The Honjin Murders cover art

The Honjin Murders

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £13.99

Buy Now for £13.99

About this listen

In the winter of 1937, the village of Okamura is abuzz with excitement over the forthcoming wedding of a son of the grand Ichiyanagi family. But amid the gossip over the approaching festivities, there is also a worrying rumour – it seems a sinister masked man has been asking questions about the Ichiyanagis around the village.

Then, on the night of the wedding, the Ichiyanagi family are woken by a terrible scream, followed by the sound of eerie music – death has come to Okamura, leaving no trace but a bloody samurai sword, thrust into the pristine snow outside the house. The murder seems impossible, but amateur detective Kosuke Kindaichi is determined to get to the bottom of it.

©1973 Seishi Yokomizo. Translation Louise Heal Kawai 2019. (P)2021 Bolinda Publishing Amateur Sleuths Crime Crime Thrillers Detective Fiction International Mystery & Crime Murder Mystery Thriller & Suspense Thriller Village Japanese Detective

Critic reviews

"A classic locked-room murder mystery, the first in the Detective Kindaichi series.... The solution to this mystery came as a complete surprise - exactly what I asked for." (New York Times Book Review)

"The perfect read for this time of year. Short and compelling, it will appeal to fans of Agatha Christie looking for a new case to break." (Irish Times)

"Japan's Agatha Christie.... It's an absolute pleasure to see his work translated at last in these beautifully produced English editions." (Sunday Times)
All stars
Most relevant
This is an incredible locked room murder case. One of the best I’ve ever listened to/read. However, it is letdown somewhat by the rather poor performance from the reader. He does his very best, but his performance is stilted and the reader makes a few mistakes in their reading of the book. Apart from that, I can highly recommend this audiobook because of the story and the incredible writing.

Brilliant story, poor performance

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
this is a truly excellent book, I have a brand new detective series to fall in love with.

Excellent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Many of the subsequent tropes of Japanese crime fiction can be tracked back to this seminal text: the odd, dishevelled, youthful detective, the atmosphere etc. Well read by Akira Matsumoto and yes the Kiwi accent is noticeable but doesn’t detract from the experience.

Crime fiction by and for connoisseurs of the genre

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Really enjoyable listen. I love how the novel references other famous detective stories and then offers its our particular take on the genre. Would recommend.

A homage to the detective story!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I tried to listen to this title but found the narrator irritating. It was hard to concentrate on the story. I will buy the book instead rather than listen on Audible.

Poor performancd by narrator

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews