I was looking for a new murder mystery experience, and noticed the Yokomizo novels advertised or commented about somewhere. So I got this one, and also The Inugami curse, which I believe is his first detective novel, setting him on the road to success.
   I have to admit t not being all that impressed. The detective, Kosuke Kindaichi, doesn’t seem to do all that much detecting. His main attribute is that he rubs his hair all over the place when he gets excited, which seems to offend everyone in the vicinity. I presume this is the way we get to ‘know’ the character, but it doesn’t work all that well. The plots are convoluted and events are often described more than once, in a recapping sort of way, which gets a bit tedious. I suppose the one interesting thing in the books is that you get a picture of Japanese life in the previous century. But as an absorbing murder mystery? Not so much.
   I don’t really recommend these books unless you are truly desperate for a murder mystery read.