"In the gentle autumn sunlight, the cars and people passing in the street looked, to Harayama, like figures in a shadow play. That was how he saw the world."

Seichō Matsumoto's tale is about Onizuka Kumako, a fierce beautiful woman: who isn't afraid to speak her mind. In Tokyo bars, she seduces customers and commits petty crime, using her connections to the local yakuza to get by. She meets Shirakawa Fukutaro, a rich widower desperate for companionship and unaware of her shady past, the two hit it off and are soon married. But one evening their car veers off course, plunging into the harbour and Fukutaro is pulled beneath the waves. Suspected of murder, Kumako is hounded by the press, but repeatedly proclaims her innocence. As pressure from journalists mounts, public opinion is rising against her until a scrupulous lawyer takes on her case and begins to plant the seeds of doubt.

This thriller noir novella takes on the age old battle of public perception and press bias. There is a case that seems to be rooted in murder and fraud, it takes one lawyer to undo the cleverly placed narrative against the accused Onizuka. Throughout different opinions are offered, it takes her defence lawyer to dissect the facts and not focus on Onizula's past alone to put forward a scenario making everyone doubt the truth being sold.

This story was told mainly through the perspective of the journalist. In a traditional mystery there is a detective doing the leg work however here it's a little different making this a unique story. I really enjoyed reading this one.

I really enjoyed this short novella, so cleverly written.
How a main character can dominate a story without ever meeting her is so intriguing. How public opinion, media influence, and prejudices can effect a court case. A case where a guilty verdict will result in a death penalty.
It is also a story of how someone’s image and reputation can have such a profound effect on someone they have never really met.
Really clever and very enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Classics.

Suspicion written by Seicho Matsumoto and translated by Jesse Kirkwood is a tightly written mystery examining the boundary between reality and doubt, exploring social perception and press bias. It centres on a seemingly straightforward case of insurance fraud and murder, where Onizuka Kumako is accused of having killed her husband to claim his life insurance. Matsumoto is a key writer of the Shakaiha subgenre of Japanese mystery fiction, interested as much in social topics as the mystery aspect. In this case the influence of journalism and how it sways public opinion. For this reason the book is recommended for readers who enjoy a social realism to their mysteries and can forgo intricate mystery plots and more classic detective tropes. Suspicion does not feature a detective at all, most of the narrative is told from the perspective of journalist, Moichi Akitani, and deductions are made by civil lawyer, Takukichi Sahara.

This is an atmospheric and psychological courtroom drama and a noir, where we learn of Onizuka Kumako, a charming woman’s story.
She faces societal pressures, prejudices and suspicion. A book about confirmation bias, a character with a strong believer of truth, the truth, and the human pscyhe.

Having read and loved Inspector Imanishi Investigates written in 1961 and Tokyo Express his first novel from 1958 I was interested to read Suspicion a much later novella from 1982. This is very much a psychological novella and concentrates upon a journalist who has written a large number of articles upon a murder suspect with yakuza links. Matsumoto manages to pack such a lot into this novella with the tension and inevitablity of the plotting rising to a crescendo by the end.

#seichomatsumoto has done it again, similarly to #tokyoexpress this novel is short but packs a punch with detail, twists and as usual an #agathachristie style conclusion.

Thanks to #netgalley @netgalley and @penguinclassics for this #arc #newbooks2025

Great story, interesting characters and plot. If you liked Tokyo express and enjoy Christie novels and #keigohigashino novels you should love this.

Out 29th May in the UK.

#honnomushi100 #reading #japanesefiction #translatedfiction #translatedjapaneseliterature #booksfromjapan #booklover #bookstagram #translatedgems #japaneseauthor #translatedjapaneseliterature #japaneselit #JAPANESEAUTHORS #newjapanesefiction

It takes a certain skill to build the plot of a detective story around a crime, and then carry the story through in a whole other way. I don't think Matsumoto was the first, but undoubtedly he remains one of the best in that regard.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

More a novella of under 100 pages than a novel, Suspicion is the study of a mind increasingly tortured and tormented by fear as it is a legal thriller. Interestingly, very little of the legal drama actually takes place inside a courtroom and the woman who is at the centre of the case stays at the periphery of Suspicion even though it's her defence that plays a pivotal part in making Suspicion the book it is.

Recommending this for fans of the author, even though it's very different from say, Tokyo Express or Inspector Imanishi Investigates.

This is a wonderful book originally written in Japanese and brilliantly translated into English, the work of translator, Jesse Kirkwood. I consider it a great privileged that I can read such compelling stories in my own language and in recent years I have enjoyed many such novels set in Japan.

Having enjoyed “Tokyo Express” and purchased “Inspector Imanishi Investigates”; I was delighted to learn that Penguin Classics were translating into English for the first time Seichō Matsumoto’s “Suspicion”. The book is due out at the end of May 2025 and I was therefore pleased to receive an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Penguin Press U.K, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a courtroom drama told mainly through the interactions of an investigatory journalist and the defence lawyers. It is also a murder mystery, where because of the suspect’s criminal past and clear motive, her guilt seems obvious.
It is a serious case however as a guilty verdict will carry a death sentence.
There seems to be little doubt that despite a lack of material evidence the defendant’s guilt will be upheld once it comes to trial.

A great insight into the constraints on the judicial system. The author, writing historically, prior to current social media posts, teases out those social pressures and prejudices that may impact the fairness of trial by jury. We are easily swayed and often reach a consensus opinion of guilt before any court appearance. The story is less than a hundred pages but it is an enthralling read, a can quickly enjoyed in one sitting.

The characters are well drawn and the unpicking of the circumstantial evidence and witness testimony makes one wonder about the safety of any verdict in a court of law.

I love this author and look forward to reading his books in English, it was a great joy to find they flow effortlessly; clear, easy to follow and the drama transcends any language and culture.