A haunting tale of mystery and tragedy, The Noh Mask Murders begins in the sweltering summer of 1946 when Akimitsu Takagi, our narrator, unexpectedly crosses paths with his old schoolmate, Koichi Yanagi. Koichi, well aware of Akimitsu’s passion for detective fiction and his amateur sleuthing skills, soon seeks his help with a chilling case involving the Chizui family—the very people who have given him shelter in exchange for his work in their lab. But before Akimitsu can intervene, tragedy strikes. Taijiro Chizui is found dead in his sealed bedroom, his lifeless body overshadowed by a sinister family heirloom: an eerie, cursed Noh mask said to bring doom to those who possess it.

As the investigation unfolds, catastrophe continues to grip the Chizui household. Taijiro’s death is not an isolated misfortune—ten years earlier, his brother also met an untimely end, reportedly from a heart attack. Coincidence? Or something far more sinister? Urban legends whisper of vengeful spirits, and with four more deaths following in the mansion’s shadowed halls, the line between folklore and reality begins to blur.

Despite his initial determination, Akimitsu is forced to abandon the case, leaving the authorities to untangle the web of deceit and superstition. But when public prosecutor Hiroyuki Ishikari later sends him a package—containing Koichi’s journal and a letter—the full, horrifying extent of the Chizui family's nightmare is laid bare. The confessions within those pages are staggering!

As I turned the final pages, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the Chizui family’s secrets ran deeper than anyone dared admit. With its labyrinthine twists and unreliable narrators, this novel keeps you questioning everything. 4.5 ⭐ Thank you to @NetGalley and @pushkin_press for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I won't be reading this. I've tried multiple times and haven't gotten into it. Thank you though for the opportunity. If I read it in the future I will come back and change this review.

I read The Tattoo Murder Case previously with Netgally so I knew I would probably enjoy this one as well. And I did! A lovely locked room mystery to chew on!

The Noh Mask Murder is a recent English translation of a 1950s Japanese murder mystery story. It is a standalone novel that revolves around the Chizui and their destruction. Two friends, Koichi Yanagi and Akimitsu Takagi, have this idea that there is a new form of detective novel where the detective is the writer in real time. They think that in order to do this successfully it would need to be with a mystery that is very well known and current. Koichi has found just the right story.

Ten years ago, Koichi's professor died of a heart attack after a lab accident. Shortly after, his widow was placed in an asylum for the insane. A few years later, his daughter went insane as well. And his young son is dying of heart disease. Now his brother and his sons life in the Professor's house taking care of the children. After the war, Koichi heard about the tragedy and went to live with the family. One night while on a walk with an old family friend, Hiroyuki Ishikari, a local prosecutor, Koichi is relaying what has happened and how terrible the family is, when all of a sudden there is a laugh and someone in a Noh mask is in the study window. This is no ordinary Noh mask, it comes with a curse. The master of the house, Taijiro Chizui, is scared when he hears about the mask and asks Koichi to find a detective. Koichi enlists his friend, Akimitsu Takagi, but before Akimitsu can meet Taijiro, he is killed. One by one the family is picked off by this killer.

It has taken me several days to figure out how I felt about this book. It is Anthony Horowitz 60 years before Horowitz and Hawthorne, but told a little differently. The book is written by three people. It starts and ends with Akimitsu setting up the premise of the book's story telling and then summing up everything. Then you have Ishikari book ending the main action with two letters. Finally the meat of the book is journal entries by Koichi. I have read many 1950s Japanese detective novels and I feel like they prepared me for the process of reading this book. I say this because it is not a fast read (which most of these books are not) and the journal entries do not read like journal entries at all. I felt like I was not going to like it at all but the twists at the end really saved the book. The odd onion structure to the story actually helped it in the end because it gets you what you need without breaking the design of the style.

I would not recommend this as the first of this genre of novel to a reader. But if you have read some of Seichi Yokomizo's books and are familiar with detective novels of this era, then pick this one up. I think you will enjoy it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I didn't like this as much as I thought I would. I have somewhat recently started getting interested in "classic" Japanese mysteries, so I'm not an expert by any means in the genre, but this one just didn't quite work for me like some of the others that I've read and I think the primary reason is the insertion of the author. I understand why and how it was clever and all that jazz, but for me it feels weird, which sort of threw off my vibe for the rest of it. I also wasn't so attached to our main "detective" character or really any of the other characters. I generally felt apathetic towards a lot of what was going on. I might look into some other novels by Akimitsu Takagi, but this one didn't work for me and for that I am disappointed. I think other fans of the genre and people who think that the insertion of the author sounds interesting or fun will enjoy this. It does wrap up quite neatly so I don't think it's bad by any stretch, just not for me.

A really interesting murder mystery, I was hooked from the start Honestly felt chills at some points.!

The Noh Mask Murder is, on the surface, just another Japanese locked room mystery. However, with added complexity through the exploration of the Noh tradition throught Japanese history and culture, I did feel like I was being educated as well as entertained.

This novel was clever, playing on many classic tropes of the genre but then turning them on their head. I was shaken by the conclusion, though there were multiple believable culprits, somehow the novel still managed to surprise me with its resolution. This book seemed to be ridiculing the locked room mystery genre whilst exploring important themes of family and betrayal. One of my favorites that I've come across!

A fun framing device of the author as a clumsy amateur sleuth, and a puzzle that really absorbed me. Set in a time and place...midcentury Japan...that's just foreign enough to make the attitudes and beliefs necessary for the plot to work credible.

I suppose that's a roundabout way to say "this story is of its time." I think that's okay...you should know that the conventions of that day aren't always polite to twenty-first century ears.

The locked-room aspects of the plot are the bits that get the praise. I'm always glad to read these because I don't expect to solve them. I didn't this time either. The resolution felt of a piece with the story, not pulled out of the parts bin and welded onto the frame built whether it fits or not. That made it satisfying to me, despite the reveal eliciting from me, "...really...?" when I first read it. Remember what I said about of its time. There's no way it would work in 2020s Japan.

So read it as an historical novel, a gothic-inflected piece of a past very much passed, and you're very likely to enjoy this trip into eighty-years-gone Japan.

Award-winning in its time, The Noh Mask Murder launched the career of an author synonymous with Japanese crime writing. It's clear from the translation that translator Jesse Kirkwood had a book to work with that was very well-crafted, and a job translating it that was enjoyable. There's that unexplainable sense of freshness that hangs over work that someone liked doing.

Four well-earned stars.

Not what I had anticipated, and I did struggle with it a little bit. A clever self-insert, however, and quite a tricky locked room mystery to figure out. As it's a re-print from it's original publication in 1950, the character tropes are quite dated, in that the women are either delicately lovesick, or locked in an insane asylum, leaving only the men 'capable' of figuring things out. But you can't place modern sensibilities on a book written over 75 years ago, so barring that, overall the story was clever and well done.

Recommended for those who enjoy locked room mysteries in the style of Agatha Christie, with old fashioned detective work - no mobile phones or computers in this!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback. This book slaps. Recommend for fans of Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, and other classic mysteries.

If you're fan of locked room murder mysteries then this will be right up your street.

The more I got into this, the more it reminded me of Agatha Christie. We know our characters and backgrounds relevant to the family / case but nothing unnecessary is added (save a few red herrings obviously).

I found this an easy read and the more you read, the more you wanted to find out what happened.

Highly recommend and I'll definitely be checking out more by Akimitsu Takagi in the future.

Akimitsu Takagi’s The Noh Mask Murder is a brilliant piece of classic Japanese detective fiction that offers more than just a thrilling whodunit. What sets it apart is its ability to evoke a deep sense of unease as the reader is drawn into the sinister beauty of Noh theater, with its haunting masks and archaic rituals. Takagi uses the Noh mask as a symbol of hidden identities and facades, both literally and figuratively, which works beautifully in a mystery centered around deception and long-standing grudges.

If you appreciate detective stories that are more cerebral, rich in cultural detail, and laden with atmosphere, this book is an absolute must-read. Detective Kindaichi is one of those unforgettable characters with his methodical approach to unraveling complex cases, reminiscent of Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes. However, the distinctly Japanese setting and themes of ancient tradition make it uniquely engaging for those interested in Japan’s post-war history and cultural heritage.

Takagi's writing transports the reader into a world where masks are not just part of theater but serve as metaphors for the personas people wear. His depiction of Japan’s post-war uncertainty, combined with the personal grudges festering within a wealthy family, keeps readers on edge throughout the novel. The eerie use of Noh masks will leave you with an unsettling feeling, as the line between the past and present, theater and reality, seems to blur.

A fun and classic locker room mystery! I enjoyed the plot and it was paced well. I like that these old detective books usually reference the genre and feel very meta. It makes them really fun to read and they do feel like a little puzzle.
I didn’t like the portrayal of women in this one, but I am still glad I read this and it had a very satisfying ending.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC!

This is my first experience with classic Japanese mystery investigation book from Akimitsu Takagi Sensei. And I am so excite.

Since falling in love with Keigo Higashino's books I am start searching more into the genre from similar taste. The Noh Mask Murder cover is displaying classic vintage element into the design. It give me chills and goosebumps without any display of gore illustration. Such a strong design.

The story is written around 1950's so the early vibes was almost like Agatha Christie books. It is start with slower pace and take time to introduce the characters, atmosphere of the setting detailed case work and some mysteries surrounding the suspects. I always found that conversation from Asian literature translation is kinda lack emotions, but maybe it is just my things.

The plot itself following the investigation of traditional a locked room murder trope with family megadrama. The unique about this book is how the author inserted himself as supporting character. And the most funny is it is not even a competence character. I found it as refreshing experience and I absolutely will searching more reads from this author.

Thank you Netgalley and Pushkin Vertigo from Pushkin Press for providing copy of this ebook. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Expecting release date : 4 Juni 2024

Wanted to like this book. Stop and started so many times. On the 3rd try, I made myself finish. There's a good story here. It's the execution that didn't work with me. I'm okay with unlikable characters, but there's gotta be something there for me to invest myself into. It just wasn't there for this story.

THENOHMASKMURDER. #AKIMITSUTAKAGI. #NETGALLEY

Another classic Japanese locked room mystery from the fabulous Pushkin Vertigo series.
This has all the elements of a great murder mystery – spooky mansion, estranged family members, madness and multiple murders. It even provides a fascinating lecture on Noh Theatre. This series never fails to deliver.
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own unbiased opinion.

Thank you to netgalley for the free ARC of this book! I will say, this book had me scratching my head right up to the reveal, it was a very clever locked room mystery that I really cannot begin to figure out how to describe without spoilers. Essentially, an old man is found dead beside a cursed Noh mask, and although it looks like he died from natural causes, the circumstances are just too coincidental for that to be the case. THEN, a few more members of his family die in a similar way. There's an insane person and a nihilist and you probably just need to read it to really get what's happening. Very satisfying read.

A locked room murder precedes several other murders as a detective, taught only by reading classic gold age mysteries attempts to solve the case. Originally written in 1950, the first English translation brings this story to life. It's a page turner and a stunning example of Japanese mysteries.

It's like the Japanese version of 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd', classic locked room mystery. I feel like it got distorted a bit in the author's excitement to prove themselves. It got a little boring in the middle, but the ending was great.

This is an outstandingly unique mystery drenched in culture and science. It was slow moving for a good portion of the story, but I was pleasantly surprised at how many plot twists were uncovered. If you’re interested in unexpected outcomes, deep rooted family secrets, and Japanese culture you’re going to want to pick this book up asap.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Vertigo for providing me an ARC copy of The Noh Mask Murder. All opinions stated are my own.

I was not expecting this story to have so much history and culture attached to it, but I found I loved it being the history nerd I was. What originally interested me was the Japanese setting and the striking cover art (yes I will admit it). Throughout the entire story I was pleased that both remained important factors in the plot and the setting. We were constantly reminded of the importance of different symbols and the history of everything from the infamous mask to the Chizurui family, and even some of the science used. As much as I loved the info dump, it felt like I was reading a textbook and had to remind myself that this was in fact a murder mystery. The end result was a lackluster read that was slow-paced till the very end and felt like walking through quicksand. I was infinitely not a fan of the letter-style writing, and immediately was put off. This of course is personal preference so just be warned if it is indeed a like or dislike for you.

I really did like the mystery aspect of the story. The murder is certainly completely unique and very intricate. I did get Sherlock Holmes vibes with the science added and the explanations, which is my eyes isn’t a bad thing, The family drama though? Absolutely wild, honestly I couldn’t believe what I was reading. To me it really livened the story up and gave it personality.

This was a decent read, I was definitely hung up on the dryness that seem to permit through the entire story. It made it hard to get through and fully enjoy the mastery of the plot. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️