Inspector Imanishi Investigates

Utterly compelling… The plot is classic Poirot. What sets this apart is Matsumoto’s delicate portrayal of a country recovering from war and undergoing enormous cultural change * TLS *
Patient, meticulous stories that offer an anatomy of a society as much as a picture of a crime * Economist *
A stylish mystery novel written by one of Japan’s most popular authors … First-rate storytelling … Inspector Imanishi deserves to be welcomed to the ranks of international crime fiction * New York Times *
The most intricate web of detection … A tantalizing double unveiling act … Belongs on your shelf next to Christie and Simenon, P.D. James and Robert Van Gulik. A superb thriller * LA Times *
Beautiful and melancholic, Inspector Imanishi Investigates is not just an ingenious and elegant mystery, but a fascinating window into 1960s Japan – Paula Hawkins
An absolute classic, and a whole new world to explore … irresistible – Lee Child
In this 1960s crime novel, the setting is as enticing as the plot… thoroughly satisfying – Barry Turner * Daily Mail *
Reminds me of [John le Carré’s] writing … fascinating … It’s a moment of transition in Japan; new ideas are spreading, new contexts are forming. There’s traditional beauty still, but modernity is yammering to be let in … Highly recommended – Nick Harkaway, author of Titanium Noir
Seicho Matsumoto’s Inspector Imanshi Investigates explores post-war Japan, its anxieties and struggles for a new identity. With an engaging older detective and an enthusiastic younger sidekick, this is a book lovers of traditional crime fiction will understand and enjoy – Ann Cleeves
A more considered work than Tokyo Express, although one similarly interested in train travel. Set in 1960, the writing brings up a Japan before high-speed trains, one that is more alive to differences, not least in dialect, between particular areas… A well-presented book… Deserves being in the library of all interested in detective fiction – Jeremy Black * Critic *
A blood-drop on a cherry blossom, an ageless masterwork from the master himself, Seicho Matsumoto paved the way for Japanese crime fiction with good reason. Inspector Imanishi Investigates is a beguiling omakase of a novel – a fascinating exploration of tradition versus modernity, a contemplation of human darkness and a silk-smooth murder mystery. As Imanishi investigates death, so too the reader investigates a post-war Japan in metamorphosis. Matsumoto etches himself in time with this elegy to the Japanese detective – Nicolás Obregón

Seicho Matsumoto was born in 1909 in Fukuoka, Japan. Self-educated, Matsumoto published his first book when he was forty years old and he quickly established himself as a master of crime fiction. His exploration of human psychology and Japanese post-war malaise, coupled with the creation of twisting, dark mysteries, made him one of the most acclaimed and best-selling writers in Japan. He received the prestigious Akutagawa Literary Prize in 1950 and the Kikuchi Kan Prize in 1970. He died in 1992.

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