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sprior's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ramreadsagain's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Thank you Penguin Classics for sending me a copy of this book.
I don't think I've read many crime novels published before the millenium, certainly non from Asia, and as such this was an interesting read and a glimpse into post-war Japanese culture.
The first half of this was a bit of a slog to get through; the translation is quite dry, and Inspector Imanishi went down so many dead-end leads it felt like we were no closer to solving the mystery than when we had started. It did pick up after that though, and I shared Imanishi's elation when we finally found some solid leads and clues.
It's definitely a book of its time - do not go in expecting any well-rounded female characters or anything! But it was fascinating to read a police procedural where there is no such thing as a quick google search or firing off an email with a question.
The ending was fairly abrupt and left me a little bit disappointed, but beyond that I enjoyed my time reading this and am interested in exploring more Japanese crime fiction.
I don't think I've read many crime novels published before the millenium, certainly non from Asia, and as such this was an interesting read and a glimpse into post-war Japanese culture.
The first half of this was a bit of a slog to get through; the translation is quite dry, and Inspector Imanishi went down so many dead-end leads it felt like we were no closer to solving the mystery than when we had started. It did pick up after that though, and I shared Imanishi's elation when we finally found some solid leads and clues.
It's definitely a book of its time - do not go in expecting any well-rounded female characters or anything! But it was fascinating to read a police procedural where there is no such thing as a quick google search or firing off an email with a question.
The ending was fairly abrupt and left me a little bit disappointed, but beyond that I enjoyed my time reading this and am interested in exploring more Japanese crime fiction.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, War, and Violence
Minor: Abortion
ruthie_the_librarian's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
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.
With thanks to Net Galley for my copy.
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.
With thanks to Net Galley for my copy.
mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
4.0
Originally published in Japan in the 1960s, this is the first installment in the Inspector Imanishi series -- the translation is excellent and flows well. This is sure to delight anyone who is a fan of the classic detective story and enjoys mysteries in Asian settings. The mystery was intriguing and kept me interested from the first page until the last. I really enjoyed the primary character, Inspector Imanishi, who was intelligent and likable. How can you not be charmed by a police detective who writes haiku and thank you letters as part of his investigative techniques? Although the book was written more than 50 years ago, the story was timeless and could have been written by a contemporary author. The case is complex and although Inspector Imanishi's investigation is stymied along the way, the detective's tenacity and ability to zero in on a key detail that seems irrelevant are critical to solving the murders. I hope to read another book by this author soon!
beachy123's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I wanted this book but you have to stick with it. It does give a glimpse of post war Japanese culture which I found very interesting. I do like the main character and I am glad that I persisted.
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
4.0
This is an old school police procedural set in Japan. Written by Seicho Matsumoto in the early sixties, it's a peek into Japan, a generation ago. In a structured society, still recovering from the aftermath of WWII, Imanishi hunts for the killer of a man found murdered at a rail yard in Tokyo. The investigation takes time, with information requested by letter and with Imanishi following though with every elusive lead.
This book reminded me of the Martin Beck series by Per Wahloo and Maj Sjowell, where the investigation isn't wrapped up quickly and there are no guns fired, but the case is solved by solid and dogged police persistence.
This book reminded me of the Martin Beck series by Per Wahloo and Maj Sjowell, where the investigation isn't wrapped up quickly and there are no guns fired, but the case is solved by solid and dogged police persistence.
kcfromaustcrime's review against another edition
3.0
INSPECTOR IMANISHI INVESTIGATES is the first Japanese written crime / mystery book that I can remember reading for quite some time, and it must have worked as I've been tracking down other examples and other authors to try.
When an unidentified (and it soon appears) difficult to identify man is found under the rails of a Tokyo Station early one morning, he's been strangled and dumped on the rails - seemingly in an attempt to take away any further chance of identifying him when the first train of the morning ran over the corpse.
I'll admit it - I found Inspector Imanishi incredibly engaging. The style of language in the book is slightly formal - I guess partly because of the publication date (1961 for the Japanese version) and partly because it is Japanese - and they seem to be a considerably more formal people than what I'm used to. Rather than provide any form of dating for the book, it simply placed it formally in another culture - a culture considerably different from ours. There's the lovely ritual of exchanging name cards, there is the formal methods of addressing each other, there is even a formal courtesy to Imanishi's relationship with his wife which just appealed immensely.
The investigation itself proceeds very very slowly - this is 1967 after all and inquiries are frequently done in writing, in formal letters. Movement around the country is done by train, some inquiries are hampered by the destruction of records at the end of the Second World War. Sure there are some technological aspects - maybe these were glimpses forward to the technological giant that Japan has since become - but in some ways the mystery, while central to the plot, was less interesting than the characterisations, the Inspector, the food (I was consistently craving food throughout this book) and the tremendous sense of place.
When an unidentified (and it soon appears) difficult to identify man is found under the rails of a Tokyo Station early one morning, he's been strangled and dumped on the rails - seemingly in an attempt to take away any further chance of identifying him when the first train of the morning ran over the corpse.
I'll admit it - I found Inspector Imanishi incredibly engaging. The style of language in the book is slightly formal - I guess partly because of the publication date (1961 for the Japanese version) and partly because it is Japanese - and they seem to be a considerably more formal people than what I'm used to. Rather than provide any form of dating for the book, it simply placed it formally in another culture - a culture considerably different from ours. There's the lovely ritual of exchanging name cards, there is the formal methods of addressing each other, there is even a formal courtesy to Imanishi's relationship with his wife which just appealed immensely.
The investigation itself proceeds very very slowly - this is 1967 after all and inquiries are frequently done in writing, in formal letters. Movement around the country is done by train, some inquiries are hampered by the destruction of records at the end of the Second World War. Sure there are some technological aspects - maybe these were glimpses forward to the technological giant that Japan has since become - but in some ways the mystery, while central to the plot, was less interesting than the characterisations, the Inspector, the food (I was consistently craving food throughout this book) and the tremendous sense of place.
zuuru's review against another edition
4.0
Not spoiling it, but I found the choice of murder weapon for a portion of the victims somewhat amusing but also quite imaginative. I like how the case isn't solved in a matter of weeks, but takes almost a year to get all the pieces to fall into place. It does mean there are quite a few slow moments roughly in the first half of the book, but the last 80ish or so pages had a some good energy to them, even when our MC didn't get the answers he quite needed to solve the case.
liberrydude's review against another edition
1.0
A real disappointment. I can't recall not finishing a mystery set in Japan. Glaciers are melting faster than the pace of this police procedural. I made it to page 70 and no longer cared what happened or was going to happen. We've had a violent murder in Tokyo and the police can't figure out who the victim is or who the man he was last seen alive with is. They go off on a wild goose chase to a northern province. There they find out about a stranger acting strangely. Yeah, so unusual. The behavior that is called strange doesn't seem strange-at least to this Westerner. Meanwhile some bohemian artist types are having accidents and acting surreptitiously and two of them were seen in the northern town by the police. One of them has a northern accent just like the victim and the suspect. Do I really want to know the connection? Is there a connection? Reading this book I don't think I'm going to find out.