The Noh Mask Murder

Akimitsu Takagi's The Noh Mask Murder is an exhilarating murder mystery. Set in postwar Japan, a wealthy family of high status, the Chizui, experience a series of murders during one summer. The author, who inserts himself into the narrative as a wannabe sleuth, takes on the case, to hilarious effect. The reader will be pleasantly surprised to find that Takagi's fictionalized version of himself is not what he seems. For that matter, neither is the narrator of the journal which comprises most of the story. Unfortunately, a few glaring omissions make the identity of the killer rather obvious by the novel's end. It was clearly inspired by Agatha Christie's famous novel, which we shall not mention here to avoid spoiling it. But, as an entertaining read that raises a number of ethical questions on the meaning of family, law, and society after the brutality of World War II, Takagi's narrative is a worthwhile read. If only Pushkin included a family tree or chart of characters to aid the reader, especially since we did not read this in one sitting...