As a Japanese classic it is great to see it being republished as so but the story itself becomes very convoluted by the end. Told through multiple narratives, it plays upon the dramatic irony of the reader knowing more than the Inspector, and yet, at some point the Inspector manages to secure information unknown to the reader and it is this which leads to the resolution. This meant the resolution felt odd and disappointing - after tracking the movements of multiple characters throughout, you feel somewhat cheated by the solution.

This said, the character of Imanishi is interesting and it has inspired me to look more into the detective fiction written by Japanese authors. That's why seeing this book republished as a 'classic' on the Western market is certainly refreshing!

I really enjoyed this Japanese detective novel that kept me guessing until the last page with lots of twists and turns. It is immensely readable with great pacing and plotting. I really liked the character of Inspector Imanishi, addicted to his work and determined to do right by the victims of his crimes, and enjoyed his complex relationships with others, particularly with his wife, who at times struggles to love a man who loves his work above all else. The murder weapon was ingenious and the reader gradually learns the background and motive for the crime alongside Imanishi. I really recommend picking this up if you enjoy detective novels with lots of twists and turns and which keep you thinking beyond the last page.

I have been into Japanese crime fiction lately and this penguin modern classic was such an enjoyable read!

This a good Japanes noir with element of whodunit. A solid plot, twisty and dark. The characters are fleshed out and it kept me hooked and guessing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

What interested me most in this police procedutal of a long investigation (continually leading to dead ends) were the nuanced interactions among generations in Japanese society as represented by new cop and older one .. also although it took a long time among the accoutrements of police procedural themes to go about it all. The nouveau gang of young men and what they were about intrigued me. But I guess, it's true, the actual investigation was endless in a way, except that we go to parts of rural japan that are new to me, at least. Everyday interacting, husband and wife, innkeeper and guest, townspeople observing oddities of behaviour were nuanced and thoughtful. I'm going to see if there are others in what might be a series. But I didn't quite understand the ending either!!! But worth it all for sure as reading experience of another culture, if not for the crime and its solution.

Oh, this book was wonderful! A fascinating glimpse into Japanese society in 1961, and a gripping mystery to boot. The story is told in masterfully sparse language, but is no less vivid not beautiful as a result. Fun, intelligent, transportive and totally unguessable - an excellent read.

Reading this book is like watching a silent travelog in the form of mystery fiction. As it was strictly police procedural, the case got dragged a lot because of the documentation it must go through. It was a blessing to see a police officer who put so much dedication into his work.

As the social school claimed, this writing will focus more on the social part rather than the usual locked room mystery. I found it was more breathable compared to solving it in honkaku style. Scarce of clues and human behavior can all lead to unexpected turns in searching for the truth. It takes time as life should be, unfortunately late but eventually reach the destination.

It was a new experience yet rather expected for me. I really enjoy reading places the inspector visits regarding the case, a true meaning of more doing than talking, no nonsense kind of writing, and believe me that was the main charm. The case also gave me enough thrill and questions as the truth slowly (and sadly) unfolds.

I received a review copy of this book from Penguin Press, UK, via NetGalley for which my thanks.

Originally published in 1961 and in this Penguin Classics edition (trans. Beth Cary) earlier this year, Inspector Imanishi Investigates is a very cleverly constructed mystery/police procedural which despite not being what one might describe as ‘action-packed’ or ‘fast-paced’ is one that still keeps the reader completely engrossed, not only in the mystery but also in the look that it gives one into Japanese society at the time.

Opening instantly with the discovery of a body, rather brutally killed and found under a train which is just about to pull out of Kamata Station in Tokyo, Inspector Imanishi and the team assembled to investigate the murder make their searches up and down the railway lines that intersect at the station based on fragments of a conversation between the victim and perhaps the killer overheard at a small bar but are unable to trace his identity. While the team is disbanded and assigned other work, Imanishi and a junior colleague Yoshimura (both also working on new cases of their own) continue to painstakingly pursue the matter following every little clue and probing the finest details. Each attempt elicits some information, initially seeming pointless, yet constituting some progress, and gradually coming together to form a picture very different from what the reader might have formed.

The investigation takes Imanishi to various parts of Japan from small villages to isolated settlements where even a taxi is reluctant to go as well as parts of Tokyo, in the process not only giving one information perhaps relevant to the case but also getting one also to see Japan as it were and also get acquainted with the little specialities of different places, be it the Unshu abacuses from Shimane or the Wajima Lacquer Obi clip that Imanishi picks up for his wife. Like Matsumoto’s other book Tokyo Express which I also enjoyed very much, this involves plenty of train journeys, but unlike that book, here it isn’t the routes that are relevant but what Imanishi finds. As Imanishi looks into the case, he also comes across the Nouveau Group, a group of young intellectuals, artists, musicians and playwrights, among others, who are pushing the boundaries in their own fields and challenging the way things are traditionally done, often influenced by trends from abroad.

The reader alongside also is kept abreast with the doings of one other character, making known to us information which Imanishi doesn’t yet have. But does that help us armchair detectives to get the edge over Imanishi? How do he and Yoshimura solve the case?

This book had so much to it that it’d be difficult to touch upon it all, but it never feels too packed and gives the reader a truly rich reading experience. In Imanishi and his wife Yoshiko, we likely see a typical couple of their class, living a simple but comfortable life with their little son. There isn’t much money—they must be careful not to make extravagant purchases and can’t always take holiday trips but Imanishi manages to keep up his interest in bonsais (he also composes haikus) and bring some small but thoughtful presents for Yoshiko from his travels. Their relationship and Yoshiko’s conduct of course reflect the mores of the time, she being dutiful and understanding and while he loves her and treats her with respect, one does note some aspects which mayn’t be similarly acceptable in the present. We also have Imanishi’s sister Oyuki who lives close by and drops in for visits bringing in a touch of fun but also becoming a source of information which turns out helpful to his investigation.

Besides these glimpses of everyday living and interaction (in which there being plenty of conversation, the little courtesies and customary observances of Japanese society especially standout), the book also gives one a good sense of broader society at the time, be it in the intellectual movements portrayed by the Nouveau Group and its members in the story, on the one side challenging convention and on the other yet slave to those power/influence dynamics that pervade every society or particular problems still being faced as a consequence of the war and the destruction it unleashed.

The mystery thread of the story is done as strongly and engagingly as the social commentary. Though I can’t talk about some elements I most appreciated without it being a spoiler and will leave those aside, one aspect which I will talk about is how Imanishi’s investigation involves so many finer nuances and details which one wouldn’t necessarily prod into in as much detail as he does and yet, these yield some fairly significant clues. Likewise, enquiries into things that seem unusual or curious too, play a role. I will also say that there are surprises aplenty, but leave to the reader to find out for themselves when and in what form these come up.

Inspector Imanishi Investigates was a rewarding reading experience on many counts and I truly enjoyed its many layers (I’m sure there are many little details that I didn’t pick up on and which a revisit or two will likely reveal).

This is how I would like police investigation books to be to a large extent.
Immediately cutting to the chase; opens with maps to aid the understanding and an incident, we follow Imanishi, and those involved in the investigations.
It is possible that I have not had fully grasped all of the layers and meanings of the social aspects of this title.
The writing is matter of factly, to the point, not very literary - much of this is a good fit to convey the characters’ approaches to their work, the cases and their loved ones.
Plot 4
Characterisation 3.5
Prose 3.5
Themes - I am unsure how to rate this due to my slight lack of understanding of 1960s Japan.
Mood 4

3.75 stars

Review:
✨For me, the writing is quite simple and straightforward but the way the story is told makes the reading more enjoyable. Simple writing makes it easier to understand the story and an interesting plot is a good combination to catch readers’ attention, in my opinion.
✨I know this is a police procedural book, but I really enjoy the foreshadowing and the inspector’s daily life with his family.
✨I think this book is more plot-driven, but at the same time it gives more focus on the inspector’s character too.
✨The story showcases how the effect of war influenced crime and investigation.
✨I’m really thankful for the maps given because this investigation brought readers to travel to most of Japan. So the maps make it easier to understand clues in the story.
✨Because of this reason, I think the paperback version is better if you really like to flip to the map pages while reading.
✨Inspector Imanishi may have sympathy for the murderer, but not me. I’m sorry.
✨I can rant about each murder but I will spoil the story. The method of killing (not the first murder) is ingenious, but the hubris backfired.
✨If you are a fan of police procedural stories and translated fiction, this book is maybe for you.
✨Thank you to Penguin Press and NetGalley for this ARC! This review is voluntarily written by me.

Set in 1960 Japan, this book opened with such a strong line. It got me hooked right from the start. There's no some chitty-chatty opening, it will directly led its readers to the case that will be the main topic of this book.

Tokyo was awaken by a corpse found in a railway with horrible condition. The depiction of the corpse's condition is quite vivid that I can't help but formed it in my mind. There's no solid clue about the identity of this corpse nor the potential suspect. After long investigation, the police only got one lead. The word "Kameda." Based on that alone, the police were trying to unsolve this horrible murder. While trying to solve it, though, they met with curious episodes that hide a terrifying web-thread behind.

This investigation will take its readers to not just visited every side of Tokyo, but to follow the police to another side of Japan. This mysterious case will take them as far as the past.

This book is rather slow. We will see how the detective meticulously investigate everything, step by step, even the smallest one, suspecting every episode that happened along the way and the people surrounded it, pursuing possible lead one at the time, and even meet a dead-end. The detective figure in this book is not some kind of person who can solve the case just by looking at it or immediately deducted everything just by interviewing some people. In this book we will see the way police investigate, their limitations, the way they fell to wrong leads, the real process of it. It made me slightly frustrated because the more I read the more desperate I've become, but I think that's why this book was so interesting.

In this book we will see the beauty of the countryside of Japan, the thick culture, as well as the limitation of technology in the investigation process. It made me appreciate the technology we have today — emails, google, etc. The way they must write letters to local police station and wait for several days for the reply, it's just kind of crazy. And yet, they managed to solve the case.

One more thing in this book is that I found the description of certain things to be so vivid to the point of slightly graphic, which is something I've never really encountered in other detective novels. It brings me a new knowledge as well as a little turn in the stomach.
The ending was quite unsatisfying to the point where I said, "Wait, that's it?" After all that they have been through, I think there should be more in the end, or something — some action or such, that will make all the going-on-in-circles investigation worth it. When I came close to the ending, it felt like everything is been rushed to the point where I feel that something was missing. But I liked the plot twist since I suspected the wrong person.

Even so, I still found this book to be good. I liked the story all in all, and the feeling it caused me.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for the DRC.

Very in the vein of other Japanese crime novels (e.g. Six Four), Inspector Imanishi Investigates is relatively slowly paced and as much about solving the crime as it is a social commentary on society, how things were rapidly changing in some parts of the country during the era the book was set, 1960s Japan. The railway plays a key part in the mystery behind the murder with several red herrings along the way, before finally Inspector Imanishi cracks the case.

I would recommend to anyone who has read a previous Inspector Imanishi or for those who may have read other authors like Hideo Yokoyama's crime novels as the style/vein of pacing is very akin.

Thank you NetGalley & Penguin Press for the e- ARC for my honest review!

The descriptions of 1960 Japan were what made me want to read the book and that’s also what I got. The mystery itself wasn’t that enjoyable to me. The red herrings were quite frustrating and it wasn’t clear to me why one of the characters was acting absolutely paranoid.
I really enjoyed Imanishi as a character and the haikus. This story felt like going back in time and was pleasant to experience.

A completely gripping mix of crime and social commentary set in Japan at the beginning of the 1960s. Seichō Matsumoto’s classic novel offers fascinating insights into Tokyo’s burgeoning avant-garde blended with glimpses of the numerous inequalities of postwar Japan – rural areas in decline, impoverished communities cheek-by-jowl with shiny redeveloped cities profiting from the recent economic upturn. Matsumoto opens with the discovery of the battered body of a man in a Tokyo railway yard. The man’s identity proves challenging to pin down and world-weary, dogged detective Imanishi Eitaro becomes central to the squad assigned to investigate. But this murder sets off a chain of unsettling deaths leaving Imanishi and his colleague Yoshimura Hiroshi embroiled in a highly unusual case - one that has its roots in the dominant attitudes and values of pre- and early postwar Japan.

Beautifully observed, meticulously detailed, with a keen sense of place, Matsumoto’s approach to his material is understated, admirably subtle. Imanishi himself is a sympathetic character: with his love of bonsai, devotion to writing haiku and wonderfully patient wife. Matsumoto uses his middle-aged detective to reflect on generational shifts, contrasting dutiful Imanishi with the younger, so-called ‘generation of the burnt-out ruins’ (yakeatoha) who came of age during WW2. It’s this generation who may be implicated in the crimes Imanishi’s now bent on solving. Crimes and criminals that hark back to the chaos and mass displacement that followed the extensive WW2 bombing of Japan. But, Imanishi suspects, a moment of chaos that may have provided some with a welcome opportunity for reinvention.

His suspicions bring Imanishi into contact with the rising stars of the Nouveau group: avant-garde artists and musicians as well as writers, film-makers and architects. The Nouveau group’s increasing reach and artistic endeavours form the backdrop to Imanishi’s detective work. Matsumoto’s grouping’s not entirely fictional. It’s clearly based on real-life avant-garde groupings prominent in Tokyo during the late 1950s and 1960s: some influenced by Nouvelle Vague, others like performance artist Yoko Ono linked to Germany’s Fluxus, while Group Ongaku’s experimental composers built on concepts like musique concrete. Together they formed a movement that tied cultural output to political activism - although the authenticity of these links comes under intense scrutiny in Matsumoto’s narrative.

Another significant aspect of Matsumoto’s story stems from his wider investment in exposing the flaws and fissures in Japanese society. This time his focus is on discrimination, othering and disability. It’s not possible to say much more about this strand of the novel without giving too much away. But it’s an intriguing representation of the shunning of people with conditions considered somehow ‘karmic,’ popularly interpreted as the result of ‘bad blood’ or past sins. Matsumoto draws from Japanese history, and the prejudice rife in the 1930s, a time when people dealing with particular conditions as well as the poor or homeless were often ostracised, setting out on a form of pilgrimage in a desperate search for a cure or some other kind of relief. Another element that stands out builds on Japan’s newly-formed reputation for the revolutionary, not just in creative terms but also technological, leading to a bizarre discovery that enables Imanishi to solve the puzzle at the heart of this frustrating case. It’s slightly episodic, originally published in instalments, but that works well for the genre, disparate pieces slowly fitted together as the plot unfolds - some sections would work well as short/flash fiction. Translated by Beth Cary.

Rating: 4.5

A body is found in a train yard and it’s up to Inspector Imanishi to find out what happened. At first, he’s got a lot of dead ends as he can’t identify the body nor the last person to speak with him. As noted by other reviewers, this means the book has a slow start as Imanishi doesn’t achieve any breakthroughs quickly. We’re also introduced to a quartet of young famous artists. What possible connection could they have with this case? Slowly, all is revealed, driven by Imanishi’s grit and determination to succeed.

What I loved most about the book were the details about life in Japan: the quick evening snack of green tea over rice, the changing from office (western) clothes into a kimono once you’re home, the constant self-deprecation about your abilities (even if you’ve just scored a major breakthrough), the depictions of different parts of Japan including their accents and dialects, the gender politics, etc. A fascinating snapshot of life in another country.

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

It took a long time for me to feel like I was getting anywhere with this book. It starts very slowly, the language is quite plain and bare, and there are an awful lot of names to try to keep track of. But once I got the hang of the style, and once the investigation started to ramp up a bit I found I was really enjoying it. I liked the inspector - he's tenacious, going off and investigating still on his weekend and holiday (though he's using up his wife's savings doing so! I did feel bad for his poor wife who never knows when he'll be coming home and if he'll want food...) It gives an interesting flavour of post-war Japan, and I enjoyed the relentless investigation and how Imanishi just won't let it drop and keeps teasing at odds and ends of information.
The ending came a bit suddenly, and did leave me thinking 'what, that's it?!' It's a shame it's a book from the 1960's - I would have enjoyed seeing Inspector Imanishi out on another case.

There were a LOT of errors in the Kindle text - missing letters (mostly ff or fi) which made reading very hard. It was also missing all the numbers, so no dates or times could be read.

Inspector Imanishi Investigates is a classic Japanese detective novel by Seicho Matsumoto, best known for his previous Inspector Imanishi book Tokyo Express.
As in the previous novel the railway system plays a significant part in the story. Firstly when a body is found at Kamata Station in Tokyo, then ,as Imanishi investigates, his extensive travels across vast swathes of Honshu and many of the clues to the mystery feature the train journeys of various characters.
Like Tokyo Express this isn't a book for those who demand thrills and spills. Imanishi is more of a William Wisting -type character who doggedly and persistently follows obscure leads and painstakingly puts the evidence together, a more cerebral than exciting character.
As well as a murder mystery this is a fascinating look at early 1960's Tokyo with young artists bringing Western influences into a largely conservative society. One rather jarring note is the relationship between Imanishi and his wife pre "women's lib" that I'd guess would astonish most readers under 60.
This isn't a book to rush, like its main protagonist it ambles along,goes down a few side roads and comes to its conclusion with the kind of satisfaction you feel when finishing a jigsaw puzzle rather than ending with a bang and something action-packed and unbelievable.
That's not a criticism,it's a welcome change from what is the norm now and fans of the Wisting and Wallander books should give it a try.

This novel was not for me. Even though it was interesting as to the cultural side of it, I felt the writing was very plain and dry. I really had difficulties in getting into the story! What I enjoyed though is the relationship between the two policemen and that of one of them with his wife. I particularly found it good that these two policemen were not super heroes but ordinary characters. It made the plot more relatable.
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.

This starts so slowly with many unfamiliar names and places that I was overwhelmed to begin with, but Imanishi’s investigation speeds up steadily to a really quite unusual and engrossing conclusion. As far as the plot is concerned, I found I needed just to go with it - there are rather too many coincidences and Imanishi makes random connections between people and events that turn out to be right on the button but beggar belief for the reader.

Overall, though, my main interest in this novel was taken up with his portrayal of life in Japan in the aftermath of WWII. The old ways clung on in mainly rural pockets, contrasted with the new influences in the cities, especially in the arts, imported from the US.

In the course of his investigation he travels the length and breadth of Japan, meeting people and seeing landscapes of all kinds. All very interesting for someone with practically no knowledge of Japan and its geography. I was struck by the importance placed on dialect and how people formed opinions of others dependent on how they spoke - it’s mentioned so often (and it’s no spoiler to say it plays a big part in the solution of the mystery) - people moving around a lot when the war ended.

Probably my abiding memory of this novel will be the fact that people used abacuses, both at home and in the office. Lovely images and I hope they survive to this day.

‘The palm of the hand
holding the abacus feels
the autumn village cold’

With thanks to Penguin Classics via NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.