... a sort of high def 'who done it?'. Shimada has absorbed the ethos and structure of the format and used it to great effect in this charming and engaging novel ... Shimada also has a deep understanding of the Golden Age of crime fiction, and an eye for the things that made the best writing of the period so good ... an intriguing mix of Western and the Japanese culture ... An awful lot of fun, a joy for fans of crime fiction history, and a book to curl up with on a cold night.
... a terrifying, grisly locked-room mystery ... a clever and engaging mystery whose clues are revealed at a satisfying pace. The novel is translated with clarity and humor, and wordplay hints at the mystery’s solution. Each scenario is delivered in exacting detail, down to the angle of the victim’s legs and the orientation of the furniture. Descriptions of the house and its location are particular and help to set scenes ... Hamamoto’s house is a deadly, entrancing puzzle box with new scares behind each door.
... brilliant ... will thrill fans of golden age puzzle mysteries ... The tension rises as one impossibility follows another before an effective and dramatic reveal. Shimada combines fantastic crimes with a logical and fair solution likely to stump even the most astute readers.
The prolific Shimada deserves to have more of his work translated into English. He creates a delightfully intricate murder puzzle with retro charm, bound to tantalize readers.
