Seishi Yokomizo (1902-81) was one of Japan's most famous and best-loved mystery writers. He was born in Kobe and spent his childhood reading detective stories, before beginning to write stories of his own, the first of which was published in 1921. He went on to become an extremely prolific and popular author, best known for his Kosuke Kindaichi series, which ran to 77 books, selling more than 55 million copies and spawning many stage and television adaptations. The Honjin Murders is the first Kosuke Kindaichi story, and regarded as one of Japan's great mystery novels. It won the first Mystery Writers of Japan Award in 1948 but has never been translated into English, until now. Seishi Yokomizo's The Inugami Curse is also available from Pushkin Vertigo, while Gokumon Island is forthcoming.

"Kosuke Kindaichi, the scruffy investigating detective, bears more than a passing resemblance to Columbo who made his TV debut in 1971 -- which, coincidentally, is when this amusing novel was first published in Japan."
--The Sunday Times Crime Club (UK)

"This taut mystery provides an original variation on The Hound of the Baskervilles... Kosuke Kindaichi, Yokomizo's Columbo-like sleuth, arrives to sort through the tangled puzzle and provide a satisfying solution. Fans of gothic-tinged fair play will be enthralled"
-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Publisher: Pushkin Vertigo

Pub date: 2021-12-07

Length: 352 pages