For lovers of 'golden age', Agatha Christie-style murder mysteries, new translations of Japanese classics provide a whole new selection of excellent reads. 'The Noh Mask Murder' is the first I've read by Akimitsu Takagi - it was first published in 1950. Anyone who likes Christie, or fellow Japanese equivalent Seishi Yokomizo will enjoy this well written novel and clever mystery.

The story has a clever Russian-doll structure with a narrative within a narrative, within another narrative. It's set in the aftermath of World War II. A young man, Koichi, recently returned from the fighting, has found a home and job with the wealthy and unpleasant Chizurui family. When someone starts spooking the family with a supposedly cursed Noh mask, Koichi asks his old friend Takagi to help unravel the mystery. Takagi is an Agatha Christie fan and believes his knowledge of detective fiction makes him well placed to solve a real life mystery. But before he can even start investigating, the head of the house is found dead in a locked room, apparently scared to death by the same sinister mask.

It's classic golden age stuff - a seemingly impossible murder, a host of suspicious characters, and an interesting trio of investigators. I didn't work out how it was done, and there's a number of twists and turns that kept me guessing and eagerly reading on to the end. Just what you want from a detective novel. I also liked the fact that the amateur sleuth didn't find things as easy as he supposed from his reading.

I'd highly recommend it to fans of the genre and anyone looking for an interesting, easy read.

At times, " The Noh Mask Murder" by Akimitsu Takagi was a a little confusing, but it kept my attention and it was impulsively readable. Even when there was an inkling of who did it, the why was still unknown. The writing style is very good and the detailing made it very atmospheric.

A very enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more from this author.

I must say my this book exceeds my expectations and deserves all the stars in the world. For once, I am quite sceptical of the investigator's method of problem-solving, though I may have suspected the doer at a certain point in the books, but still when it slowly uncovers my weak heart almost faints. Hence I found myself shed tears which often I get from a mystery thriller book rather than a normal fiction book.

I have read The Tattoo Murder, and the scientific explanation in uncovering the truth never failed to send a chill down my spine. How can things that can be simply performed yet so effectively take someone's life in agony ways as possible? First, we have been presented with Akimitsu's notes regarding a parcel consisting of accounts from previous investigations that he withdrew, however, he does not state what he completely withdrew from it hence the suspicion also begins.

The main event of this book is the journal that had been written by Koichi Yanagi, a friend of Akimitsu, then slowly a series of murders take part in a dysfunctional family. It had been a problematic family at first glance hence making the investigation slightly challenging but my spirit was boosted by bold and brave Akimitsu when he was summoned by his dear friend as an amateur detective to investigate the matter. I fear that both Koichi Tanagi and myself had underestimated Akimitsu's potential. I shall make a mental note to never underestimate the one who reads again.

Akimitsu's bold and aggressive investigation style sometimes can be so annoying that if I have the chance I'll slap him in the face to get him hold of himself but then once I discover the truth my heart sank with a heavy amount of guilt. This very change of heart makes me feel how to be human again, and this is what the reader will uncover at the end of the chapter. Every person has their dark secrets or reasoning that drives empathy and trust which I think is the main catalyst that makes this book a big win. Because it touches the human heart in a place it never touched before. Knowing the murder method is a bonus but discovering the true motives had sent away my heart to complete void.

"In that house where nothing made sense and only wickedness seemed to prevail, you decided to fight fire with fire".

And that is the end of the mastermind of all the murders with a painful twist. I recommend it to a fan of Japanese mystery-solving lit, because it just strikes one's heart differently. Thank you for the book, dear publisher.

This book was originally written in 1950 and now in 2024 translated into English for all of us to enjoy this intelligent locked room mystery. In the Chizurui family mansion, a haunting presence casts a shadow over its residents. By night, an eerie figure, clad in a sinister Hannya mask is seen roaming around the house. An amateur murder mystery writer, Akimitsu Takagi, is sent to investigate — but his investigation takes a harrowing turn as tragedy strikes the Chizurui family.
Reminiscent of Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes novels — yet full of the depth of the Japanese way of thinking — I loved the look at how society was thinking at this time after WW2 in Japan and how different the country has developed now and yet the depth of the way of thinking shown by the characters hasn`t changed much so in this way the book has a timeless feeling. This is a fast-paced novel, method-based and has lots of interesting twists and turns — keeps you wondering if your suspect is correct or not. This was an enjoyable read and recommended for those who enjoy Japanese mysteries.


Thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Press, Pushkin Vertigo for this ARC. This is my honest review.

Very reminiscent of an Agatha Christie-style mystery. This was a good classic with some intriguing elements to be solved. There's even an interesting integration of Japanese theater, Shakespeare and science interwoven in one of the mysteries.

I found the writing a bit verbose in places. And I wasn't a big fan of the format (journal entries—written by one character, read by another), which was at times confusing regarding which “I” the first person POV was referring to.

Note: I received this book as an ARC. It is scheduled to be released June 4, 2024. This is the English language translation. This book was originally published in 1950, in Japan.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley, however all opinions are my own.

How I read this book: eBook.

So the reason I wanted to read this book is because I was scrolling through the "read now" section of netgalley and the cover caught my eye. I am so glad that I was able to get a hold of this book because it genuinely was such an interesting read. The start of the book is a little slow because it is basically describing how the characters come to be together in the same house and explains in detail about Noh, which for me who knows nothing about Noh was really cool to read and learn more about, but soon picks up as we move through the book. I didn't realise until after I read this that this was originally written in 1950 (according to goodreads) and has only just been translated in English. I will say if you're going to read this it truly does read like a book that was written in the 50s and the way that things were handled back then. Most of the book is written in the form of Koichi's journal and very much keeps you gripped in chapter after chapter. I really enjoyed that Takagi placed himself in the novel as being the person who investigates the case and how smartly his character is written. This book is also filled with twists and turns at the end and I definitely would recommend this to anyone who loves their mystery/thriller books.

My Favourite Characters:

I'm not going to lie friends. I don't really have a favourite character in this book. So many of the characters are written to be cruel/unjust and it was just really hard to feel attached to any of them. That isn't to say the characters aren't written well. The author actually did an incredible job at writing them, I just didn't love any of them.

My Least Favourite Characters:

- Rintaro: Rintaro is a literal ass throughout the book and I actually wish we got less of him. The author did a very good job at writing him to be hated though.

(If you'd like to see more of my reviews please go to my blog:
https://doesden.blogspot.com/)

A classic Japanese locked-room mystery, a page-turner that was hard to let go until the very end! The author cleverly inserts himself into the story of the ghastly events concerning Chizui family and their guest Koichi Yamagi who is his long time friend and recently returned from the war. The Chizui family is wealthy, but plagued with tragedies and illnesses. It is the sight of a strange individual wearing the Noh mask in the night that starts off terrifying events that will threaten family members one by one. The Noh mask is considered a cursed family heirloom, thus it holds quite a grip on the minds of the troubled family that harbours troubling, brutal secrets. The first one to die is the patriarch Taijiro, inside a locked room, with the terrifying Noh mask beside him. Seemingly dying of sheer terror, more will soon join Taijiro in this grizzly fate. Is it a sign of something otherwordly coming for them? Do they deserve it? Will the two friends be able to uncover the mysteries and reconcile their own complicated feelings over what is happening? A thoroughly captivating representative of its genre!

Written in 1950, the Noh Mask Murder handles its age beautifully. What a gentle, interesting yet brutal book. I was captivated not only by the story but also by the beautiful way it's told. The language is lofty at times but packs a mighty punch when needed. The twist was also something I wasn't expecting yet it was very appropriate and gratifying. I will definitely seek out other books by Takagi to again be captivated by excellent subject matter and storytelling finesse. Time well spent in a world of Takagi's imagination.

I always look forward to reading Japanese thrillers and mysteries in translation that Pushkin Vertigo so kindly brings to us readers and was very excited to get an ARC of The Noh Mask Murders. I had read the previous book by Takagi and had quite enjoyed it, especially the twist which I hadn't seen coming.

This one, by comparison, felt a bit flat for me. The book and its narrative style felt dated. It has long, long passages of telling and not showing and the narrative of the main story which comes to us third removed - we are reading what Akimitsu (the narrator) is reading in the form of a letter which further includes a diary belonging to another characters in the book and sent to Akimitsu by the letter writer. The story is an attempt to pay homage to a certain work of Christie's and that's why this narrative technique has been used.

The story is of Akimitsu who meets an old friend staying with a family where murders start happening one by one and it seems that there's a curse on the family. One of the murders is a closed room murder, the analysis of how it was done completely baffled me. The twists too wlfelr rather predictable. This was a weaker entry in the series but doesn't mean I am not looking forward to reading the next!

I love a lock room mystery as I love solving a puzzle so was really excited for this one and it kept me hooked as I wanted to know the truth.

This book, written in 1951, has an interesting set up. The author tells you he tried to solve a locked room mystery but could not, however someone else did. Then, later, he received some letters and he decided to publish the whole of the event.

The case involves the Chizai family, formerly headed by a famous and respected professor who died from a heart attack several years before. Those left in the professor’s house by the sea are the professor’s daughter, Hisako, who has gone mad and his son, Kenkichi, 14, who has a heart valve issue and is expected to die soon. Also surviving and living at the house are the professor’s brother, Tajiro, a greedy man, his sons, Rintaro, who may be worse than his father and Yojiro, a nihilist, his daughter, Suwaho and his mother Sonoe, who is bedridden.

The author’s friend Koichi Yamato is employed by the family and it is he who calls upon the author to help him solve the mystery. First Tajiro is killed and is found alone, in a room locked from the inside, with a smell of jasmine in the air and a Noh mask beside the body. Later, other murders occur, each with the jasmine and a Noh connection. Who is committing these murders and why?

This is a very traditional Japanese mystery, but a good one, as long as one keeps in mind the time period during which it was written. Nice ending. Recommended.

The late Akimitsu Takagi wrote a locked room mystery which was indeed ingenious. The Noh Mask Murder is a lot of fun. It's a clever spin on this popular mystery subgenre. The book was written in 1950 but proves to be timeless. It is a quick read with some entertaining twists and turns. I highly recommend it. Thank you to Pushkin Press, Pushkin Vertigo, and NetGalley for the advance reading copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

A murder mystery book fanatic gets the chance to live it's dream, and gets involved in the investigation of a series of suspicious deaths. Will his time reading about murder mysteries would be enough to solve this case?

This book is a fun time. Really fast paced, and even though it was first published over fifty years ago, is a timeless tell so it doesn't feel outdated in any sense. Plot twist and a little insight about the use and differences of the masks make this an interesting read, that would make you want to finish in one sitting.

If you, as me, often get confused with many characters being introduced, wrote down names and how they are related to each other was very helpful to me in the meantime of getting familiar with them.

The impossible murder, or so it seems for our crowd of onlookers. Then the body count starts mounting and mounting as vengeance is satisfied and (Japanese) honour satisfied. The first few scene setting chapters are a little slow but then the story gets going until its conclusion. The ending is very Japanese - for a western reader, it might seem slightly excessive/overkill.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3.5 out of 5.
Knives Out meets The Fall of the House of Usher in this locked room murder mystery.
I was surprised this was originally written in 1949 and was recently translated into English to be republished this year (I received an advance copy from NetGalley).
At first it reads like Sherlock Holmes, very dated in the age it was written, rather stiff. Then there is some comedy that gets written in as the story progresses that portrays the detective character, named after the author himself, as a Benoit Blanc-esque comically brilliant super sleuth. Overall, it was a good read and for anyone who likes murder mystery dramas this is the book for you, but I found it a little too slow for me to consider it ever being a re-read.

Originally published in 1950, The Noh Mask Murder is a take on the classic locked room murder mystery. For a twist, Takagi places himself in the novel as investigating the case. The story was written very well, and the full truth behind the murders was well hidden, unless the reader recognized certain aspects, though specific knowledge in a couple of areas. I've been enjoying Japanese murder novels, and except for the killer reveal not being all that surprising, I found this book to be as good as any I've read in the genre.

I grabbed this because I enjoyed the Tattoo Murder Case and knew a bit of what to expect. The Noh Mask Murder Case is a reprint from a well known Japanese author now deceased. This locked room murder mystery, is similar to another historic story,taking a lot of The Greene Murder Case (S. S. Van Dine). Good atmosphere and shocking ending!