleasantly surprised and found myself liking what happened in here even if it's brief but I LOVE IT! But unbeknownst to his family, the victim warned Kindaichi with his dying breath that his three step-sisters’ lives would now be in grave danger. These novels and films give contemporary audiences a sense of the darker mood that had dispersed into the American psyche during the Depression (and eventually the postwar era).

What concerns him is the cryptic comment his friend made about the well-being of his half sisters after his death. A succession of grotesque murders has the endearingly dishevelled Kindaichi forever scratching his head. Kindaichi's efforts to investigate are hampered by the insular nature of the islanders, who don't take kindly to outsiders asking questions. Death on Gokumon Island by Seishi Yokomizo, first published in 1971 is the fourth of Yokomizo’s mysteries to be published in translation by Pushkin Press under their Pushkin Vertigo imprint, from the series featuring his detective Kindaichi Kosuke, which has 77 books. The translation can't have been easy, with haikus and a muttered comment about something being out of reason playing an important role in the story.If your plot is about protecting three young sisters on behalf of their brother's dying wish, then maybe I don't know, talking to those sisters is essential? They also reflect many social and cultural aspects of Japanese life that add so much to the stories. In 2022 she translated the international bestseller The Cat Who Saved Books, and in 2023 Hideo Yokoyama's The North Light.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. There are lots of Japanese references such as traditional classic stage plays, haiku poetry, and significant myth or legend that act as puzzles in the crimes committed. However, soon after the end of World War II, his works received wide recognition and he developed an enormous fan following. It's a solidly atmospheric piece, which I know won't surprise you as it's the fruit of twenty-three years' practice of his craft.I might give it one more go if they translate a fifth book, but it will be by hard copy not by audio. In the prologue, this is used as a way to explain why it is so difficult for an outsider to solve a crime on the island: the islanders are fiercely protective of their own. Also, I'm a huge fan of the manga series Young Kindaichi which was inspired by the book series by Seishi Yokomizo here.

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