The Decagon House Murders

As a homage to And Then There Were None, this was quite good. Most of the cast has an English nick name inspired by an American or European mystery author so the name of the characters are easy to remember - something which I struggle with generally in Japanese novels. The mystery was taut once it got going at around 20%. I thought I had guessed it all, but I hadn’t at all, not even close! Also at the end of that one chapter after which the answers get revealed, there’s this one single line of dialogue which chilled me to my core. If you’ve read the book, you’ll know which one I mean. Anyhow, I understand that because this was written in the 80s and also that it’s translated from Japanese, the writing was stilted. It’s common for Japanese translations to have kind of a stiff writing which makes it a bit of a difficult task to make it through the initial few pages but the payoff here is totally worth it. One thing I hated here and might have led me to give this 4.5 stars is that the women seem to exist only for one reason - to cook, clean or make coffee. The men will look but not bother to help even a little bit. Although I do recognise the existence of sexism in Japan and how it’s woven in their culture and traditions, it was quite off putting.

A very late review bcoz i purchased this last August and only now i had the time to read this and I actually read this after the Strange Houses book bcoz of the left hand thingy👀 and oh god why didn’t i pick this before? And tbh i found the initial parts a bit slow and boring so i was on the verge of DNF but the moment the killings started, the story felt more engaging for me and my god i wasn’t expecting that plot twist 😭

I truly love this mystery book and he is one of my favourite authors ,never fails to amaze me with his twisted puzzled stories. If I could I want to explore his other books as well . All I want to say I never get bored of this book so that's why I purchased more of his other books so I can continue.

I truly bought this only going by the ratings ; it’s a very superficial, dull rendition with characters lacking depth and complexity. It seems like the kind of mysteries I used to read as a teenager - exactly that level of complexity : I definitely don’t recommend this book if you’re an adult .

Kept me guessing until the end. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie

After reading Agatha Christie and not being able to solve it successfully and then reading this book was a boost to confidence. The story is interesting but I feel the author likes severed hand because even in his other book Mill House Murder there is charred hand. Anyways, the plot is good and would recommend if anyone wants to try out japanese murder mystery.

This was a breathtaking read. Ingenious puzzle and a true fair play solution that leaves you in awe. Highly recommended.

Best favorite murder mystery of all time.

If you love a book that keeps you in suspense, you will love this book. A

E' forse il più bel giallo che abbia mai letto e ne ho letti moltissimi. Fino all'ultima pagina ti tiene incollato e non delude. Per gli appassionati dei gialli classici è imperdibile!!

Love this book, and about to dive into this author’s whole series also.

Great quick mystery