The Tattoo Murder

'The Tattoo Murder' by Akimitsu Takagi is a Japanese post-war murder mystery centred on a locked-room murder and the enegmatic character of Kinue Nomura.

The story was published in 1948 and a lot of my enjoyment came from the casually constucted atmosphere of post-war Tokyo. Rather than drowning in melticulouly researched details and brand-name asides, the uncertain atmosphere of renewal permiates the whole novel. Although I'm sure it comes down to writing a 'contemporary novel' that is now being republished many years later, Takagi picks such straightforward details and presumes a knowledge of society that makes the setting come to life.

The story itself is a little hit and miss during the first half, and then had me racing to the end to try and figure out what was going on. Of course, there were many twists and red-herrings that I didn't see coming but I found the journey to find the truth to be a very compelling maze! Of course, the ultimate reveal is one that I didn't see coming - and I was a little let down by the final reveal of the big bad - but it's probably that surprising ending that had me reading so avidly.

There were a few details that I didn't like - the narrator ultimately involves a friend to help him solve the murder. Is it really likely that the head of a police department would allow his brother and his brother's friend to solve the case? The idea of the narrator being a relatively normal person made me believe I could also solve 'The Tattoo Murder Case' but ultimately it takes being a genius, or being a naturally suspicious person.

Overall I did enjoy reading this - the introduction of a character late in the novel made me think it would be one of a series and I would definitely read more by the author, especially featuring that character.

This was a really interesting book and i liked the part of Japanese culture this explored. I liked how this was paced and the slow build at the beginning was a good way to start it as it helped immerse me into that world. The way it was plotted was done well and i think it was the perfect balance between giving clues to the audience and creating mystery and suspense. I would definitely read others book by this author as i thought it was such a tight and enjoyable crime novel.

I can't believe this book was first published in 1948 and has only just been published in English!!!! Why oh why has it taken so long???. From the first page I was hooked. It all revolves around the illegal tattooing that was done in the seedier parts of post war Tokyo. Richly descriptive and beautifully written. The story of young Japanese woman who has a full body tattoo from one of the masters. She has been offered large sums of money for photographs of the tattoo but she has always refused. She has been asked to sell her skin after she is dead to have it preserved for ever and put on display. I was totally immersed in the story that was unfolding. Gruesome murders and a brilliant whodunnit. I loved everything about this book. A graphic insight into illegal tattooing of women. This is a MUST READ!!!!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

The Tattoo Murder by Akimitsu Takagi was written in 1948 but is as good a read as any modern murder mystery and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Just as involving and clever as the classic Conan Doyle and Christie novels it has aged a lot better ,no doubt aided by the excellent translation.

The novel begins at a tattoo exhibition in postwar Tokyo where a young man can't believe his luck when he's approached by a heavily tattooed and stunningly attractive woman. Kinue, who has the eyes of every man at the venue. After a night of passion he's smitten,only for Kinue's dismembered corpse to be found in her locked bathroom shortly afterwards. With police struggling to work out how most of her body disappeared from a room locked from the inside and Kinue's rather colourful love life resulting in an ever increasing number of suspects and apparent key witnesses meeting bad ends the investigation grinds to a halt.
Enter Kyosuke Kamizu, fresh-faced and immaculately dressed ,belying his horrific experiences in the war, and with a mind like a computer the "boy genius" puts his mighty brain to work helping the police to solve the case.

This is an exceptional book and I really hope there are more Komizo books to come, there are 18 of them written over nearly 4 decades.
Tagaki brings postwar Tokyo alive with it's bombed out buildings, occupation troops and underworld of gangsters,murky bars, backstreet tattoo shops and desperate women selling themselves for the price of a meal.

As well as a great murder mystery Takagi goes into what was at the time the illegal tattooing scene in quite a lot of depth,not least the motivations of those getting extensively tattooed. As a result of his research for this book he took a greater interest and compiled a collection of photographs of full body tattoos that has since become recognised as an important historical archive.

A fascinating and very clever book.