An isolated house in the hills surrounding Mt Fuji, 9 house guests, and, inevitably, a murder. A coverup ensues, and the plot goes through twists and turns, until the murder is uncovered.

I was impressed by my own reaction to the book. During the first part (roughly third) I was underimpressed. The writing and plot development felt shallow and predictable, and the characters were, at best, uninteresting. The police procedural developing in parallel to the plot was lethargic and bureaucratic, and despite glimpses of brilliance, lacked engagement.

However, the author in fact reeled you into a false sense of boredom, and, through twists and turns, turned everything upside down. This was the most impressive part of the book, which, otherwise, continued to lack any notable character development, or exciting police work.

Overall, an interesting read that is underpinned by a good set of ideas, but nothing particularly remarkable. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.