I usually re-read this book at least once a year, this time aside from the clever plot twists, I truly start to appreciate how the author wrote his characters (he wrote them like he knew these people, their speeches and their behaviors like the back of his own hand) and how he described the post-war life for general/lower class Japanese citizens. Es curioso también que cuanto más leo sobre Japón, más descubro la importancia de la "brujería" o "chamanismo" femeninos.

I had great memories of The Honjin Murders, another lurid tale in a unique setting, also brought out by Pushkin Press and translated by Louise Heal Kawai, so I did have expectations from this book, and it didn't disappoint. He met his friend's surviving family and the dead man's three beautiful but ominous younger sisters. Whodunit couldn't have been worked out at all, in my humble opinion, but again, the atmospherics make up for that flaw.This plot point feels like an indictment of the power bestowed upon religious leaders within small communities and the ease with which they can exploit that blind trust. But as he investigates, Kindaichi uncovers a shocking truth — the islanders are descended from pirates and criminals, and their dark past may be the key to unlocking the killer’s identity.

As he works out the relationships of the families, the townspeople, local traditions, it happens that his sleuthing skills will be needed. You should make your readerly decisions based on your personal tolerance for unpleasant-to-you subject matter. This is my third outing with Kosuke Kindaichi, known as the “greatest detective in Japan” by many in Japan after his solution of the Honjin murder. White plaster-walled houses, glowing in the evening sun, were dotted on the hill slopes under a glowering grey sky that seemed ready to attack at any moment.The scruffy detective is determined to get to the bottom of this mysterious prophecy, and to protect the three women if he can. If your plot is about protecting three young sisters on behalf of their brother's dying wish, then maybe I don't know, talking to those sisters is essential? It's a solidly atmospheric piece, which I know won't surprise you as it's the fruit of twenty-three years' practice of his craft. In fact, at one point, if we want to find out about an Inspector who appears on the scene, we are directed to go and read a previous novel!