4 stars

While mysteries are not my favourite genre I am always happy to read books by new-to-me Japanese authors and this one, a translation of a whodunit mystery originally published in 1948, is a genre classic and also promised some insights into the life and state of mind of Japanese people after the war, in particular the tattoo culture (which is very different from the west).

The story is told from the perspective of Kenzo Matsushita, the younger bother of a police detective who is tasked with investigating a bizarre locked room murder, the victim being a woman with a whole-body-tattoo. During the investigations additional bodies start turning up while many of the leads fail to produce any promising suspects and things instead get more and more mysterious. Kenzo is taking some very personal interest in this investigation as he actually got to know the first victim rather personally just shortly before her violent demise. And so in addition to his brother at the police he is also trying to help investigations on his own.

The solution of this murder eventually needs some help from a brilliant schoolmate of Kenzo's who in the best manner of Sherlock Holmes is the only one who can put all of the many bits of information together in a way that presents a whole picture and in typical whodunit fashion it is pretty constructed but ingeniously so.

The mystery part of the story was engaging, although I wasn't a big fan of the genius ex machina who turned up at the right time to help and solve it all (because without him the plot would just have hit the wall). However, what actually kept me reading was my interest in the people. This is something that I feel is found with many Japanese authors - they have a particular way of portraying their characters that is rich in details that make them feel like actual, real people that behave and talk in a very realistic and natural way. It's something that makes for a rich and relatable reading experience.

I was also very interested in the many glimpses of life in Tokyo just after war when the collective Japanese soul was kind of broken and life was difficult. Yes, of course the Japanese military and government acted in absolutely hideous ways, but I don't think that negates the impact of losing the war on the normal people. They still struggled to get food and return back to some sort of normality in a bombed out Tokyo and I appreciated those insights.

With this being written in postwar Japan one cannot be surprised to read some very old fashioned positions on women and how they are supposed to behave. Since this is set in the somewhat seedy, demimonde-adjacent world of tattoos there is of course some talk of improper women and their insatiable sexual behaviour. But, I do have to say, I found that these topics were actually handled with a lot more reflection and complexity than I would have expected. Different sides of this world were actually considered and even the academic appeal was discussed.

I really liked the translation by Deborah Boehm! It was idiomatic and felt natural while still being able to maintain some of the feel of the Japanese language.

All in all this is highly recommended for anyone who is into mysteries, whodunits in particular, and/or a part of Japanese culture that is usually portrayed in a very clichéd way (but not here). 

I have received an advance review copy via NetGalley from the publisher and voluntarily provide my honest opinion. Thank you very much!

I recently read The Tattoo Murder, originally published in 1948, and I am obsessed with it. I went in expecting a cozy crime (Let me warn you, it features gory scenes compared to your usual cozy crime read) and found myself squeezed tight into a thrilling, electrifying murder mystery featuring tattooed women. Unputdownable

With their flawless contrast between the beauty of the art itself and the transgression it represents, the initial pages of this book quickly immerse us in the world of Japanese tattoos, or irizumi. There is a well-known doctor who collects tattoos on human flesh; a forensic student who is unwittingly drawn into Kinue's life; a wealthy and envious boyfriend who seeks to keep Kinue locked up and hidden from view so he may have her all to himself. Because of Kinue's beauty and rebelliousness, many people may be interested in killing her. However, the author appears to enjoy wearing the reader out as they pursue the answer through tiresome theories and potential solutions that are discussed at the table.

How incredible to discover this book and finally be able to enjoy the translated version. A fantastic locked room tale, it’s really gripping and would highly recommend,

When i saw this title i was incredibly intrigued and it was initially what drew me to this book. A murder mystery all surrounding tattoos? Sign me up!!

this was originally published in 1948, and has only just been translated! It gave a really interesting insight into japanese culture, especially the taboos around tattoos and their meanings. I adored the tale that went with the main tattoos in the story, and the powerful moment at the competition when her back was shown off. I can just imagine the looks on the crowds faces.

I really liked the concept of this murder mystery, but i felt alot of the characterss (as lovely as they were) lacked depth which would have engaged me slightly more. It was also quite long and slow paced and i felt myself really pushing to finish it which shouldnt have been the case in a murder mystery book which was slightly disappointing. however, because it was written in 1948, i'll forgive this in the same way that i forgive UK classics to be slower than modern reads.

Unfortunately this was just not for me, I tried 3 times but eventually gave up. I don’t give up on a book easily but this was not to be,

I have a little bit of an obsession lately with Japanese crime novels, every single one I read has always ended up being absolutely fiendish and I couldn’t resist picking this one up! Particularly as I have tattoos myself!

One of the things that I found fun about this, was the historical setting and detail but that’s mostly because I’d recently done a lot of research into the time period for a university paper and probably had more context than most! Still, post-war Japan is brilliantly depicted as well as the tattoo scene with it being somewhat of a forbidden art. Tattoos aren’t exactly widely accepted there now as far as I’m aware so it was interesting to see why there was such a stigma.

While we have a creepy Doctor that genuinely is out here asking for peoples skins so he can preserve their tattoos when they die, and a murder or two, I unfortunately found this book quite hard to get through.

Like I said, it’s a really good depiction of post-war Japan and the stigma around tattoos, there’s a lot of Japanese culture within this book but it does slow the pace down and I found my attention wandering as I kind of wondered what this had to do with anything.

There was no thriller element to this, I wasn’t particularly tense or on the edge of my seat and perhaps if I was in the right mood I might have appreciated the wealth of culture and historical detail. As it was, while this wrapped up well and was certainly fiendish in its own way, I found this quite a slow read that was a bit of a slog to get through in the end!

I did not finish this novel as it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting for one of these novels. I loved the mystery and the thrilling aspects of this, however, it was too predictable for me. I wish it had a little bit more to it than was provided, the characters also needed further developing as the main characters all had very similar characteristics and behaviours.

Another fiendishly clever murder case from Japan. Fans of the genre will relish the puzzle.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

Thank you to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for this ARC! This review is voluntarily written by me.

Truthfully, this book is not easy to read and review for me. I am amazed with the crime and how the cases are linked and solved and the tattoo culture and superstition were laced up in the crime. However, it is not particularly an easy read for me especially around the first two-third of the story-. I don’t know the exact reason whether it is the writing or the plot that affects my reading but it becomes better, fast-paced, and intense towards the end. The crimes are bizarre, puzzling and carefully done. This story also shows the life of Japanese people after World War 2 and their Japanese tattoo culture which plays an important theme in this story and the cases. In my opinion, this story shows how culture or customs can be used to manipulate a crime, making it hard to solve. In conclusion, I will recommend this book for any readers that want to read a mystery and know more about culture and life of people at that time (tattoo and post-WW2 in Tokyo in this story) at the same time.

When the body of a tattooed woman he’s secretly involved with turns up hacked to pieces, Kenzo Matsushita decides to play amateur detective and help his brother, the Chief of Police, solve the case. Despite his bumbling around, I initially believed he’d be the one to get to the bottom of the case. However, he turned out to be just a stand-in for the reader, which would be perfectly acceptable except for the fact that Kenzo is sometimes so naïve and jumps to conclusions so easily you can’t help but be frustrated with him. 

The true amateur detective, the Boy Genius (a nickname he hates), is an old schoolmate of Kenzo’s–Kyosuke Kamizu, who uses his theory of criminal economics to solve the murder. He is quite the fascinating character, and it is unfortunate that he is only present for the final third of the book. I love the boy genius trope, which is quite common in Japanese crime fiction, from Edogawa Ranpo’s Kogoro Akechi to Seishi Yokomizo’s Kosuke Kindaichi (that's a lot of Ks).  ­­­

The original investigation has been going on for a few months and has stagnated by the time Kyosuke even enters the story. We first experience the events as they happen, then we suffer through Kenzo’s investigative attempts, and finally, we have Kyosuke interviewing suspects and debating possible solutions before the final reveal. There are a lot of layers to the mystery and the various events add up in the end, but the multiple renditions can be frustrating especially because Kenzo is incredibly clueless. 

Regardless of the likeability of some of the characters (read Kenzo), the novel is really good. The translation is excellent. Most relevant terms are retained in Japanese, which allows for better immersion into the world. The mystique around the tattoos and their mythology is built beautifully. Akimitsu Takagi researched the industry in great detail and was a photographer and real-life witness to the tattoo scene in post-war Japan. His photographs from that time are considered a treasure trove of art history and have recently been published as a book.

Fans of classic Japanese murder mysteries like Murder in the Crooked House by Soji Shimada and The Inugami Curse by Seishi Yokomizo will no doubt enjoy this book. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars, only because we get too much of Kenzo and not enough of Kyosuke. 


Thank you NetGalley and Pushkin Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I started reading this book but couldn't get into it. The premiss sounded interesting but when i attempted to read it, it couldn't keep my attention. So, I gave up as this book isn't for me

It’s 1947. Following Japan's defeat in World War II, Tokyo is in ruins, and at night, prostitutes, delinquents, petty thieves, and American soldiers walk the streets. At the first gathering of the Edo Tattoo Society Kinue Nomura reveals her full-body snake tattoo, also known as a horimono, to the audience. A few days later Kinue is found dead and her torso on which the impressive tattoo was inked has disappeared into thin air.

Full review: https://westwordsreviews.wordpress.com/2022/11/08/the-tattoo-murders-akimitsu-takagi/

This book was fascinating - set and written in Japan in the 1940s, it gave me so many fascinating insights about this time period. I also liked the lively depictions of several characters. The mystery itself was "obviously" quite convoluted, and not sure I was convinced by the back and forth of point of views at the beginning. The translation itself was interesting, probably challenging to do. It read as more "modern" than the 1940s and while it helped me get into the book more quickly and read it fast, it was also a bit jarring at times. But it's really hard to do :)

I want to thank NetGalley and Pushkin Press for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This type of Japanese mysteries are always fascinating and this one is an interesting novel as it talks about the post war Japan and how it was
The puzzle is complex and I liked how it kept me guessing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This was a very interesting read that enabled me to learn more about Japanese culture as I am not well versed on this. This was a fantastic read.

This book held so much promise for me - it’s the first time it had been translated into English and the premise of it - set after the 2nd world war, in Japan where a killer is at work, keeping tattooed skin as a trophy.

However, it took such a long time to get to the ‘meat’ of the story that I was tempted to shelve this book. I feel sometimes there was simply too much ‘non story’ - it’s overwhelming in some parts, and downright boring in others. Some of the story is stilted, which is to be expected sometimes with translated books, but there seems to be a fair amount of repetition and some paragraphs are clearly just filler.

For me, it’s a 3 stars (generously rounded up). Plain and simple.

This was a dark, fascinating read. I liked the first half more than the latter half, but I think it was still good. The murder mystery plot was unique. My most favorite part in this book is the Japanese culture. You truly get immersed in and it was interesting to read about post-war Japan. Certain aspects of the story however pulled it down. I felt like some explanations were too long-winded, and in these parts I felt myself getting bored and itching for the story to go on. Still, I think it's a nice atmospheric read that a lot of people will enjoy.

In post-WWII Tokyo, Kinue Nomura disappears days after revealing her full-body tattoo at the Edo Tattoo Society. A mystery presents itself when a body is found at her home locked inside the bathroom, however due to the dismemberment there is no tattoo to be found. Kenzo sets about investigating with the help of his genius friend, Kyosuke, desperate to find the truth about what happened to his lover Kinue. However it soon becomes clear that the murderer does not intend to stop anytime soon as more bodies are discovered.

I really enjoyed this book - it was very unique and like nothing I have read before.

Akimitsu Takagi does such a brilliant job at creating suspense, I was completely hooked and often felt like I was on the edge of my seat!

The characters felt quite varied which made for an interesting combination.

The story felt like an insight into a completely different culture which was fascinating in itself. I love it when a book transports you to a place that you know little about.

This book is the very definition of a locked room mystery, but with so much intrigue surrounding it.

Thank you NetGalley and Pushkin Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

A slow building, but ultimately thrilling classic that takes you on exploration of post-war Tokyo in a way that immerses you into this book so quickly and with a plot that throw clues and red herrings at you throughout.

A really enjoyable read, highly recommend.