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.

I really liked the plot and characters of this work but the part that I struggled with was the translation. The book is set post World War 2 Japan but I found that at times the characters spoke in a very modern way that didn't work well with the time period. It was very jarring to read and took me right out of the book.

In Tokyo 1947 there is a meeting of the Edo Tattoo society; a beautiful, young woman Kinue Nomura reveals her full body snake tattoo and wins the competition but soon afterwards is brutally murdered and her torso with the tattoo removed from the crime scene. Will this locked room mystery be solved or are all tattooed people at risk of being murdered for their tattoos? Will the police be able to stop the perpetrator before they strike again?

I loved this locked room mystery novel; the cast of colourful characters as well as the setting were gripping and the tension was unsettling as to who may be the next target. The unravelling of the case and the methodology to solve the crime was perfect and I felt like I couldn't put the book down until all had been revealed; a 5 start read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review

Thank you for approving my access to this novel. Goodness gracious! Where do I even begin? I thought I was ready, mentally, for Japanese crime novels but this blew my mind. I have no way of talking about the book without dropping spoilers. Ugh! Can't wait for more readers to experience this.

The Tattoo Murder by Akimitsu Takagi.
Tokyo, 1947. At the first post-war meeting of the Edo Tattoo Society, Kinue Nomura reveals her full-body snake tattoo to rapturous applause. Days later she is gone. A dismembered corpse is discovered in the locked bathroom of her home, but her much-coveted body art is nowhere to be found. Kinue's horrified lover joins forces with the boy detective Kyosuke Kamizu to try to get to the bottom of the macabre crime, but similar deaths soon follow. Is someone being driven to murder by their lust for tattooed skin, and can they be stopped?
A good read. Likeable story and characters. 4*.

A Masterful Conundrum..
A masterful conundrum in this cleverly written whodunnit, first published in 1948. A classic Japanese murder mystery, set post war Tokyo, 1947. A full body tattoo, a missing woman, a dismembered corpse, a macabre and grotesque crime, further gruesome killings and an ingenious and intricate puzzle. Atmospheric and richly described with a carefully crafted cast of characters, perfectly plotted and genuinely puzzling.

the male-gaze is so heady and strong in this book i am struggling to get through it. the female characters all suffer from written-by-a-male-author syndrome (ie they do not sound like real life women).

'The Tattoo Murder' by Akimitsu Takagi is a Japanese post-war murder mystery centred on a locked-room murder and the enegmatic character of Kinue Nomura.

The story was published in 1948 and a lot of my enjoyment came from the casually constucted atmosphere of post-war Tokyo. Rather than drowning in melticulouly researched details and brand-name asides, the uncertain atmosphere of renewal permiates the whole novel. Although I'm sure it comes down to writing a 'contemporary novel' that is now being republished many years later, Takagi picks such straightforward details and presumes a knowledge of society that makes the setting come to life.

The story itself is a little hit and miss during the first half, and then had me racing to the end to try and figure out what was going on. Of course, there were many twists and red-herrings that I didn't see coming but I found the journey to find the truth to be a very compelling maze! Of course, the ultimate reveal is one that I didn't see coming - and I was a little let down by the final reveal of the big bad - but it's probably that surprising ending that had me reading so avidly.

There were a few details that I didn't like - the narrator ultimately involves a friend to help him solve the murder. Is it really likely that the head of a police department would allow his brother and his brother's friend to solve the case? The idea of the narrator being a relatively normal person made me believe I could also solve 'The Tattoo Murder Case' but ultimately it takes being a genius, or being a naturally suspicious person.

Overall I did enjoy reading this - the introduction of a character late in the novel made me think it would be one of a series and I would definitely read more by the author, especially featuring that character.

This was a really interesting book and i liked the part of Japanese culture this explored. I liked how this was paced and the slow build at the beginning was a good way to start it as it helped immerse me into that world. The way it was plotted was done well and i think it was the perfect balance between giving clues to the audience and creating mystery and suspense. I would definitely read others book by this author as i thought it was such a tight and enjoyable crime novel.