The Decagon House Murders
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- Create Date：2021-04-25 09:52:13
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Yukito Ayatsuji
- ISBN：1782276343
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Summary
The members of a university mystery club decide to visit an island which was the site of a grisly， unsolved multiple murder the year before。 They’re looking forward to investigating the crime， putting their passion for solving mysteries to practical use， but before long there is a fresh murder， and soon the club-members realise they are being picked off one-by-one。 The remaining amateur sleuths will have to use all of their murder-mystery expertise to find the killer before they end up dead too。
This is a playful， loving and fiendishly plotted homage to the best of golden age crime。 It will delight any mystery fan looking to put their little grey cells to use。
This is a playful， loving and fiendishly plotted homage to the best of golden age crime。 It will delight any mystery fan looking to put their little grey cells to use。
Reviews
eli
，
it was so SMART and i LOVE smart things
Annie
，
One would think that a group of mystery novel enthusiasts would know better not to take up a strange invitation to an island that has a bad reputation。 One of them even references And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie on the boat ride over。 But then， most of the characters in the excellent The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji （translated by Ho-Ling Wong） are college students who think that they’re clever enough to outwit any dangers。 It isn’t long before the characters of this nove One would think that a group of mystery novel enthusiasts would know better not to take up a strange invitation to an island that has a bad reputation。 One of them even references And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie on the boat ride over。 But then， most of the characters in the excellent The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji （translated by Ho-Ling Wong） are college students who think that they’re clever enough to outwit any dangers。 It isn’t long before the characters of this novel start to die off in spite of all their supposed brilliance， even as they try to figure out who’s behind an astounding number of murders。。。Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type。 I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley， for review consideration。 。。。more
Iris
，
A PAGE TURNING JAPANESE MURDER MYSTERYInspired by Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None， this Japanese cult classic tells the story of a group of seven university students who travel to a deserted island that was the scene of a grisly mass murder six months earlier， where events soon turn ominous。。。I read quite a lot Japanese thrillers when I was in high school， but this book has to be one of the best！！ It kept me guessing from the very beginning。。。and the ending was just WOW！！ It’s such a A PAGE TURNING JAPANESE MURDER MYSTERYInspired by Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None， this Japanese cult classic tells the story of a group of seven university students who travel to a deserted island that was the scene of a grisly mass murder six months earlier， where events soon turn ominous。。。I read quite a lot Japanese thrillers when I was in high school， but this book has to be one of the best！！ It kept me guessing from the very beginning。。。and the ending was just WOW！！ It’s such a clever book！！！ The answer was right there at the very beginning！！！Plus， though it’s translated from Japanese， the writing was very smooth and I didn’t have any confused moment that I sometimes get when I read a translated book。I just love everything about this book！I highly recommend all thriller lovers to read this Japanese classic！ 。。。more
Cazlam
，
I struggled a bit with all the different characters。 The twist was good but I was still a bit confused。
Tara
，
4。5-5ça m'avait trop manqué les murder mystery！！ 4。5-5ça m'avait trop manqué les murder mystery！！ 。。。more
ColleenSC （ilikeoldbooks1213）
，
The Decagon House murders is a “Japanese Cult Classic Mystery” published in the 1980s。 This English translation is coming out on May 25th of this year in the US。 Thank you to the publisher Steerforth Press， Pushkin Vertigo and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 I was intrigued by the plot synopsis。 It involves a crime fiction club from a Japanese university whose members decide to visit a deserted island that was recently the cite of gruesome murders。 This of course reminded The Decagon House murders is a “Japanese Cult Classic Mystery” published in the 1980s。 This English translation is coming out on May 25th of this year in the US。 Thank you to the publisher Steerforth Press， Pushkin Vertigo and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 I was intrigued by the plot synopsis。 It involves a crime fiction club from a Japanese university whose members decide to visit a deserted island that was recently the cite of gruesome murders。 This of course reminded me of And Then There Were None， the masterpiece by Agatha Christie。 The nods to classic mysteries continue throughout the book。 Each of the characters on the island has the nickname of a famous mystery writer， and their discussion of crime often alludes to common tropes or techniques popular in golden age mysteries。 I was totally engrossed in this page turner。 The chapters alternate between the action on the island and the actions of other characters who are investigating the previous murders。 This structure really worked to keep me guessing。 Just like in And Then There Were None， the reader is trying to solve the mystery as multiple clues， discussions， and misdirections mystify。 Yet the story’s similarities to And Then There Were None almost make the mystery more difficult to solve because I wanted to fit it into paths I remembered from that book。 At one point， my jaw absolutely dropped！ I found the way all the clues are tied together very satisfying。 I love a mystery that keeps me wondering and guessing to the end。 I think classic mystery fans like me will love this book。 。。。more
Rin
，
In the style of Agatha Christie， this mystery artfully weaves the reader into its tale。 I'm not going to say I didn't figure it out， as an avid mystery reader， and this book being nearly as old as I am。 The translation is absolutely lovely。 It creates a decent puzzle for most readers， if this was pushed at people that didn't read a ton of mystery novels， they would likely have their mind blown。 In the style of Agatha Christie， this mystery artfully weaves the reader into its tale。 I'm not going to say I didn't figure it out， as an avid mystery reader， and this book being nearly as old as I am。 The translation is absolutely lovely。 It creates a decent puzzle for most readers， if this was pushed at people that didn't read a ton of mystery novels， they would likely have their mind blown。 。。。more
Jean-Luc
，
Yukito Ayatsuji's novel is a delightful throwback to the golden age of detective fiction。 A group of college students obsessed with murder mysteries and a loose cannon among them determined to give himself the ultimate thrill of his life by simply and coldly bumping them off one after the other。。。。。A fiendishly and cleverly written locked-room mystery that kept me guessing on the edge of my seat until the last page & a wonderful nod and wink to the undoubted queen of the classic old school whodu Yukito Ayatsuji's novel is a delightful throwback to the golden age of detective fiction。 A group of college students obsessed with murder mysteries and a loose cannon among them determined to give himself the ultimate thrill of his life by simply and coldly bumping them off one after the other。。。。。A fiendishly and cleverly written locked-room mystery that kept me guessing on the edge of my seat until the last page & a wonderful nod and wink to the undoubted queen of the classic old school whodunit， Agatha Christie。 To be enjoyed without moderation！Many thanks to Netgalley and Pushkin Press for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel prior to it's new release 。。。more
Dakshin
，
Yukito Ayatsuji， the author of this Japanese cult mystery book， traces the life of several characters in an attempt to fit a solution for the murders committed in an island。 The mood races and paces itself at times a tad slower but that is not going to take the sheen of the book。 The translation could not help but assign alphabets for city/ provinces in Japan which was kind of confusing to follow。A rage in Japan brought to the world by Pushkin Vertigo。 Pages that take us through cultural tit bit Yukito Ayatsuji， the author of this Japanese cult mystery book， traces the life of several characters in an attempt to fit a solution for the murders committed in an island。 The mood races and paces itself at times a tad slower but that is not going to take the sheen of the book。 The translation could not help but assign alphabets for city/ provinces in Japan which was kind of confusing to follow。A rage in Japan brought to the world by Pushkin Vertigo。 Pages that take us through cultural tit bits， sights， fragrances and people of Japan。 Short dashes between the mainland and the island are an engaging form the in the beginning of the book。 As the plot draws to a close， the dash is reduced to a single setting。 Some would say the book is predictable， I'd prefer to say it is intelligently simple。 Take the ending seriously， otherwise you'll be disappointed。 By the end of the book， the author settles for a explainer chapter。 This soothes the nerves for the penultimate chapter would have left minds frenzied。 It ties the knots in a simplistic manner just like the choice of words employed throughout。 There are plenty of giveaways for the careful reader but red herrings are plenty too which may throw one off track。 Take a highlighter and follow the murderer amongst a group of friends from the start to just keep a check on yourself。I must thank the Instagram algorithm for suggesting this book to me。 I had to jump at a chance to understand how minds across the globe set their tone and plot in this racing genre which is certain to delight most readers。 Read the book in short sprints to mull over the chapters。 。。。more
Abby
，
⋆⋆⋆⋆Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for allowing me to read this ARC！Content Warning: graphic violence， arson， brief reference to sexual assault/rape， casual misogyny。In a seaside city in Japan， seven university students write stories for their murder mystery club。 By luck and a stroke of opportunity， they get the chance to go to the island of Tsunojima， the site of a particularly brutal multiple murder the year before。 What they don't know is that soon， they'll be caught up in a danger ⋆⋆⋆⋆Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for allowing me to read this ARC！Content Warning: graphic violence， arson， brief reference to sexual assault/rape， casual misogyny。In a seaside city in Japan， seven university students write stories for their murder mystery club。 By luck and a stroke of opportunity， they get the chance to go to the island of Tsunojima， the site of a particularly brutal multiple murder the year before。 What they don't know is that soon， they'll be caught up in a dangerous game of cat and mouse where nothing is as it seems。I was so thrilled when I saw this on NetGalley。 I've been wanting to read this classic Japanese mystery for ages， but was unable to find it anywhere for purchase or in English translation。 Ayatsuji's novel is considered a staple of the genre in its home country， and after reading it， it's clear why。 The writing style is characteristically Japanese - very dry and pared down - but even if you're someone who prefers more descriptive or poetic writing， it doesn't draw away from the fascinating story taking place。The inspiration drawn from Agatha Christie is well-done， and especially fun if you've read And Then There Were None。 Ayatsuji's writing style is actually quite similar to Christie's as well。 What really shines here is the entertaining deductions made by the characters， leading you back and forth as you make an attempt to decipher who is really pulling the strings。 The tension is palpable， and despite the fact that it was written in the late 1980s， it doesn't feel dated。There was， however， some period typical sexism。 The two female members of the group， nicknamed Orczy and Agatha （for obvious reasons）， are the only two characters who give in to "hysteria，" which honestly made me laugh a bit。 A lot of attention is also put on their looks， which I felt takes away from the fact that they're actually both interesting people in their own right。 All seven of the members are not exactly likable， which makes it all the more fun to watch as they slowly begin to unravel。 The plotting is superb， leaving me never quite sure what was going on or who to trust。 As someone who reads a lot of mysteries and thrillers， I was caught in surprise by the end and can certainly say I did not see it coming！Highly recommended for fans of mysteries， especially those （like me） who love international ones！ 。。。more
Yen Hoang
，
3。5/5
TKP
，
THIS REVIEW DOES NOT CONTAIN SPOILERSWow。What a book！ After reading this， I am going to look further into this genre as I absolutely loved this book。The book， set in 1987 when it was originally written in Japanese is about a group of students who have formed a "murder group" where they try and crack unsolved murders。 The murder they are trying to solve at the moment is that of an architect who took his wife to live on an isolated island in Japan。 The believed story is that both the man and his w THIS REVIEW DOES NOT CONTAIN SPOILERSWow。What a book！ After reading this， I am going to look further into this genre as I absolutely loved this book。The book， set in 1987 when it was originally written in Japanese is about a group of students who have formed a "murder group" where they try and crack unsolved murders。 The murder they are trying to solve at the moment is that of an architect who took his wife to live on an isolated island in Japan。 The believed story is that both the man and his wife， and their live in maid/butler were killed by the gardener who then burnt their residence down。 The group of students， from a local uni decide to visit the island where this happened and stay in Decagon House， a house where nearly everything is decagonally shaped。 On the mainland， there is a current member of the group who was unable to travel with the group。 There is also an ex member， who has left the group。 On the island and the mainland， both are trying to crack the case as to what happened in the murders。 However， on the island， one by one， the members of the group end up murdered。。。 So， what is going on？？ Is the murderer one of the group on the island？ Is it someone else on the island？ Could it be that one of the parties that had been murdered originally is actually still alive？This has to be one of the best written murder mystery books I have ever read。 The book progresses in an almost humdrum way and them bam！ Out of the blue， someone dies。 The resolution is the most logical but startling thing when it is described to you as the book reaches the end。 I was kicking myself that I hadn't figured it out and you will be doing the same but there is literally no way I could have seen it coming。 。。。more
Elle
，
This book stands out with a brilliant killer reveal。 The mystery part is great。 We’re given new details as the story progresses。 These details made me suspect almost all the characters， at any given time， including the actual murderer…in a matter of speaking。 Check my blog for more reviews！ The BeginningAs always， I jumped into the book because something caught my interest， without any research。 I knew the story takes place in Japan， but I had no idea it is set in the 80s。 The beginning felt a b This book stands out with a brilliant killer reveal。 The mystery part is great。 We’re given new details as the story progresses。 These details made me suspect almost all the characters， at any given time， including the actual murderer…in a matter of speaking。 Check my blog for more reviews！ The BeginningAs always， I jumped into the book because something caught my interest， without any research。 I knew the story takes place in Japan， but I had no idea it is set in the 80s。 The beginning felt a bit odd because of that。While I enjoyed the prologue （to all the prologue-haters out there， check this one out because it’s a good one）， my interest dropped a bit after that， until later it caught me again。 I couldn’t connect with the characters in the beginning。 The writing style was quite different than what I’m used to， making it that much harder。The Story in a NutshellThe story revolves around two mysteries。 First in chronological order， is a still-unsolved quadruple murder that took place on an island six months before the events of the book。 Second， the systematic killing of a group of students vacationing on the same island。 This group of students， all part of the same mystery club， found the idea of visiting the site of those gruesome murders appealing， as many people would。 When the killing starts， they’re unable to leave the island or call for help （it was the 1980s， after all）; their only option was to stay and try to figure out what happened。 They couldn’t。 Suspicion fell on everyone， even the dead。 The CharactersExcept for a few random details about the characters， they seem to be there only to serve a purpose。 This is not a character-driven book。 Personally， I don’t have a problem with that。 The mystery part was interesting enough to keep the reader hooked。 This said the various characters seemed to blend into each other in the beginning。 As I was reading， I couldn’t tell who was saying something because… well， they all talked the same and did the same things。 Further along， the mystery club members started to take shape a bit。 We had the detective who thought he was smarter than everyone （he wasn’t， considering he missed the pink elephant staring him in the face）。 We had the medicine student， who seemed to want to bring peace。 We had the sick guy。 The depressed young woman。 The Killer RevealThis is the main reason why The Decagon House Murders gets 4 stars。 It’s not often that a killer reveal surprises me like this。 It happens even more rarely to look back at the story and think， How did I not see it coming？ After I found out the identity of the killer （brilliantly revealed through a single line of dialogue）， I looked back and it made perfect sense， especially after the author explains exactly what happens and how he was able to pull it off。 Big Pluses The identity of the killer and the two mysteries are definitely where this book excels。 But this is exactly why we read mysteries， isn’t it？MinusesA few things irritated me as I was reading， but most of all the smoking。 Every character smoked， in hiding if not in public。 Every scene has one or more mentions of cigarettes or smoking—it seems that the mystery club did only two things， talk， and smoke。 For a non-smoker， this is just… very annoying。 People do other things than smoke。 Then it was the expositional style。 In certain areas， it reads more like a news report rather than a novel。 Even the characters talk in the same way。Who Would Enjoy Reading The Decagon House Murders？People who love a good locked-room mystery。 Fans of the genre。 。。。more
Jasmine Loehr
，
The Decagon House Murders is a Japanese murder mystery book that follows 7 college students as they embark to a deserted island where a horrific multiple homicide has taken place 6 months prior。 The students are each mailed letters that are signed by one of those victims， though they aren’t aware of it until it’s possibly too late。 Then the murders start。 The students are picked off one by one， which naturally leads to a high level of distrust within the group。 Will the group be able to follow The Decagon House Murders is a Japanese murder mystery book that follows 7 college students as they embark to a deserted island where a horrific multiple homicide has taken place 6 months prior。 The students are each mailed letters that are signed by one of those victims， though they aren’t aware of it until it’s possibly too late。 Then the murders start。 The students are picked off one by one， which naturally leads to a high level of distrust within the group。 Will the group be able to follow the breadcrumbs to solve this mystery on time or will they fall to the same fate as the previous inhabitants？ I enjoyed this book quite a bit。 The characters can be a little flat， but honestly the story isn’t really so much about them as it is getting to the bottom of what exactly is happening。 There are several twists that I didn’t see coming， though the clues were placed throughout。 It’s 3。5-4 stars for me。 The Decagon House Murders would make a pretty fun summer poolside read。 Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Christine
，
An 80s love letter from Yukito Ayatsuji to the murder-puzzle as perfected by the great Queen of Crime， Agatha Christie。 And what could be a more iconic homage than one honoring "And then there were none"？Originally published in 1987， "The Decagon House Murders" centers on a group of university students who make up a Mystery enthusiast club and decide to spend a week on an island--but not just any island。 It's an infamous place， home to an unsolved multiple homicide。。。 and one of the victims was An 80s love letter from Yukito Ayatsuji to the murder-puzzle as perfected by the great Queen of Crime， Agatha Christie。 And what could be a more iconic homage than one honoring "And then there were none"？Originally published in 1987， "The Decagon House Murders" centers on a group of university students who make up a Mystery enthusiast club and decide to spend a week on an island--but not just any island。 It's an infamous place， home to an unsolved multiple homicide。。。 and one of the victims was never even found。 Unless， of course， that victim was the killer。。。？This is a great read for anyone who enjoys murder mysteries where the author more or less plays fair--you can pick up on the clues。 At the same time， the author shows an incredible ability to lay out bread crumbs that he KNOWS a mystery reader would notice。 The reader will then pat themselves on the back for their cleverness and genre-savviness， only for the author to expressly address the reasoning and take us in an unexpected （but logical） direction。 And all the while， the tension and the stakes go up， up， and up。 The only hidden element I figured out ahead of its reveal was the identity of a particularly clever character， and that's probably because books like this one popularized a certain archetype in Japanese detective fiction。 I loved it regardless， and it was nice to claim one tiny （very tiny） victory。 The rest of the mysteries were baffling and yet so， so satisfying when the solution unwound the knot。As a bonus， the book doesn't suffer from the flaw that occasionally plagues Christie's novels: the paper-cut-out cast。 Sure， this isn't a character-driven story， but Ayatsuji still gives us a cast that feels well-rounded and reacts in realistic， compelling ways to an increasingly horrifying situation。Highly recommended if you're a mystery enthusiast， a Christie fan， or maybe even someone who longs for a puzzle？ You can solve this one。 You just have to look closely enough。Thank you to Pushkin Press and Netgalley for sending me a free eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Natalie
，
I had been looking for mysteries to read that would evoke Agatha Christie。 I had a few false starts。 This one was very much patterned after And Then There Were None。 Unlike some other "chalet in the snowstorm" type books I have read in the past year， this one had an intriguing mystery and made me care about several of the characters。 I had been looking for mysteries to read that would evoke Agatha Christie。 I had a few false starts。 This one was very much patterned after And Then There Were None。 Unlike some other "chalet in the snowstorm" type books I have read in the past year， this one had an intriguing mystery and made me care about several of the characters。 。。。more
XiuHui
，
A good read with an unexpected murderer！
Verity Halliday
，
The Decagon House Murders is a 1987 Japanese murder mystery in the Golden Age honkaku style。 Students from a university murder mystery club visit an offshore island where four grisly murders had happened some months before， then strange things begin to happen to the students themselves。 There are many nods to classic European and American mysteries， with the students all having mystery writer nicknames such as Agatha or Poe。 The plot itself has obvious parallels to Christie's And Then There Were The Decagon House Murders is a 1987 Japanese murder mystery in the Golden Age honkaku style。 Students from a university murder mystery club visit an offshore island where four grisly murders had happened some months before， then strange things begin to happen to the students themselves。 There are many nods to classic European and American mysteries， with the students all having mystery writer nicknames such as Agatha or Poe。 The plot itself has obvious parallels to Christie's And Then There Were None， but is differently constructed。An enjoyable mystery recommended for lovers of Japanese fiction and Golden Age murder mysteries。Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback。 。。。more
Eustacia Tan
，
It’s fitting that I read And Then There Were None a few weeks before I read The Decagon House Murders， because the latter pays homage to the former， and it was fun to have echoes of the original story in my head while reading it。The Decagon House Murders takes place in two locations – one is a deserted island， where seven members of the K- University Mystery Club are camping for a week， and where the murders take place， and the other is on the mainland， where a member of the mystery club who did It’s fitting that I read And Then There Were None a few weeks before I read The Decagon House Murders， because the latter pays homage to the former， and it was fun to have echoes of the original story in my head while reading it。The Decagon House Murders takes place in two locations – one is a deserted island， where seven members of the K- University Mystery Club are camping for a week， and where the murders take place， and the other is on the mainland， where a member of the mystery club who didn’t go on the trip （Kawaminami）， receives a threatening letter， alleging that the death of a member of the club was actually a murder。 Bored by endless rounds of mahjong， Kawaminami and his new friend， Shimada， decide to investigate the letters。What I found very interesting about the book was that the seven members of the murder club referred to each other by nicknames。 Which is how you get a very meta-sounding opening where Ellery talks about how “mystery fiction is， at its core， a kind of intellectual game” with Carr and Leroux。 If you’re familiar with the classics of the mystery genre， you will recognise that these nicknames refer to Ellery Queen， John Dickson Carr， and Gaston Leroux。 And of course， given the obvious homage to Christie， we have a character nicknamed Agatha。These opening pages， by the way， are also a clue as to how to enjoy the novel。 The Decagon House Murders is part of the Honkaku tradition， where the game of solving the mystery is the most important aspect of the story。 This means that as the reader， you will get all the clues needed to solve it and even if you can’t solve it， knowing who the murderer will make sense – at least that’s what happened for me。 On the other hand， setting and characters are fleshed out only as much as needed， and you never really climb into the character’s heads。 As the reader， I knew what they were thinking （as much as the narrator allowed me to）， but I never felt what they were feeling。Now， will you need to be familiar with the classics of the mystery genre？ I would argue， no。 And Then Were None is famous enough that the similarities in setting were obvious to anyone who’s a fan of the genre， but you don’t have to know the Christie’s mystery in order to solve this one。 I suspect that the discussions about the form of a mystery would appeal to people who make a habit of considering these things， but as a part of the honkaku tradition， this story can be read as a standalone。The edition of the book I read （published by Locked Room International）， contains an introduction by Shimada Soji。 The introduction helps the reader understand the place this book has within the development of the Japanese mystery and since it doesn’t have any spoilers， can be read before or after the actual story。 My personal preference is to always read the story first and the introduction after， but in this case， it’s really up to you which you prefer。Overall， this was an enjoyable book and well， I can see that if I ever go back to Japan， I will probably come back with a suitcase full of mysteries that are not available in English。This review was first posted at Eustea Reads 。。。more
Dana
，
Seven college students， all members of their school’s Mystery Club， travel to an uninhabited island for a getaway despite it being the site of an unsolved multiple homicide。 Things take a turn when mysterious letters signed by one of the murder victims begin arriving， both to the students already on the island and to two former Mystery Club members still on the mainland。 And then then murders start。 As everyone begins to turn on each other， it seems as though there’s no way that the dwindling su Seven college students， all members of their school’s Mystery Club， travel to an uninhabited island for a getaway despite it being the site of an unsolved multiple homicide。 Things take a turn when mysterious letters signed by one of the murder victims begin arriving， both to the students already on the island and to two former Mystery Club members still on the mainland。 And then then murders start。 As everyone begins to turn on each other， it seems as though there’s no way that the dwindling survivors will be able to stop the murderer and get off the island。 I haven’t read much in the way of translated fiction。 There’s always the worry that something will be lost in translation， you know？ That isn’t the case here。 Translator Ho-Ling Wong maintains the Japanese origins of this book and the descriptive prose of Ayatsuji while adjusting parts of the text so that jokes land and ideas flow。 I throughly enjoyed this book: the clues sprinkled through kept me guessing， the twists and turns kept me surprised， and when I thought I knew what was happening I would turn the page and realize I had no idea。 Y’all， the reveal made my jaw drop。 I wanted to read it again once I knew so I could pick up the clues！ I think will read more of the hokaku subgenre of mystery， because the puzzle pieces is this were so fun to put together and it kept me stumped right up until the end。 。。。more
Frosta Wings It
，
I hope every mystery lover and fans of Golden Age Mystery put this book on their radar。 I am so excited to read it！ This is a Japanese classic finally translated to English！ If loving puzzles and knowing Yukito Ayatsuji plays by the same rules as Agatha Christie， Sayer and Carr isn’t enough， I hope the synopsis will！Ahhh to be young and ambitious。。。 university students who formed a mystery club decide to go to this island。 Why you ask？ Well， that island happens to be the sight of a gruesome and I hope every mystery lover and fans of Golden Age Mystery put this book on their radar。 I am so excited to read it！ This is a Japanese classic finally translated to English！ If loving puzzles and knowing Yukito Ayatsuji plays by the same rules as Agatha Christie， Sayer and Carr isn’t enough， I hope the synopsis will！Ahhh to be young and ambitious。。。 university students who formed a mystery club decide to go to this island。 Why you ask？ Well， that island happens to be the sight of a gruesome and still unsolved murder spree that happened the previous year。 Of course， the uni students feel they can do better than the police and set off on a mission to solve that murder！ If you think that it will not be easy and that they will start to be murdered one by one， you’re right。 But the publishers promise this is the last thing you will guess correctly！ The Decagon House Murders is described as “clever enough that you’re unlikely to guess， but simple enough that you’ll kick yourself when it’s revealed”。Technically， I cannot fault this book。 The atmosphere and ambience were amazing， and it represents not only Japanese culture， but the year in which it was written， 1987。 I appreciate how Yukito stayed true to his plot。 The execution was superb。 All the characters were developed well and stayed true to themselves。 I felt as though they leaped from the page and I was on that island with them。 Ayatsuji played extremely fair， and I can promise （without spoiling the book） the solution relies only on what is on the pages。I am so thankful for having read this book because I have just instantly become obsessed with shin honkaku and Japanese Mystery/thrillers！ This book is quite literally unputdownable， the characters are annoyingly vivacious， the puzzle is hard but within reach and the pace and narrative are superb！ I do not speak Japanese， but I have to say that I feel as though Ho-Ling Wong did an amazing job translating this book。 I have read many translated books， and The Decagon House Murders read complete and as if nothing was lost in translation。 My only complaint is that it will not be published until May 25。 I think that Pushkin Vertigo should release at least one book every May 2 from now on。 I would love to make getting a new shin honkaku book part of my birthday tradition！p。s。 now I want a decagon shaped house on an isolated island！#TheDecagonHouseMurders #NetGalleyThank you， Pushkin Vertigo， NetGalley and Yukito Ayatsuji for an advanced copy of The Decagon House Murders in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Brenda
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Dripping with delicious atmosphere， this suspenseful book is a feast for the little grey cells！ As I've read hundreds upon hundreds of Golden Age mysteries， this one drew me in， hook， line and sinker。 The twists and turns kept coming from the moment the characters stepped onto an isolated island until the fabulous ending。 The premise is reminiscent of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None yet completely different。 It was written in Japanese and translated into English。 With names such as Po Dripping with delicious atmosphere， this suspenseful book is a feast for the little grey cells！ As I've read hundreds upon hundreds of Golden Age mysteries， this one drew me in， hook， line and sinker。 The twists and turns kept coming from the moment the characters stepped onto an isolated island until the fabulous ending。 The premise is reminiscent of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None yet completely different。 It was written in Japanese and translated into English。 With names such as Poe， Ellery and Leroux， the core members of a mystery club quite willingly decide to stay on an isolated island for a week。 A week on an island can zip by quickly but when you're on an island where a cold case quadruple murder mystery is niggling your subconscious and weird things begin happening in the present， including murder， a week can be intense and insurmountably long。 Maps in mystery books are always fun， including those in this book。 To me it's details like that which elevate a good book to a great book！ The descriptions are awesome and there is a plethora of red herrings。 When reading this I was practically looking behind my back for something or someone sinister。 The author wrote in tension beautifully and crafted his characters marvelously。 If you are hankering after a superb mystery reminiscent of the Golden Age， do read this。 It would be a shame to miss。My sincere thank you to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for the privilege of reading the e-ARC of this refreshing， enticing and engaging book。 I absolutely adored it！ Now am on the hunt for other books written by this author。 。。。more
Diana
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I thought this was a good rendition of the old 'And Then There Were None' trope。 I would recommend it to people who enjoy these types of mysteries， where characters are killed off， one by one， and suspicion looms on them all at one point or another。Personally， I felt that the characters weren't developed enough for me to keep track of most things regarding them。 It felt very much like there was a lot of telling instead of showing。 The twist and ending were great。 I was engaged enough to finish t I thought this was a good rendition of the old 'And Then There Were None' trope。 I would recommend it to people who enjoy these types of mysteries， where characters are killed off， one by one， and suspicion looms on them all at one point or another。Personally， I felt that the characters weren't developed enough for me to keep track of most things regarding them。 It felt very much like there was a lot of telling instead of showing。 The twist and ending were great。 I was engaged enough to finish the book， but not enough to get invested in the story as much as I'd have hoped。 。。。more
Lena
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Firstly， wow。If you love the intricacies and twists of Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None’ then you will adore the English translation of Yukito Ayatsuji’s ‘The Decagon House Murders。’ The premise is this; seven students decide to spend a week on Tsunojima Island off the coast of Japan。 Six months earlier the previous residents of the island were brutally murdered， and the case remains unsolved。 Soon after the students’ arrival they begin to suspect that someone intending to kill them o Firstly， wow。If you love the intricacies and twists of Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None’ then you will adore the English translation of Yukito Ayatsuji’s ‘The Decagon House Murders。’ The premise is this; seven students decide to spend a week on Tsunojima Island off the coast of Japan。 Six months earlier the previous residents of the island were brutally murdered， and the case remains unsolved。 Soon after the students’ arrival they begin to suspect that someone intending to kill them one at a time， but their identity is currently unknown。 Meanwhile， back on the mainland， a former member of the student club receives a letter blaming him for the death of a young woman who died at a party a year earlier， and the girl in question just happened to be the daughter of the murdered island owner。 After learning that several other people received a similar letter， he too begins to suspect that something sinister is happening。I had to get my pen and ‘murder board’ notebook out for this one as it was truly excellent。 From start to finish you could get closer to who you think is responsible and then be sent off in a completely different direction。 I think at times I was too confident in my ‘armchair detective’ role honed from seasons of Midsomer Murders， and the author somehow knew this。 The second I got even remotely confident in my far-flung theory， he shot it down in an aggravatingly logical manner。 However， it wasn’t impossible to work out who was responsible， as long as you looked carefully past all the threads of misdirection expertly woven around this tale。 It would be too easy to claim this is a rip-off of ‘And Then There Were None’ – true it held the basic plot premise for this novel， but the twists and turns were excellently contrived and implemented。I was eventually confident I had worked it out as I was about 2/3 of the way through the novel， circling the name viciously before I had to sit back and wonder how the hell they did it。 Then came the big gasp moment， which， despite having a rough idea who was responsible， made my jaw drop and I had to put my tablet down for a second。 Nothing is as it seems in the novel， both for you or the characters， and it is wrapped up excellently in the final chapter which soothes all your burning questions by tying up all the loose ends in a way that makes you kick yourself for not seeing these things before （as they were there， I checked！）My only advice for any reader is to get yourself a copy of the map of Decagon House with their names in each room （you can get one from the first result on Google Images）。 This doesn’t provide any spoilers， but it definitely helped me envision the house， where people were and their relation to the other rooms （it is difficult to imagine a house with ten sides！）。 It was also far neater than my hastily scribbled drawing which looked like some misshapen circle instead of the precise angles of the book！ My thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the e-ARC of this translation！ 。。。more
ClareT
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A group of university students who are all members of a murder mystery club spend a week on an island， which itself was the scene of an unsolved mystery。 The eccentric owner of the island， his wife， and their two servants were killed and the house they lived in burned to the ground。 The only other person on the island， the gardener， disappeared。 All that is left is the Decagon House which is where the students will be staying。 The island has been bought by the uncle of one of the students， and s A group of university students who are all members of a murder mystery club spend a week on an island， which itself was the scene of an unsolved mystery。 The eccentric owner of the island， his wife， and their two servants were killed and the house they lived in burned to the ground。 The only other person on the island， the gardener， disappeared。 All that is left is the Decagon House which is where the students will be staying。 The island has been bought by the uncle of one of the students， and seven of them are dropped off by boat for a week。 There is no mobile signal and no one will be visiting them for seven days。Back on the mainland， two of the other members of the club receive a threatening letter signed by the previous owner of the island， accusing them of being complicit in the murder of his daughter， also a member of the murder mystery club。Not long after arriving on the island， a threat is left， with plates inscribed victims 1-5， the detective and the murderer。 And then the students are murdered， one by one。I really enjoyed this book， the tension on the island where no help is likely to come increases through the book。 The switch back and forth to the mainland where one of the recipients of the letters is trying to find out who sent the letters， why， and what really happened on the island， also pulls in other back parts of the story and in no way reduces the tension。If I had really thought about it， and， probably if I was reading the paperback， where it is easier to flip backwards and forwards， I probably could have figured out some of who did it， but not how。 But I didn't and it was a thoroughly entertaining read。 。。。more
Margrieta
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This book got me completely hooked up！ I’m not really into detective literature， however I could not stop reading it。 And I constantly kept built-up different theories， got one of them right！ Interesting characters， mystery， confusion， false leads， very well explained details （which in my opinion is extremely important in this genre）。 Just a small warning。。。 This book includes dismemberment of human bodies。 It feels like author has been inspired by Agatha Christie story “And then there were none This book got me completely hooked up！ I’m not really into detective literature， however I could not stop reading it。 And I constantly kept built-up different theories， got one of them right！ Interesting characters， mystery， confusion， false leads， very well explained details （which in my opinion is extremely important in this genre）。 Just a small warning。。。 This book includes dismemberment of human bodies。 It feels like author has been inspired by Agatha Christie story “And then there were none”， but I might be wrong。 Group of six students arrive on the inhabitant island where terrible murder happened a year ago。 They are all members of Literary Mystery club and are here to write some new story pieces。 They stay at the Decagon house， which has ten walls， ten rooms， ten angle tableware。 It all feels odd。 The murders start to happen。 And remaining students have to either solve this mystery or be the next victims。 At the same time， ex-club members （older generation） receive mysterious letters with accusations， and start their own mystery solving。 Therefore， we get to observe the story from two different points of view。 I’m impressed how detailed this book was！ Timelines， motives， each character looks， tempers。 Each character had famous crime author nicknames。 At times it felt slightly bland， but I guess that in the end it just made that suspense feeling escalate faster。 I’m sure this book would make everyone's brains work and constantly ask questions， but towards the end author gives us a complete conclusion （Which is different kind of satisfaction）。Thank you Netgalley and Pushkin Vertigo for E-ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Anita Salát
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Exactly how I like my crime stories！That was a real page turner and I enjoyed every bit of it！ If you are a fan of classic Agatha Christie， this is definitely for you。 Set on an island and on the mainland， two story lines running parallel， with just the right amount of back and forth。 It rarely happens that I need to read more than 90% of the book to find out what the heck is going on。I am grateful for Pushkin Press and NetGalley for an Advance Reading Copy。
Alisa
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Seven members of The Mystery Club go to the remote island。 Six months ago that island was a scene of 4 brutal and unexplainable murders as well as one disappearance。 The club members plan to stay there for a week and try to solve the crimes。 But it is not long before weird things begin to happen and the members start to die one by one。 Is someone else doing this to them or is it actually one of them？I love classic murder mysteries of the Golden age， just adore them。 So naturally I've read And th Seven members of The Mystery Club go to the remote island。 Six months ago that island was a scene of 4 brutal and unexplainable murders as well as one disappearance。 The club members plan to stay there for a week and try to solve the crimes。 But it is not long before weird things begin to happen and the members start to die one by one。 Is someone else doing this to them or is it actually one of them？I love classic murder mysteries of the Golden age， just adore them。 So naturally I've read And then there were none。 The Decagon House Murders is very much an homage to it。 The details are different but the overall situation is pretty much the same。 Agatha Christie's book is more atmospheric and bleak and this book reads lighter than that。 But there is an unmistakable Japanese atmosphere to it that I absolutely loved。 There was a lot of emphasis on human emotions and there they can drive us， as well as talk of the soul and destiny。 You will definitely like it if you enjoy the classic mysteries。 Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Genevieve Paquette
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Thank you to Netgally， Pushkin Vertigo and Yukito Ayatsuji for the chance to read The Decagon House Murders。 The author makes a point at the start， with one character stating that a good mystery novel is an intellectual puzzle， a game between reader and author。 They dismissed gritty realism， preferring the golden age classics: great detective/mansion/shady cast of residents/bloody murder/impossible crimes and never-before-seen tricks played by the murderer。 And this is exactly what Ayatsuji prov Thank you to Netgally， Pushkin Vertigo and Yukito Ayatsuji for the chance to read The Decagon House Murders。 The author makes a point at the start， with one character stating that a good mystery novel is an intellectual puzzle， a game between reader and author。 They dismissed gritty realism， preferring the golden age classics: great detective/mansion/shady cast of residents/bloody murder/impossible crimes and never-before-seen tricks played by the murderer。 And this is exactly what Ayatsuji provides us， the reader。 I'm not exactly an aficionado of golden age， locked room style mysteries。 （I have the same question every time。 After the first death， why would you stick around？） I feel they require too much suspension of disbelief。 But。。。I was hooked by the author's puzzle。 This was a lot of fun。 It's a quick read， with excellent pacing， that is genuinely hard to put down。 It only took me a few chapters to start guessing who would be the first to die （I was right！ Unfortunately， because the author did a great job setting it up so that you really felt for and even empathize with the character） and who the killer was （my first instinct was right， but I can't claim victory because at the two thirds mark， I gave up。 I couldn't decide。 There were just too many logical possibilities。 But then when the big reveal happened， I thought， ugh， yes！ It was so well plotted。 The clues are all there， and it is definitely possible to solve it yourself， which I appreciate。 It's always great when you come to the end of a mystery and it all just makes sense， no MacGuffins， no lazy plot twists that come out of nowhere， just a sense of satisfaction and appreciation of a really well plotted tale。 While I did have to suspend my disbelief a bit （again， after the first person died， I'd be finding a way off the island， asap。 No way would I be calmly spending the night with a corpse and an unknown killer！ I get that they're on an island， with no boat and no phone [again， gotta suspend my disbelief that a bunch of university educated crime enthusiasts would willingly walk into that situation。。。] but I'd be setting up a signal fire or something pretty much instantly）， I still enjoyed it， largely because of the skillful plotting， and how nicely everything came together in the end。 The characters were an interesting bunch。 Despite not having a lot of time with each of them， they still managed to come across as three-dimensional， believable people with distinct personalities and motivations。 It wasn't hard to get invested in what was happening to them。 The other thing was， I wasn't sure what the translation would be like。 I've never read a fiction book translated from the Japanese before。 I do read a lot of translated books， generally， though， and it can be hit or miss。 The translator sometimes injects too much of their native dialect， and it's distracting。 That's not the case， here。 While I obviously can't attest to the accuracy and faithfulness of the translation， I feel like they did a good job。 I liked the narrative style， and the prose was believable。 This was a great read。 Thanks again for the opportunity to check it out！ 。。。more
Theediscerning
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