Veromika's Reviews > The Devil's Flute Murders

This was my first Japanese muder mystry novel, which even with it's western influences left an inimitable impression on me.

Following our humble vagabond detective, Kosuke Kindaichi, unravel an upsetting familial murder mystery in a post world war era Japan formed for a great reading experience. Since the book was probably written after his character and his mannerisms were well established, I felt like I missed out on understanding the essense of Kindaichi. The book though follows the standard template and gives us a genius who satisfactorily solves a locked-room murder mystery. Maybe not a savant-level genius but instead an above-average intelligent and sensitive man in a kimono.

I liked the picturesque description that painted the image of the era and planted me right in the middle of Kindaichi's adventures. I have to say that Kindaichi is a lot more expressive and deviates from the stoicism we've come to expect from literary detectives. He gasps, he closes his eyes in frustration, he scratches his hair, he emotes like any other character and seems more relatable and real because of it. I liked that there is no aura of secrecy around him and he feels shock, surprise, and frustration right alongside the reader.

The story in itself is nothing deviantly original, although it did maintain its integrity and packs a neatly drafted mystery. I'm not one to try and guess the culprit with every crook of the story, I'd rather the story unveil by itself and deliver it's finale. And I really enjoyed what this book had to offer.