The Man Who Died Seven Times by Yasuhiko Nishizawa is a captivating and inventive blend of mystery and time-loop thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The story begins with the shocking murder of Grandfather Fuchigami during a family New Year’s gathering, but the twist is that Hisataro, his grandson, is trapped in a bizarre time-loop. Every morning, Hisataro wakes up to the same day—the day of his grandfather’s murder—giving him a chance to investigate, uncover the clues, and prevent the crime. However, despite his growing awareness of secret plots, illicit affairs, and family rivalries, Hisataro is unable to stop the murder, as he is thwarted again and again by the same forces. Nishizawa's clever premise sets the stage for a tense, multi-layered mystery full of twists and a relentless cycle of suspense.

The strength of the novel lies in its intriguing premise, which plays on the theme of inevitability and the frustrations of being stuck in a time-loop. Hisataro’s repeated attempts to unravel the mystery give the story a unique structure, as he gathers bits and pieces of information with each iteration of the day. Each cycle brings him closer to the truth, but the weight of familial tension and greed over a large inheritance makes every character a potential suspect, adding layers of complexity to the investigation. Nishizawa skillfully builds tension as Hisataro grows more desperate and exhausted by his endless quest to prevent the murder, which effectively mirrors his sense of helplessness as he discovers that time, in some ways, is just as much a prison as it is a tool for discovery.

Nishizawa’s writing is sharp and fast-paced, with a keen focus on character development. The family dynamics, filled with jealousy, love triangles, and hidden secrets, provide the perfect backdrop for a gripping mystery. The Man Who Died Seven Times is an intricate puzzle that combines elements of classic whodunits with a modern, mind-bending twist. The novel explores themes of fate, the cost of inheritance, and the moral quandaries that arise when the truth is just out of reach. With its suspenseful plot and unexpected twists, this book will captivate fans of both time-loop stories and traditional mysteries, offering a thought-provoking and entertaining reading experience.

I love a time loop story – usually.

Unfortunately, this did not push all the right buttons for me.

We have a young protaganist, Hisataro, who during his short life experiences time loops – a loop that hits 9 times before resetting. It's an experience Hisataro calls the Trap. And each loop could be the same experience or tweaked slightly depending on his interaction on the day in question.

I'm not at this point 100% sure the experience called the Trap was ever explained or merely glossed over (or I skim read that part). Not important I guess…

Anyway, when we get to the main crux of the story (grandfather writing a will to see who inherits his very well-to-do company) it dragged.

As Hisatoro enters a new time loop he discovers his grandfather dead on the 2nd day of the Trap and it's down to him to stop the "murder" happening and revert back to the day his relative lives.

I feel the title slightly gives away the ending. Grandad is alive on the first day and 8 days to solve the mystery? Plus the blurb pushes this a murder mystery but given the resolution, it's anything but.

I don't know if this didn't work for me because it's a translation from the original Japanese but it seemed almost farcical at times. And the actual ending had me scratching my head in bemusement.

Or maybe because it was originally published in 1995 and it's just showing its age.

All in all this book was just a case of wrong place, wrong time, for me.

What a clever and fun book to read! The Man Who Died Seven Times follows Hisataro, a young member of a wealthy family, who shares with us his unusual ability: every now and then he falls into a time-loop and is forced to re-live the same day, a total of nine times. One of those times, it happens on the day his grandfather is murdered, and we get to follow all his theories, tests and trials, while knowing (like he does) the exact number of attempts he has to try to save him. Along the way he pieces together clues, like a lost earring, and gets to learn the exact moves and secrets of all the other elements of his family, and it all slowly builds into the bigger picture.
I really enjoyed it! It’s Groundhog Day with a murder investigation twist, and Hisataro uses his ability in such a clever way.

This one was a hard one for me. I must admit I'm not a big fan of timetravelling or any of the similar concepts as most times they confuse me and make for plotholes. I also did not like the way they made it seem so easy to get a child, have a woman birth a child and having to maybe give up dreams and that irked me a lot in a good part of the book and only inbetween I started to really enjoy it. Then something was up again (sorry I can't with that cushion fight scene). But the ending was amazing again and I had a lot of fun with it. If you don't mind sillyness and enjoy entertaining different versions of the same mystery I would recommend it. Just don't take it too seriously (and have in mind it's written by a man).

Overall rating: 3.25

Japanese extended Groundhog Day idea with a murder to solve/prevent.

4.5 stars.

How absolutely fascinating as a concept! A young man, in high school, has many years ago realised that sometimes he will experience the same day over and over again, nine times in all, before time once again restarts. This until now has meant he was able to get into a high-performing school and often been very bored with certain days repeating with little variation.

But now... it's New Year. He is stuck with his family at their wealthy Grandfather's home. Only recently have his mother and aunt reconciled with him following an estrangement. There is already rivalry and tension based on his annually-changing will. And now Hisataro awakens to find the same day is looping again, for the first of eight times... but this time the day ends with his grandparent's murder... which did not happen the first time around. He has several attempts to work out what's happened and if he can prevent it by the time his loop ends.

For me, the concept was brilliant. It's one you take with a pinch of salt, just like Bill Murray's spell in Punxatawney, it is never explained and the only rules are those Hisataro has worked out for himself.

I found the Japanese setting also rather interesting, the difference in how people treat each other, how society functions, noticeable differences from my own experiences. The language seemed occasionally clunky, which I felt was part translation but also I have seen this in some TV programmes and feel that people do express themselves differently around the world.

Our protagonist explains to us that he isn't the cleverest, but he proves throughout the story he can actually be rather logical, he works through options in turn and tries to change one thing at a time to see what effect it is.

I found this a little hard to follow at times, if only because it's a large family with some similar sounding names so I took a while to get used to who everybody was.

I adored the story, the direction it took, and not knowing how it would end. Great fun, good mystery, and a concept I think would do well as a TV series itself.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

This book had me hooked from the premise alone—time loops and a murder mystery ? Say less!

We follow 16-year-old Hisataro Fuchigami, who’s stuck reliving the same day over and over after his grandfather is killed. With each loop, he digs deeper into the twisted family drama, trying to figure out who did it before time runs out.

Wow, the family dynamic is wild. There’s so much resentment, jealousy, greed, and betrayal flying around that literally everyone feels like a suspect.
As Hisataro investigates from different angles, secrets start spilling—about the cousins, the assistant, and the grandfather’s daughters—and I was hooked all the way to the end.

That said… I wasn’t totally sold on the explanation behind the grandfather’s death. It felt a bit too far-fetched for me.
BUT the author throws in one last twist that genuinely shocked me and kind of redeemed it. I had to reread that part a few times (time loops are no joke), but once it clicked, I was like “OHHHH okay, now I get it!”

Overall, this was such a fun and entertaining read. I really enjoyed the unique concept and the way the mystery unfolded.
Sure, it gets a little repetitive—but that’s kind of the deal with time loop stories. It’s all part of the puzzle, and I loved piecing it together, especially once that final twist really paid off.

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: murder, death, alcohol, injury, moderately mention of incest, adult/minor relationship but not explicit

The Man Who Died Seven Times is a time loop murder mystery about a super dysfunctional family all trying to take over the family business. The main character’s a high schooler stuck reliving the same day and while he's young, he comes off pretty mature because of everything he's been through.

The story starts a little slow (the first few loops dragged a bit), but things get more interesting around loop five/six. There’s lots of family drama, some fun twists, and the characters are well written. That said, the ending got a bit too complicated and hard to follow. Also... not totally sold on the romance.

Overall, it’s a quick read with some fun ideas. If you're into time loops and chaotic family stories, it's worth checking out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Big Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the advanced copy! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

'The Man Who Died Seven Times' is a time loop murder mystery about a family fighting each other to become the next heir of the family company.

The story is quite clever, with a smart use of a narrator who was both young (a high schooler) but also mature for his age (due to his time loop 'condition'). The mystery also had many twists and turns, but the final twists were quite confusing and tiring to follow. Additionally, there were numerous and lengthy passages of information dumps, which became tiring after a while. The romance was questionable as well.

The story pulses with wit and warmth, even as it spirals around death. Which offers the slow realization that even with time on your side, love remains elusive, fragile, and worth saving.

An enjoyable timeloop romp with a believably horrible family and a mysterious death. It's neither long nor complicated, nor particularly literary, but it scratches a summer reading itch.

Infinite time loop is a popular Japanese trope, add a murder mystery in it and we get quite the page turner.

Turns out a time loop murder mystery makes for one interesting read; some serious, some hilarious, some heartfelt, some horrifying and all around human/ humane. At the heart of the story lies a family, their grievances, the wrongs and the rights, their problems, the love and hate, wrapping them all in this cocoon of money and love.

The Man Who Died Seven Times is as much about the man who died as it is about the man who watched the death, palpitating everyday in the time loop to restrain the murderer or murderers. Success or failure will determine the life of the man dying but the efforts that it takes to restrain the murderer are far from simple. As the story unfolds, so does the family drama. Secrets are revealed, We see everything from pillow fights to fist fights and round table meetings to dinner meetings and flicks of humor at every turn. Though the book was fun to read, my favorite part has to be the climax, the nail biting twist and the surprises that it revealed.

Warning: 1st cousin relationship. (Legal in Japan)

Way back in the 1990s there was a trend for time loop stories kicked off by Groundhog Day, a film so ubiquitous that the title entered the vernacular to refer to time loop stories. So it is perhaps no surprised that Japanese author Yasuhiko Nishizawa wrote a time loop murder mystery in 1998 called The Man Who Died Seven Times. What is more of a mystery is why it has been translated into English (by Jesse Kirkwood) more than 25 years later. Presumably this is because probably about 5 years ago we looped back into them. Books like The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton and Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian Macallister and films like Edge of Tomorrow and Palm Springs and the TV series Russian Doll. With these narratives back in vogue it probably seemed timely to revisit Nishizawa's work (which is now called a "classic time loop murder mystery", presumably given its age. Unfortunately, time travel asside. that work is very much of its time.
Hisataro and his family go to visit his wealthy grandfather on New Years' Day. His mother and aunt have been estranged from their father but are now trying to get back in his good books as he decides who will inherit his multinational business. Hisataro has a secret, or a condition maybe, that he describes in excrutiating detail for the first fifth or so of the novel. That is that at random times he relives a particular day 9 times. Anything that happens in the first 8 loops is wiped away and only the ninth loop becomes the ongoing reality. None of this is ever explained except as being the "rules" of his condition which he called "The Trap". It is these rules that set the ground for the murder mystery to follow as Hisataro finds himself reliving the 2nd of January onyl to find, the second time, that his Grandfather has been killed. He then seeks to use the reiterations of this day to work out who was the murderer.
The Man Who Died Seven Times is pure puzzle box. Nishizawa sets out the rules and then has his main characters live through different iterations of the day to pick up clues in different parts of the house and grounds. There is no attempt to develop interesting or fleshout out characters, the pleasure here is purely in trying to piece together the mystery from the various clues. But it is also a book of its time with some fairly outdated attitudes and concepts (possibly even at the time) including first cousins planning to marry and have children and a nascent relationship between 16 year old Hisataro and the much older Emi (the excuse being that because he has lived so many extra days he is actually, in his mind, closer to 30).
It feels like the most recent craze for time loop puzzle narratives came and went while this book was being translated. What is more, this book is not as good as some of those cited above. It is a fun mystery story and that might be enough for some readers but with an exasperating premise is already starting to wear out its welcome on its 3rd loop.

This was a quick read ,though reality is twisted, the plot is fairly straightforward and easy to follow. The author packed the story with family drama and well-described characters. There were 9 loops repeating the same day. I felt bit bored with initial loops but again the pace picked up from 5th loop. I enjoyed the family drama . I would suggest it for all fans who enjoy the concept of time loops and mystery

I love a story that plays around with the concept of time, so when I saw the blurb for this book it looked right up my street. A mystery where the protagonist has a condition that means he experiences some days multiple times on loop, who attends an annual gathering with his family at his Grandfather's house. When his Grandfather ends up dead, and he has the opportunity to relive the day multiple times, can he instigate the change needed to keep him alive?

I got into this book very easily, however the introduction of a lot of characters as well as the explanation of the warping of time was a bit intense. Having persevered through that and settled into the rhythm of the book, I was really enjoying the mystery. It kept me gripped and I would say mostly it was an easy read, with almost a 'locked room's vibe to the mystery.

Whilst I felt the ending was a little rushed, this was overall an enjoyable read, blending a bit of low fantasy and mystery with that classic, cosy Japanese fiction vibe.

i absolutely enjoyed this whodunnit murder mystery + time traveling hybrid!!! full review to come, thank you so much for this review copy ♥️♥️♥️

I absolutely adored this.

The Man Who Died Seven Times is Groundhog Day, mixed with equal parts Arrested Development, The Butterfly Effect and Agatha Christie.

This is a cozy, twisty-turny mystery, where young Hisataro occasionally gets thrown in a loop where he lives the same day 9 times, so after learning the rules, he uses this knowledge for quite childish selfish reasons like passing the entry test for a prestigious school.

After a particularly lively new years celebration, he enters the loop and finds that his somewhat estranged grandfather has been murdered.

The main meat of this is in the second act, as there is a lot of building at the start of the book, but once you know the ground rules it’s a book you can go back again, and again to!

Interessantes Konzept, ein wenig zu langatmig für meinen Geschmack, aber ich kann mir gut vorstellen, dass es gut ankommt bei der Kundschaft.

*The Man Who Died Seven Times* by Yasuhiko Nishizawa is a delightfully intricate time-loop mystery that blends classic whodunit tropes with a surreal, almost playful structure. Set within the tense confines of a wealthy family’s estate, the story follows teenager Hisataro Fuchigami as he repeatedly relives the same New Year’s Eve—each loop offering new perspectives and deepening suspicions after the family patriarch is murdered. With each reset, layers of family dysfunction, hidden motives, and buried secrets unravel, making for a cerebral yet accessible puzzle. Nishizawa’s narrative is clever and self-aware, balancing deduction with humor and a strong sense of place.

The novel’s premise is inventive and its structure engaging. It’s a smart, often surprising mystery that dares to play with form while still delivering a satisfying game of cat and mouse.

Two of my favourite genres - classic whodunnit and sci-fi - are blended perfectly in this really fresh and clever time-travel murder mystery. The narrator of 'The Man Who Died Seven Times' is sixteen year old Hisataro, spending new year at his wealthy grandfather's house, together with his cash-strapped, feuding and greedy extended family. Every new year, the patriarch rewrites his will, but he announces this time will be the last. No surprises, he's soon been bonked over the head with a vase and everyone is a suspect.

What's unusual is Hisataro's supernatural affliction, known only to him. He frequently gets stuck in a 'time loop' where the same day repeats itself nine times before time continues as normal. While everyone else carries on in exactly the same way as in the previous 'loops', Hisataro is aware of the repetition and can choose to change his actions - and therefore potentially those of others, although he finds events will try to stick to the 'original' as much as possible. Suddenly Histaro is in a position to prevent a murder - but doing so proves surprisingly difficult. As his nine 'loops' of the same day progress, he becomes more and more concerned that he won't be able to save his grandfather when the final 'definitive' loop takes place.

The interesting thing here is that the mystery is less about who committed the crime, but about how to cheat fate itself. There are mystery elements, and a very satisfying solution in the end in case you're worried. But it's a bit out of the standard mould of crime fiction, whilst still retaining the best elements of that genre. Hisataro is a really likeable protagonist, and his relatives are suitably awful and entertaining. Nishizawa manages the inevitable repetition of someone living the same day over and over without it being boring. The writing style is really easy to read and flows well. It's witty and engaging, just what you want for a book of this style. There's also a deeper element in the way that different scenarios play out and the way the characters respond and behave in each one reveals their true natures and motivations.

I'd highly recommend this book to all fans of murder mysteries (as long as they don't completely veto anything supernatural in a story) and to fans of time travel stories. But also general readers who read across genres should put this high on their lists - it's a really good book that should have wide appeal. The good writing and originality make it a pleasure to read and should be appreciated by most book lovers I think..