Reviewed by Craig Sisterson
The famed mystery writer Miyagaki Yotaro lives a life of seclusion in the remote Labyrinth House. When Yotaro invites four young crime authors to his home for a birthday party, they are honoured to accept. But no sooner have they arrived than they are confronted with a shocking death, then lured into a bizarre, deadly competition…
As the twisted contest gathers pace, murder follows murder. The ingenious sleuth Shimada Kiyoshi investigates, but can he solve the mystery of the house before all those trapped in its labyrinth are dead? And can you guess the solution before he does?
Like Nordic Noir around fifteen years ago, translated Japanese crime fiction is now having a bit of a moment, globally. The Land of the Rising Sun certainly has a rich history of puzzling mysteries, dating back over a century (the country’s main ‘best mystery novel’ prize also predates either of its major British and American equivalents, the Daggers and the Edgars, by a few years).
Thankfully, the recent translation boom has opened up Japanese tales new and old for English-speaking readers. A great example is The Labyrinth House Murders, a fascinating new-to-Anglophones locked room mystery originally published in Japan in 1988.
The third of nine books in legendary mystery and horror writer Yukito Ayatsuji’s ‘Bizarre House’ mystery series, it involves ingenious sleuth Shimada Kiyoshi investigating a deadly game at the house of famed author Miyagaki Yotaro.
Four young crime authors are invited along with select others to celebrate Yotaro’s 60th birthday party, only to be trapped in the labyrinth as part of a deadly competition for a grand inheritance.
Ayatsuji crafts and intricate, clever mystery that leans into its Theseus and the Minotaur maze mythology, as well as serving as a near love letter to the classic mystery genre.
It’s easy to see why Ayatsuji has achieved legendary status in his homeland.
The Labyrinth House Murders is a pleasantly puzzling read, and hopefully we’ll see more of his stories (eg this particular series is nine books long in Japan) translated in future.
[This review was first written for Deadly Pleasures magazine in the United States]
Craig Sisterson is a lawyer turned writer, editor, podcast host, awards judge, and event chair. He's the founder of the Ngaio Marsh Awards, co-founder of Rotorua Noir, author of Macavity and HRF Keating Award-shortlisted non-fiction work SOUTHERN CROSS CRIME, editor of the DARK DEEDS DOWN UNDER anthology series, and writes about books for magazines and newspapers in several countries.
No comments:
Post a Comment