Description
Book SynopsisThe Crooked House sits on a snowbound cliff at the remote northern tip of Japan. A curious place to build a house, but even more curious is the house itself-a maze of sloping floors and strange staircases, full of bloodcurdling masks and uncanny dolls. When a guest is found murdered in seemingly impossible circumstances, the police are called. But they are unable to solve the puzzle, and more bizarre deaths follow. Enter Kiyoshi Mitarai, the renowned sleuth. Surely if anyone can crack these cryptic murders it is him. But you have all the clues too-can you solve the mystery of the murders in the Crooked House first?
Trade Review"Shimada’s brilliant sequel to
The Tokyo Zodiac Murders will thrill fans of golden age puzzle mysteries… The tension rises as one impossibility follows another before an effective and dramatic reveal. Shimada combines fantastic crimes with a logical and fair solution likely to stump even the most astute readers."
— Publishers Weekly, starred review "A delightfully intricate murder puzzle with retro charm, bound to tantalize readers."
— Kirkus"One of those locked-room head-bangers that invite — 'taunt' is more like it — the reader to decipher the clues and solve a murder along with an all-seeing detective."
— Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review"Reminiscent of Agatha Christie, [
Murder in the Crooked House] is a strange brew—one with a taste that certain adventurous readers may be well pleased to savor."
— The Wall Street Journal"Famed detective Kiyoshi Mitarai investigates a murder that transpired in impossible circumstances, and the mind-bending puzzle reveals a trail of horror that is both satisfying and entertaining... It’s a clever and engaging mystery whose clues are revealed at a satisfying pace. The novel is translated with clarity and humor."
— Foreword Reviews"A superb Japanese locked room mystery . . . Hugely entertaining... a brilliant and satisfying conclusion." —
Sunday Times (A Crime Book of the Month Selection and one of 100 Best Summer Reads)"This ingenious locked-room mystery is our crime novel of the month."
— Times "An ingeniously worked out locked room mystery."
— John Teel, Marshall University, PCA Mystery & Detective Fiction Reading List"Amusingly eccentric. . . an awful lot of fun. . . 4/4 stars."
— New Books Magazine"An inventive, page-turning comic-thriller… not only intellectually rewarding but also a hell of a lot of fun." —
The Japan TimesPraise for
The Tokyo Zodiac Murders:
"The great Soji Shimada virtually invented the 'logic problem' sub-genre."
- Guardian, Top 10 Locked Room Mysteries (No. 2)"Ignites the mind"
-- Huffington Post"If you like your crime stories to be bloody and bizarre, then this may be one for you... the solution is one of the most original that I've ever read"
-- Anthony Horowitz
