The Mill House Murders – Yukito Ayatsuji
The Mill House Murders: The Classic Japanese Locked Room Mystery by Yukito Ayatsuji, translated by Ho-Ling Wong / ISBN 9781782278337 / 253-page paperback from Pushkin Vertigo
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“A psychological-mystical thriller built on Agatha Christie-type stopwatch sequences and John Dickson Carr-style locked-room conundrums… No one can accuse Mr. Ayatsuji of not sustaining the eerie mood of his strange story until its very last sentence.” — WSJ
A hugely enjoyable, page-turning classic Japanese mystery with an ingenious conclusion from the author of The Decagon House Murders, translated into English for the first time
Don’t miss this beautifully constructed, highly entertaining and atmospheric murder mystery–its propulsive plot makes for a compelling, page-turning read.
As they do every year, a small group of acquaintances pay a visit to the remote, castle-like Water Mill House, home to the reclusive Fujinuma Kiichi, son of a famous artist, who has lived his life behind a rubber mask ever since a disfiguring car accident.
This year, however, the visit is disrupted by an impossible disappearance, the theft of a painting and a series of baffling murders.
The brilliant Kiyoshi Shimada arrives to investigate. But will he get to the truth, and will you too be able to solve the mystery of the Mill House Murders?
Yukito Ayatsuji (born 1960) is a Japanese writer of mystery and horror novels. He started writing as a member of the Kyoto University Mystery Club, a society dedicated to the writing of fair play mysteries inspired by the Golden Age greats. The Decagon House Murders was Ayatsuji’s debut and is considered a landmark crime novel in Japan, where it revived the traditional puzzle mystery format and inspired a new generation of writers. The Mill House Murders is the sequel, again starring the great detective Kiyoshi Shimada.
