The Lady Killer by Masako TogawaMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Another one that missed the mark a little, but was still an enjoyable mystery.
It's broken into a couple parts - first, from the perspective of the Lady Killer himself then later from the viewpoint of a lawyer working on the case.
I really enjoyed how it started, with some interesting aspects to the murders and their strange connection to one particular man. But the murders came hard and fast until it was soon just a jumble of information with no real space or time to work out what was happening.
When I read about the lawyer and his various visits to find clues, I found it hard to follow at times. I wasn't quite sure on the logic of some of it, and other clues didn't seem to fit very well at all. Then there was the thin attachment to his own personal life, without really giving us time to be invested in him as a character. I wonder if maybe some of the emotion was lost in translation.
The solution wasn't the creative breakdown I've come to expect from Japanese detective novels, despite a plethora of strange clues and red herrings. At no point were all the dots connected clearly and cleanly - it all felt a little jumbled and stretched at the end, making for an unsatisfying conclusion.
I did still really enjoy the setup, and the nature of the murders was curious and enough to keep me interested and invested. It's not one of the strongest of the genre, but there's still enough here that I'd recommend it for fans of Japanese detective stories. The writing style is unique and always a fun experience.
With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC
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