Name: The Tokyo Zodiac Murders
Rating: 4 (32 reviews)
ISBN: 9784925080811

Sōji Shimada

島田荘司

A gripping tale of magic and illusion by Japan's master mystery storyteller.

The Tokyo Zodiac Murders

Jason Lo

I think this pure objective style is not for me.

Layla

Been months since the last time I saw someone recommended this book but I finally get the chance to read it now. The plot and the characters make me feel so intrigued from the very first, and have their own.. unexplainable charms. I also love how Mitarai is absolutely amazing and unique... He's full of mystery, and affection. And Ishioka? I totally love him. Feels like seeing myself in him

Soji Shimada

Astrologer, fortuneteller, and self-styled detective Kiyoshi Mitarai must in one week solve a macabre murder mystery that has baffled Japan for 40 years. Who murdered the artist Umezawa, raped and killed his daughter, and then chopped up the bodies of six others to create Azoth, the supreme woman? With maps, charts, and other illustrations, this story of magic and illusion, pieced together like a great stage tragedy, challenges the reader to unravel the mystery before the final curtain.

Lauren 

So starts off super creepy ( I had to check my door was locked and everything) and then its so confusing, my guess was very wrong but still enjoyed the aha moment

Santosh Singh

First half of the book might be a bit disappointing but after that it proves to be one of the best and genre defining murder mystery. Surely worth a read for anyone who loves the genre of murder mystery/crime novels.

Jayarna La Bozzetta

4.5 stars. This had me obsessed, absolutely loved it!

Christine Liu

I almost didn't read this because it opens with a manifesto of astrology-obsessed artist Heikichi Umezawa, detailing his plan to murder six women and use them to assemble the perfect woman, and I didn't need to read that. But when chapter two picks up, 40 years have passed and you find out that before he could commit his murders, Umezawa was killed in a studio whose only door was locked from the inside. But someone else has killed and dismembered the women just as he'd described, and the case has never been solved.

This is the first of Shimada's books featuring Kiyoshi Mitarai, a Holmes-esque fortune teller who in the present has been approached by a client with new information related to the unsolved murders. He and his friend, illustrator Kazumi Ishioka (the Watson character), decide to look into the case and attempt to succeed where many have failed before. This story is absolutely captivating, and I had a lightbulb moment when the puzzle pieces started to click into place. The solution is both ingenious and satisfying.

The Tokyo Zodiac Murders

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