This book had such great twists, it kept my attention all the way through and showed me exactly why I love mysteries.

It's great that publishers look to the past to bring to our attention novels that have been 'rediscovered'. Shizuko Natsuki's Murder at Mount Fuji is one such novel, published in the 1980's this murder mystery is a a great read for those who enjoy their crime with lots of twists as the family pull together to hide the perpetrator of the murder in their midst.

This was a wonderful mystery, full of unexpected twists. I loved the setting and felt that it was evoked really well. Although perhaps a little slow to start the pace picked up very nicely and I found myself hooked after the first quarter of the book. I enjoyed the writing style and felt like the translation was well done. A perfect mystery for a chilly night.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review

This 'rediscovered classic novel' (originally published in 1982 titled 'The Tragedy of W' in tribute to Ellery Queen's Tragedy of...novels, and adapted several times for screen) is a deceptive thing.
Japanese fiction (and I'm a big fan of a number of Japanese writers) can sometimes appear to go against the 'show don't tell' principles: emotions/ reactions and character details are writ bold with little or no room for ambiguity. This can be a little disorientating for western readers at first and occasionally seem 'simplistic' or 'dry'. This novel may come across that way at first: there's a touch of the Columbo here in that we know what the crime is very early on and who did it. The ensuing story shows how the extended family and friends present at the New Year's celebration do their best to cover up the actions in order to divert focus on the culprit as the local police begin to investigate. Further, as the police do start looking into the case it may seem the elaborate plan is picked apart and flaws found all to easily by the investigating officers...
All I'll say is, don't take things at face value: either in the writing stye nor the plot. Not everything is as it seems.
If you're new to Japanese crime fiction this is a relatively gentle start in comparison to a lot of western fiction: the term cozy is thrown around: while it's true there's no graphic detail of violence or language there are some serious cultural ramifications and observations at play here that perhaps fly under the radar for non Japanese readers a little.
Don't be put off by the apparent simplicity of the story...keep reading and you may find you get much more out of the novel than you first suspect.

I enjoyed the writing style in this book. It was slightly formal in the writing but made for addictive reading. I am happy to award 4 stars to Murder at Mount Fuji. A good whodunnit but a slow burner, have patience. Thanks go to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC.

I am not sure why we keep describing detective stories as cozy when they always start with a murder - and the police getting involved, but we do and this book falls into cozy territory very neatly.

The book is marketed as a "rediscovered classic"; it was published in Japan in 1982 and its English translation in 1984. The translation is, I understand, adapted for a Western audience, and the main witness, American student Jane Prescott, does not appear in the original version.

We start just after the New Year, with the whole family gathered in the luxurious Wada family villa, surrounded by snow, when Jane's friend and student Chiyo announces she has just stabbed their grandfather. The whole family decides they must cover for her, and we then follow as the detectives try to uncover what exactly happened.

There are several clever twists, and the translation read very smoothly - it had all the ingredients I normally expect from the classics of the genre. I am not sure what the original version is like as this one has been adapted, but it was a quick and fast-paced read that I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys a classic whodunnit.

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.