multicultural, Japan, locked-room-mystery, 1980s, betrayal, creepy, detective, disability, murder, murder-investigation, rural, secrets, storms, surgical-history, suspense, thriller, unexpected-deaths, wheelchair-bound, mask*****

The man in near isolation, a wheelchair, and a face mask to protect him from others.
The artist, the pseudo friends, the odd living arrangements, and the murders.
The incredible plot twists!
The story plods along fairly slowly so that the somewhat dim (me!) can try and try again to figure out the right questions and unearth the right answers. A real challenging puzzle!
Translated by Ho-Ling Wong.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Pushkin Press/Pushkin Vertigo via NetGalley.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC.

First of all i love the cover with the pink and green the mask because the mask was also involved in the story so the cover is very fitting. Honestly this was a really good murder mystery i got alot of clue vibes from it and i love clue. I will say at times i wanted this to be more dark which it did have dark elements at times i just expected more HOWEVER this book also had alot of characters who seemed the same so it was VERY hard to guess who was the murderer etc which honestly after i finished it im not mad about it. I could not guess who it was so i feel murder mystery fans will love this one. It had alot of eerie elements i loved all the details of the mansion and my favorite part was that it took place during a storm making it even more eerie. I could not put this one down it was a really good murder mystery. I also enjoyed the art elements not knowing who is a thief trying to steal the famous artists work. This book always had me questioning. Overall a good read and a perfect murder mystery!

This book was fun! It is a real old timey detective story which is not usually my scene. It is very atmospheric. I liked being transported to a spooky art collector’s spooky house in rural Japan. I read that this author is interested in reviving traditional Japanese mysteries, and it is a great success. It is set in the 1980s and feels traditional but not moody. Logic puzzles pop up throughout. You’ll like this if you are an Agatha Christie fan.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to Pushkin Vertigo and NetGalley for this ARC.

I don't normally reach for this genre and I don't think I will for a while after this. The premise sounded interesting but ultimately this wasn't for me. It was dry, slow and just didn't make me care for what was going on or appreciate the plot unfolding. Some interpersonal relationship development could've saved it but it was surface level and repetitive. I'm sure there are people out there who would appreciate this storytelling but sadly not me.

"The Mill House Murders" is a great "locked room mystery" and even with the constraints of a limited number of suspects there is still a great twist ending. I love that these books open with a map of the house and a character list, it really helps when jumping into the story to know who is who before page one. I also really appreciate the well explained ending, all aspects are thought through and taken into account. But my favorite part is the slight tie in to "The Decagon House" with the shared architect! This is a great mystery if you love to solve the puzzle while reading, which I do!

Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Vertigo for the opportunity to read this book in advance of the reprint.

I hate that I don't like this novel by Yukito Ayatsuji when I absolutely love everything else I have read from him. It still has the feeling of a mystery by him but it doesn't grip me as much as everything else I have read by him.