Murder At the End of the World

Akane Araki's Murder At the End of the World was one of the newer mystery novels we were excited to read. Set in the Fukuoka region right before an asteroid is about to destroy humanity, the novel features a young woman and her ex-police driving instructor solving a series of murders. The case actually takes place after the initial exodus and rioting that rocked Japan, especially as the site the asteroid is projected to land is in Japan. This background helps the reader understand why Haru has been living mostly in isolation since the exodus, although her motives for seeking a driving license with the collapse of most government services and institutions is not completely unveiled until later. That said, she finds herself involved in the series of murders for reasons we do not wish to spoil. Isagawa, her driving instructor/coach, is a former police detective with a dangerous sense of duty with regard to justice. Consequently, the duo begin to investigate the murder of a woman and two teens, eventually leading them to find out about a series of serial murders committed in the area. With the police shutting down stations and losing so many staff (many Japanese had left the country, trying to get to places like South America or Western countries, even though the impact of the asteroid collision will wipe out all human civilization in just a few more  months), Isagawa and Haru (with the aid of fellow holdouts in the region) solve the case. 

As one might expect, this is a deeply disturbing read. Mass suicides in the wake of the news of the impending asteroid as well as the breakdown in law and order made for a bleak landscape. Haru must confront her own morality while surrounded by this, as well as ponder what it means to stop a killer when everyone is going to die soon. There are some glimpses of positive human collaboration even in the face of disaster. Holdout villages, for instance, have sprouted in the area, providing safe and secure spaces for the remnants of the human population in the region to wait out their final days. A doctor running a small clinic continues to help patients and use the clinic as a shelter for the aging residents. Haru and Isagawa also open their investigative crew up to two brothers scavenging to survive and a teenage girl, making sacrifices for each other to survive. This more positive side of human nature is contrasted with the brutal serial killings, the rich planning to leave the planet in a spaceship and wait out the impact of the asteroid, and the wealthy with access to luxury underground tankers in countries in the western hemisphere. This all adds up to an engaging and entertaining read of a civilization facing imminent decline.

Unfortunately, the actual mystery aspect of the case is where things began to fall apart. We applaud the attempts to mix other genres with mystery, but in this novel there were only 3 real suspects for the crime. Since one of them would have been too easy and obvious, that leaves us with only two. We were able to correctly identify the killer quite easily and thought that perhaps more of a focus on laying out more clues and suspects may have helped the plot. In other words, does a better job on the apocalyptic fiction side rather than mystery. 

The Word Is Murder

After enjoying the adaptations of Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders, we decided to read some of Horowitz's novels. Since we were never fans of his other works, we were not sure what to expect here. But this was a fun, suspenseful read featuring Horowitz himself as a central character. Serving as the Watson to Hawthorne, a police consultant with a keen eye for detail, our sleuth must solve the murders of an older woman and her famous son, an actor. As an occasionally quite hilarious metafictional narrative, we were laughing at the sometimes tense relationship with Horowitz and Hawthorne. It was quite amusing to read Hawthorne's barbs, implying Horowitz was a fool or idiot. Yet, in his own way, Horowitz's character stumbles upon some major clues. As for the actual mystery, this mystery does a good job laying out the red herrings and misdirects with a complex narrative structure and an old, tragic case connected to the current murders. We were not able to solve the case and actually committed some of the same errors as Horowitz's character. 

The Ark

Overall, The Ark by Haruo Yuki is both fun and successful as a murder mystery. Set in an underground "ark" apparently used by a cult (with some nefarious purpose possibly predating this), the novel features a group of ten trapped underground after an earthquake. Someone then proceeds to kill three members of the group. In terms of the actual mystery behind the murders, there is a great twist at the end which truly changes the meaning of some of the earlier chapters. Nonetheless, we were able to guess the identity of the killer after the third victim's discovery. The novel's genius lies in its clever twist and reminding readers of the importance of understanding motive to solve a mystery. This novel's wannabe sleuth, Shotaro, the cousin of the narrator, builds a consistent logical chain of reasoning to identify the killer, but falls short on establishing a fully convincing motive for all three killings. Unsurprisingly, this will have terrible consequences by the conclusion of the novel. But along the way, the reader is treated by a suspenseful tale of murder and disaster as a group of university friends and the family that joins them turn on each other before the "ark" is completely flooded. One only wishes the novel explored more fully the background of the structure, only hinted at here or there with the appearance of torture instruments and cults. The old friends from their university days are also not fully developed here, but enough exists to establish the air of hostility between one character and the the narrator. 

Newcomer

Keigo Higashino's Newcomer was yet another mystery novel we devoured in a day. Featuring the brilliant detective Kaga working out of the precinct in Nihonbashi, the book consists of a series of chapters offering vignettes into the lives of various residents and businesses in the neighborhood of the victim. Kaga appears to be loving his new neighborhood as he investigates various tiny details about the victim, her background, and the places in the area she frequented. Along the way, Kaga helps with the emotional impact of the murder on the people who knew the victim and those who barely knew her. This novel features some rather strong scenes or chapters in which the victim's ex-husband and son discover things about themselves and their family that they never knew. It was suspenseful and written in a way that truly highlights the uniqueness of this Tokyo neighborhood. However, the novel could have added more clues along the way for the reader to more easily guess the identity of the killer. It wrapped up nicely and made sense, but because not all characters are introduced earlier in the novel, it feels a bit cheap when the killer's identity was revealed...

Malice

Keigo Higashino's Malice is a whydunit page-turner we read in one night. Short, breezy yet very suspenseful, this murder mystery focuses entirely on motive. It's pretty clear who the culprit is in this story, but understanding his motives for killing Hidaka becomes a mystery in itself. The culprit has constructed a series of lies and planted evidence about why he committed the deed. In uncovering the truth of this case, our sleuth, Kyoichiro Kaga must confront his own demons from his stint as a teacher and explore the theme of bullying and pure "malice" that accompanied it in the childhood of the victim and killer. Like the other novel by this author that we've read, we suspect that a keen interest in the emotional and psychological state of murderers is a key part of the writer's interest in the genre. It allows him to deconstruct the murder mystery and focus on other elements like the "why" of it all. In this case, it largely succeeded, despite our initial reservations. The story is full of just enough misdirects, intrigue, suspense, and emotionally-charged episodes to retain our interest.

The Clock House Murders

We were a little underwhelmed by the latest translation of a Yukito Ayatsuji mystery novel. Despite featuring the shaggy sleuth, Shishiya, again, in yet another murder mystery involving a house designed by Nakamura Seiji, this one was a little too predictable as so many of its central characters were killed off. It also lacked the macabre humor in The Decagon House Murders. Don't get me wrong, however. It still has its suspenseful moments and "works" as a whodunit with interesting digressions on time and clocks. Unsurprisingly, part of the killer's "trick" involves time, too. But this novel felt a little excessive in length and our sleuth, now a successful mystery writer based in Tokyo, is greatly "aided" in the identification of the killer by the fact that one of the victims lived to identify their assailant. 

Wake Up Dead Man

As obsessive fans of murder mysteries, we naturally went to see the latest Knives Out film Entitled Wake Up Dead Man, Rian Johnson's third entry in the series is yet another whodunit featuring Daniel Craig as the sleuth, Benoit Blanc. Superior than the second film and surprisingly respective of religion despite Blanc's atheism, the film pays homages to classics of the genre (Carr, Christie) and tries to avoid the familiar format of murder mysteries. This both works and fails in different ways. Johnson and the humorous writing make this an entertaining tale, but the 4 main sections of the plot are uneven in quality and weaken the larger story. By this we refer to the first part, setting the scene with the new parish priest arriving in a small town in New York. Finding the resident priest brash, offensive, and inappropriate, he puts up with verbal abuse by the priest (with some particularly nasty humor) and is prevented from making any effective changes to help the church grow and remain relevant in our modern world. By showing another side of the Catholic Church with a compelling priest played by Josh O'Connor, the film is actually respective of religion while simultaneously condemning the hypocrisy of Josh Brolin's character. 

But once the story shifts to the actual investigation of the inevitable murder, things begin to fall apart. Blanc convinces Duplenticy to aid the investigation as the town is convinced he killed Monsignor Wicks, yet the actual investigation begins to meander and become convoluted. There are some nice homages to Golden Age Detective Fiction and real investigating, with an even funny moment that brings to mind an Agatha Christie classic. Unfortunately, the story's full investigative potential and use of its cast of potential murders is lost by one of the suspects conveniently recording a past meeting with all the suspects and the victims before the murder. This frees Blanc (and Mila Kunis as the sheriff) from any scenes with interrogations of the suspects. Since the murder was seen as a locked room type and all the suspects were sitting down in the pews of the church when it occurred, maybe Johnson thought they could get away with skipping those scenes? The "trick" of the killing is eventually unveiled, but maybe the lack of physical evidence made it difficult to pin the crime to one suspect. Either way, it deprived the investigation segment of the film from potentially interesting and humorous interrogations and psychological observations of the suspects. This is why we felt that some of the characters were underutilized after the first part of the film, such as the lawyer played by Kerry Washington. Maybe the film should have adhered more closely to the standard murder mystery plot structure? 

The last two parts of the film were also problematic, though still enjoyable. An (almost) miraculous resurrection of sorts takes place and for several minutes, Duplenticy is running around in the woods, two more characters die, and the priest looks more suspicious than ever. We learn that Blanc saw through the "trick" right away and, learning from Duplenticy, is surprisingly humble and graceful for the revelation of the real killer. This sequence of events is unnecessarily long in parts and the identity of the killer(s) is not so surprising once an obvious suspect is removed from the equation. I thin the film could have handled the "resurrection sequence/extra murders" in a better way, perhaps by cutting the length? The "big reveal" in the church was, in its own way, respectful to the church and the ending with the lost treasure of Wicks' grandfather was a nice touch. It, unfortunately, felt like a very convoluted and tortured process to reach this point. By the film's end, we were entertained while thinking how the fine cast was underused...

Of course, we can still recommend this. Far better than Glass Onion while being both humorous and surprisingly respectful of religion, the film manages to engage in political satire and puerile humor. Great respect for the genre is also found here whilst also endeavoring to deviate from the formula to avoid being too predictable. However, that familiar structure and routine might have made the actual investigation fuller and utilize the actors playing the suspects more thoroughly. There is a lot of heart in this one though, with Father Duplenticy's crisis of faith and even stopping the investigation to comfort a woman in distress. These little touches make the character more likable and compelling, even rubbing off on Blanc. We just hope the next Knives Out can find a more successful way to both pay homage to the genre and be innovative or playful with the expected format.

The Marlow Murder Club

The Marlow Murder Club has become one of our favorite mystery shows of recent memory. Who would've thought a show featuring a retired archaeologist, a dogwalker, and a vicar's wife solving murder mysteries in the small town or Marlow could be so addictive? The show's mysteries are usually not the most elaborate or shocking, but the show (and presumably the books?) do an excellent job of making Marlow a character itself. Judith Potts brings her backbround in archaeology to deductive skills and observation, by far the most able and competent slueth of the trio. The vicar's wife knows many people through her church community and the dogwalker, a single mother of a teenage daughter off to uni, both know people in Marlow that contribute to the solving of crimes. DCI Malik, who usually follows along with the trio of sleuths despite her initial hesitation, becomes a partner of the group. There are laughs, drama, and peculiarities unveiled as more about Judith, the others characters, and the town of Marlow appear throughout the series. While we still prefer Ludwig for the incomparable David Mitchell, Cara Horgan's presence brings back fond memories of Peep Show...

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...

Murder in the Crooked House

Soji Shimada Murder in the Crooked House was a little underwhelming. Our sleuth, Kiyoshi, doesn't appear until the final third of the novel. And while his entry into the mysterious case of the serial murders at the odd Hokkaido home built on a slant is hilarious, one cannot help but feel somewhat disappointed. Furthermore, there are no astrological, alchemical or occult themes that our astrologer-sleuth must confront (unless one considers the Golem from Jewish folklore). It's certainly less occult and graphic than Tokyo Zodiac Murders, but also more convoluted and somewhat absurd. The big reveal at the end also fell a little flat since one of the victims, a lecherous older man, is turned into a war criminal during World War II in Burma. Needless to say, the novel is a bit of a mess, involving an unbelievable concept to elucidate the locked room murder(s). 

The Mill House Murders

The second translation of a mystery novel featuring Shimada Kiyoshi as sleuth also involves yet another unique building designed by the infamous architect, Nakamura Seiji. Indeed, the story is structurally similar to the previous novel, The Decagon House Murders, with alternating chapters that connected narrative halves of the tale. In this novel, the story alternates between the past murders and the present, when events are doomed to repeat at the Mill House. Our sleuth, Kiyoshi, visits the house a year after heinous murders/"incidents" and, of course, is eager to find out what really happened to an old friend of his who was blamed for the murders last year but vanished off the face of the earth. What transpires next is a mixture of suspense, detailed reviews of the killings from the previous year through narrative flashbacks in first and third person, and a denouement worthy of the great Agatha Christie. In fact, without spoiling the ending, we can say readers will find the reveal to be similar to one of Christie's most famous Poirot mysteries. This, of course, is intentional in honraku mysteries. The true highlight of this novel, however, is Shimada finally gets to do the big "reveal" and explain the case to the murderer and others. You will not see it coming. 

The Devil's Flute Murders

The Devil's Flute Murders works well in terms of fulfilling the basic expectations of a suspenseful mystery. Our hero, the scruffy Kosuke Kindaichi, remains his weird and unkempt self. We were hanging on the edge of our seat trying to make sense of the locked room murder and the ultimate connection between the two cases in the novel. However, this engaging mystery somewhat falls apart near the end, during the revelation by Kindaichi of the killer. We are not sure exactly why Seishi Yokomizo decided to unveil the killer in an unusual manner. Instead of having Kindaichi reveal the killer in the most suspenseful and exciting way, to a room full of members of the household and the police, the narrator instead shifts the reader's expectations by having the killer "reveal" the why of their crimes in a lengthy confession that cuts off Kindaichi's "big reveal" in a subsequent chapter. It certainly subverts the reader's expectation, but I think it made the resolution of the novel feel disjointed or fragmented by decentering Kindaichi's explanation of the case. Indeed, it deprived us one of the most satisfying and dramatic moments of resolution. The novel also makes the identification of the killer a bit too obvious with one late revelation late in the novel, so that undermined the resolution of the case, too. Nonetheless, we were emotionally invested in the case and found it to be yet another tale reflecting social anxieties and the decline of the aristocracy in post-WWII Japan, best symbolized by the sordid truth behind the murders. We hope to read more translated novels featuring Kindaichi.

The Caves of Steel

Asimov's The Caves of Steel is a somewhat predictable murder mystery set in a future overpopulated Earth. The New York City of this novel is one of many Cities, vast urban expanses where most of humanity lives entirely regimented and strictly controlled lives in order to centralize production and consumption. The overpopulated Earth has created a new reigning ideology (civism) after a disastrous war with the Spacers, the descendants of human colonists who live on other planets. Unlike our protagonist Elijah Baley and the people of Earth, the Spacers live in underpopulated societies which protect individualism. However, the future of the human race is imperiled by the fragility of the overpopulated Earth, whose political and economic systems could collapse at any moment. Like the human homeworld, the colonies of the Spacers are seen as too stable and lacking the kinds of social cohesion and desire to expand colonization of the Galaxy. 

However, a fusion of the two types of human civilization, along with robot technology and labor (represented by C/Fe, a union of carbon and iron to symbolize human and robot society) could ensure the fate of humanity by expanding colonization through Earth emigration and issuing new social formations that combine elements of the corporate social bonds and solidarity of Earth with robots and pioneer spirit of the Spacers. Unfortunately for the long-held dreams of some Spacers, the murder of a prominent Spacer threatens this future. A human detective who shares the Earthmen's disdain for robots finds himself forced to solve the crime with the aid of an advanced (and humanoid) robot detective, Daneel Olivaw. The case takes our heroes across the vast sprawl of the City, its discontented Earthmen, the conspiracies of Medievalists (those who are calling for a return to the soil and ways of life that are closer to the 20th century than the dystopic future), and the prejudices and beliefs of Baley himself. 

While the ultimate mystery of who killed Dr. Sarton is, after a few plot twists, somewhat predictable, the tale of this overpopulated New York and the problematic fate of humanity reminds us at the blog of the then-current Cold War. The conflict between Spacers and Earthlings and their divergent ideologies almost sounds like Cold War conflicts between the US and the USSR. That a possible solution to the great problems of modernity could be found in a synthesis of the two civilizations may have appealed to writers like Asimov, who, as a rationalist, may have seen the path forward with both the embrace of reason, technology, and communalist aspirations, and a binding ethical vision. That could explain the numerous references to the Bible throughout the text, especially Elijah, Jezebel, and Jesus Christ.