#The Honjin Murders

[anne-bsd-bibliophile]

"You can't go around judging people on first impressions. That's how mistakes get made." - Yokomizo Seishi, The Honjin Murders

"The police investigate footprints and look for fingerprints. I take the results of these investigations and by piecing together all the available information logically, I am able to reach a conclusion. Those are my methods of deduction." - Yokomizo Seishi, The Honjin Murders

"The Killer had submitted the problem of a locked room murder and dared us to solve it. It was going to be a battle of wits. Perfect. Challenge accepted! If it was brains and logic and wit that were required, I was ready to do battle." - Yokomizo Seishi, The Honjin Murders

"In our world there are some things so dreadful, so terrifying that you would scarcely believe they existed. They are things that common sense and accepted practice would dictate are impossible, but they do exist. Out of reason... that's right. It's a mad state of affairs." - Yokomizo Seishi, Death on Gokumon Island

"Yet, while his unchanging gratitude and devotion to the priest's family were certainly commendable, Sahei failed to realize that everything - even gratitude - has a limit that should not be exceeded, and that his excessive gratitude toward the Nonomiya family would embroil his own kin in a series of bloody murders after his death." - Yokomizo Seishi, The Inugami Curse

"Thirty years can weave strange patterns in the tapestry of life." - Yokomizo Seishi, The Inugami Curse

"With the blind spot that had been hindering his thought process finally removed, everything had fallen into place for him with great speed. All day yesterday, he had been stacking building blocks of deductive reasoning in his mind, with the result that now he had reproduced the entire complex structure of the mystery." - Yokomizo Seishi, The Inugami Curse

"Were it not for the events that I am about to relate, doubtless my life would have continued in that impoverished, humdrum vein. But one day a spot of red was suddenly split on the grey of my life: I embarked on an adventure of dazzling mystery and stepped into a world of blood-chilling terror." - Yokomizo Seishi, The Village of Eight Graves

"Nothing is more frightening in this world than ignorance and stupidity." - Yokomizo Seishi, The Village of Eight Graves

"The events I am about to describe are filled with such darkness and sadness, are so cursed and hate-filled, that not a word I write can possibly offer the faintest glimmer of hope or relief. Even as the author, I cannot predict what the final sentence will be, but I fear that the relentless dread and darkness that precede it may end up overcoming the readers and crush their very spirits in its grasp." - Yokomizo Seishi, The Devil's Flute Murders

"Everyone here is a bit twisted somehow. All they feel for each other is suspicion, resentment and fear. I couldn't tell you why that is. It's as if they're all just waiting for their chance to stick the knife in. As if they think that if they don't, then they'll be on the other end of the blade." - Yokomizo Seishi, The Devil's Flute Murders

Yokomizo Seishi has also been added to the BSD-Bibliophile Online Library!

You can find more information about Yokomizo-sensei on the following pages: List of Books in English Quotes and Facts Collection Fun Facts Author Connections

[oldshrewsburyian]

My most recent read: a genre-savvy classic.

[blogmollylane]

Newly acquired:

The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton

The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo. Translated by Louise Heal Kawai.

[justfinishedreading]

The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo

The novel sets up an interesting “locked room” style murder, one in which a murder has occurred in a closed room with no clear indication of how the perpetrator came in or out. Visually this novel has a lot of cinematic elements; a traditional Japanese estate out in the countryside in the 1930s, a Katana stuck in the snow and the eerie music of a Koto instrument. Unfortunately I wasn’t a fan of the novel’s amateur detective, the scruffy and almost flippant Kosuke Kindaichi, or the story structure, opening with narration from a writer who has learnt of the Honjin Murders and decides to retell it with dialogue and reactions that clearly had to made up since there was no record of certain interactions. But what I disliked most was the irony: The Honjin Murders is essentially a book about misogyny, clear in it’s themes, with a good message, but written by an author who barely allows his female characters to speak, with most given so little personality they are nothing more than “the wife”, “the cook”, “the maid”. Sure this is a product of its time and of a certain culture, maybe it even does this intentionally, but I can never fall in love with a book that uses this as a character’s sole description: “As for his wife, Akiko, there was nothing particularly distinctive about her; she was just an ordinary woman, obedient to her husband.”

Review by Book Hamster

[very-grownup]

Book 34, 2023

Kindaichi, the detective solving "The Honjin Murders" as well as other mysteries by Seishi Yokomizo (most famously "The Inugami Clan"), is the perfect scruffy weirdo for people who love Columbo but want a traditional technically solvable (Yokomizo namedrops "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" in-novel) mystery novel. Tight, no fluff, under 200 pages, just a weird little guy wandering into a crime and some family drama partway through events. Love a little weirdo.

[thefirsteverdraft]

[dramaswithasideofkimchi]

A Fangirl Book Review: The Honjin Murders

Telzey's been reading Japanese mystery novels! Come see what she thought of #TheHonjinMurders -- is this the whodunit you've been looking for?

A few books by Japan’s most famous mystery writer have recently been translated into English and published! When I heard that, I just had to get my own copy of the first one, The Honjin Murders, which was originally published in 1945. What do you think? Will it hold up? (more…)

[leonawriter]

Gotta admit, it does throw me out of the flow when old Japanese authors refer to "K- street" or whatever. Like-

I read "aloud" inside my head! How am I supposed to "pronounce" any of these?!

[aroacehanzawa]

A. A. Milne of winnie the pooh fame wrote a mystery novel???

[deductivisms]

kindaichikun

[mt-oe]

OK, MIZU X VERY CLINGY READER?? like reader deadass will NOT let go of Mizu unless necessary and mizu will tease reader about it in a loving way. like just imagine reader snuggling on top of Mizu and resting their head on her abdomen and she just says something in a teasing voice like- “mm you just gonna keep holding onto me like that, love?” OH MY GODSOMEONE NEEDS TO MAKE MY BRAIN SHUT UP PLS😭

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

Hey dear!

Thank you so much for the very cute and sweet request <3 Finally, a reason to push my drunk reader agenda forward www

Also, sorry if this took longer than usual. Hospital wifi sucked and my draft didn't save ;; I had to re-write a whole chunk purely from memory.

Not sure what is considered as 'lightweight' or whatever since I never really thought of those things when I drink, so if it's too much or too little then..oopsies.

Hope you enjoy! Mwa mwa :*

warning/s: not proofread, short, mention of vomiting (mild), she/her for mizu, implied afab reader

It was already a few hours past midnight. Mizu was laying down on the couch, reading a random book she had found in the book store. 'The Honjin Murders' was the title. The cover looked cool and even had a knife on it, so it definitely got her attention. Because as much as she didn't want to judge a book by its cover, she's only human. We have our moments like that.

On her chest was her girlfriend, eyes closed, and cheeks flushed and warm. An occasional mumbling noise or a slurred-out random question like 'do you think I can fight a bear with my bare hands?' would come from you. Mizu wouldn't admit it but she was having the time of her life right now.

You had just gotten back from a girl's night out with your friends. A little way of catching up after a whole semester of not seeing each other. Akemi and the others invited her too, but she wasn't really a big fan of the effects alcohol had on her body and opted to stay at home.

Upon opening the door, the sight of your heavily flushed face, drunken unconscious smile and the disheveled appearance of Ise and the other girls greeted her. You all reeked of alcohol, heavy perfume, and a bit of tobacco. "Umm..girlfriend delivery..?" Akemi chimed awkwardly, sweat dropping at the miffed look on Mizu's face.

She narrowed her eyes in response to the little joke as her eyes landed on you. "I was hoping you'd bring her back conscious," she said in a low tone, making them laugh nervously. You were being held up by two of Akemi's friends, face heavily flushed, hair tossed out of the hairdo you put it in earlier, and your lipstick was replaced by a thin sheen of saliva. With a sigh, she gently wrapped her arms around you before picking you up bridal style, cringing at the smell of beer coming from you.

The moment you felt her warmth around your figure, you opened your eyes slowly, blinking the blurriness brought by intoxication off before letting out a grunt. She felt you tilt your head upwards, looking at her before furrowing your eyebrows together, finger raised up to poke at her chin. "Would youu...rather have...urgh..my nipples are rubbing against my bra."

Yep.

That was definitely her cue to bring you inside.

After bringing you in, the 'full caretaker girlfriend' mode in her brain switched on. She immediately helped you get dressed into something comfy, removed your makeup and did your skincare for you, and handed everything you said you needed even though you didn't need it. Hell, she even shoved her finger down your throat to help you vomit.

You were her little intoxicated princess tonight.

Once she was done helping you out, she completely expected you to go to sleep after. Little did she know that you've decided to be the clingy-type of drunk tonight. A small strangled-like gasp escaped her throat as you pulled her by the back of her collar, burying your face on her neck. "Nooooo don't go!" you cried against her skin.

She tried her best to get you to sleep, knowing full well that you were going to be the grouchiest hungover in the morning, but whatever she tried didn't work. Watching youtube videos, having a staring contest with you, playing slow songs. Now, she was stuck with you laying on her chest as she read her book.

"Would you still love me if I was a worm?" you asked her, speech still a bit slurred. Mizu raised an eyebrow at your odd question. Realistically, she knew she wouldn't, but reality didn't really matter when it comes to love. Only her girlfriend's happiness did.

She closed her book slightly to look down at you. Her breath hitched slightly as your glossy eyes looked back up at her, melting at the adorable sight. "Of course I would," she answered, giving your head a little pat.

"Liar," you huffed, closing your eyes as you nuzzled against her. "I see you step on worms all the time. You'd step on me too."

She huffed back at you with an amused smile. She could feel the pout in your voice. "I promise I wo—"

"It's okay," you cut her off with a drunken giggle. You looked back up at her, trying to lift your head but the remaining alcohol in your system allowed you to do so for a few seconds before you crashed back on to her chest. "I'd let you step on me."

Mizu rolled her eyes at your response. "You're very drunk. You know that?" she asked you, setting her book down on the carpet to pinch your cheek. "How did they even get you this drunk?" The playful exasperation was heavy in her voice.

You grinned at her, snuggling your face in between her breasts. "Well.." you trailed off, giggling a bit. "We haaad...Jager in a pretty preeeeeetty frozen little shot glass, then we washed that down with beer.."

A slight shiver went down her spine as she felt your hot breath against her collarbone. Her hands moving your hair to cool you off a bit. "Then..we had Cuervo. Then we tried this...this..cocktail that tasted like chocolate.."

"No wonder," she sighed, wrapping her arms around you. Although Mizu had admittedly had her fair share of bad experiences with drunks (mostly leading to fist fights), she had to admit, you were definitely the cutest one yet. "Next time, try to drink a bit more responsibly, okay?"

You shook your head at her words, wrapping your arms around her tighter. "I don't want to drink responsibly. I want my girlfriend," you whined, making her snort. You were definitely still too drunk for this conversation. "My girlfrieeeeend.."

"And who's your girlfriend? What's she like?" Maybe if she played along, she could finally get you to sleep. Blue eyes watched you sigh, melting into her arms with a dreamy smile. "My girlfriend is...my Mizu!" you answered, laughing slightly as your head rested against her breast.

She could feel your arms hold onto her tighter, weight pushing down against her's as you started to get a bit more excited. "She's the prettiest, coolest, grumpiest person ever..and she's mine!" you rambled, an amused laugh escaping her lips at your words. "H-Hey! Don't laugh!"

Mizu smiled at you apologetically as you continued to pout at her in drunken grumpiness. "Sorry, sorry. How 'bout we go to bed and take a nap so you can see her in the morning?" she asked, still playing along. "No! Dun' wanna!" you replied in a bratty tone, huffing once again. "You're staying with me!"

Your arms held on to her tighter, legs wrapping around her's almost possessively. "Mmm..So you're just going to keep holding on to me like that, love?" she said teasingly. At your nod, she chuckled and lifted you a bit higher so your head rested against the pillow, nestled near her neck.

Slowly, she felt your body relax, fingers releasing their grip on her shirt. The rhythm of your breathing becoming steadier, the depth increasing. Once again, she picked up her book and continued to read, wanting to pass a bit more time to make sure you were fast asleep.

However, while she was half into the book, you suddenly lifted your head again. She raised an eyebrow, a bit taken back at the sudden movement. "What is it, love?" she asked, getting ready to get whatever you needed just in case.

Your eyes blinked sleepily before you leaned your head down, planting a kiss on her lips. "G'night..I love youu," you mumbled with a soft little smile before crashing back onto the pillow. She blinked in both surprise and mild astonishment.

A goodnight kiss?

While drunk out of your wits?

Lord help her.

There was no way she could fight off a smile after that display. How did she score such a cute wife? Mizu had to take a few deep breaths to keep herself from laughing at how cute that was. Who cares if you woke up grumpy from your hangover? This was definitely worth it.

[bsd-bibliophile]

Happy Birthday Yokomizo Seishi-sensei!

To celebrate Yokomizo Seishi’s birthday here are his top three quotes from my recent survey:

Quote #5:

"In our world there are some things so dreadful, so terrifying that you would scarcely believe they existed. They are things that common sense and accepted practice would dictate are impossible, but they do exist. Out of reason… that's right. It's a mad state of affairs."

- Yokomizo Seishi, Death on Gokumon Island

Quote #4:

"Everyone here is a bit twisted somehow. All they feel for each other is suspicion, resentment and fear. I couldn't tell you why that is. It's as if they're all just waiting for their chance to stick the knife in. As if they think that if they don't, then they'll be on the other end of the blade."

- Yokomizo Seishi, The Devil's Flute Murders

Quote #3:

"Thirty years can weave strange patterns in the tapestry of life."

- Yokomizo Seishi, The Inugami Curse

Quote #2:

"Nothing is more frightening in this world than ignorance and stupidity."

- Yokomizo Seishi, The Village of Eight Graves

Quote #1:

"You can't go around judging people on first impressions. That's how mistakes get made."

- Yokomizo Seishi, The Honjin Murders

[akkivee]

saw this tweet that matched the style of everyone’s detective fit

ramuda➡️edogawa conan (detective conan)

gentaro➡️father brown (father brown)

dice➡️chuuzenji akihiko (kyougokudou)

kuukou➡️kindaichi kousuke (the honjin murders)

jyushi➡️hercule poirot (agatha christie’s poirot)

hitoya➡️sherlock holmes (sherlock holmes)

[illusoryfem]

2023 Reads

(☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞ Will reblog and update monthly. 

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (💖)

The Beauty and the Spindler by Neil Gaiman

The Nutcracker by E. T. A Hoffman

Burnout Society by Byung-Chul Han (💖)

House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (💖)

How Fiction Works by James Wood (💖)

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (💖)

 The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy (💖)

 Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

Quarto de Despejo / Child of the Dark by Carolina Maria de Jesus (💖)

 O Sujeito na Contemporaneidade by Joel Birman

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez (💖)

Cunk on Everything: The Encyclopedia Philomena by Jason A. Hazeley, Joel P. Morris

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

Western Attitudes Toward Death by Philippe Ariès (💖)

Equal Rites (Discworld, #3; Witches, #1) by Terry Pratchett

Wyrd Sisters (Discworld #6; Witches, #2) by Terry Pratchett (💖)

The Palliative Society by Byung-Chul Han

Death with Interruptions by José Saramago (💖)

Suspiria de Profundis by Thomas de Quincey

The Horror Film essays organized by Stephen Prince (💖)

Carrie by Stephen King (💖)

A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh

The White Album by Joan Didion (💖)

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

The Psychology of C. G. Jung by Jolande Jacobi

Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones

O que é Arte by Jorge Coli

The Battle of Versailles by Robin Ghivan

Intercourse by Andrea Dworkin (💖)

The Devil Crept In by Ania Ahlborn

Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué

Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon

On Dreams & Death by Marie-Louise von Franz

Bunny Lake is Missing by Evelyn Piper

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo (💖)

[lau-and-history]

Books of 2023

Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie

Die Dorfschullehrerin (Duology) by Eva Völler

Die rätselhaften Honjin-Morde by Seishi Yokomizo

The Man who died Twice by Richard Osman

Die Abenteur des Apollo (Series) by Rick Riordan

The Age of Darkness: Das Ende der Welt by Katy Rose Pool

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Before the Coffee gets Cold. Tales form the Café by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie

The Bullet that missed by Richard Osman

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Before your Memory fades by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan

Victory City by Salman Rushdie

The Penelopiad by Margret Atwood

He who drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan

Audio Books

Der grillende Killer by Chang Kuo-Li

Butter by Asako Yuzuki

Die Tribute von Panem X: Das Lied von Vogel und Schlange by Suzanne Collins

Der Pfirsichgarten by Melissa Fu

Wie viel von diesen Hügeln ist Gold by C Pam Zhang

Die Drei ??? und die rätselhaften Bilder by William Arden

Die Tage in der Buchhandlung Morisaki by Satoshi Yagisawa

Mortal Engines (Quadrology) by Philip Reeve

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

[asagirisfavoritepen]

Alright, let's talk about Yokomizo! He was based on Yokomizo Seishi. And this Yokomizo Seishi is a... writer! What does it mean when you're based off a writer in BSD? You have an ability!

My theory is that his ability is based on "The Honjin Murders", according to Wiki, his most popular book. The book is about Kosuke Kindaichi, a detective, who has to solve a case of "a locked room" . This method of killing is used in BSD in Poe's novel, when he challenged Ranpo (ep. 22). But what could his ability be? Well, what if he's ability is solving any murder mystery? Like Ranpo's, but for real. And that's why he was writing mystery novels.

Anyway, even if that isn't his ability, why is he the only faceless character? I'm no expert, but when a character's face isn't shown it means he will be important and/or he was important in someone's background and this will be revealed later in the story (based on how the show is going, my money's on Dazai). And since Yokomizo is dead, he won't appear later (assuming Asagiri won't start bringing characters back to life). Which means we would get more information about him from someone else's backstory, not just Mushitaro's. Assuming my theory is right and he will appear in another light novel with Dazai's background, was he part of the Mafia? I doubt that. Then did he know Dazai from before his Mafia days?

Anyway, please, lemme know what y'all think.