The Mill House Murders - (The Bizarre House Mysteries) by Yukito Ayatsuji (Paperback)

About the Book

"A hugely enjoyable, page-turning classic Japanese mystery with an ingenious conclusion from the author of The Decagon House Murders, translated into English for the first time. As they do every year, a small group of acquaintances pay a visit to the remote, castle-like Water Mill House, home to the reclusive Fujinuma Kiichi, son of a famous artist, who has lived his life behind a rubber mask ever since a disfiguring car accident. This year, however, the visit is disrupted by an impossible disappearance, the theft of a painting and a series of baffling murders. The brilliant Kiyoshi Shimada arrives to investigate. But will he get to the truth, and will you too be able to solve the mystery of the Mill House Murders?"--

Book Synopsis

"A psychological-mystical thriller built on Agatha Christie-type stopwatch sequences and John Dickson Carr-style locked-room conundrums... No one can accuse Mr. Ayatsuji of not sustaining the eerie mood of his strange story until its very last sentence." -- The Wall Street Journal

A hugely enjoyable, page-turning classic Japanese mystery with an ingenious conclusion from the author of The Decagon House Murders, translated into English for the first time

Don't miss this beautifully constructed, highly entertaining and atmospheric murder mystery--its propulsive plot makes for a compelling, page-turning read.

As they do every year, a small group of acquaintances pay a visit to the remote, castle-like Water Mill House, home to the reclusive Fujinuma Kiichi, son of a famous artist, who has lived his life behind a rubber mask ever since a disfiguring car accident.

This year, however, the visit is disrupted by an impossible disappearance, the theft of a painting and a series of baffling murders.

The brilliant Kiyoshi Shimada arrives to investigate. But will he get to the truth, and will you too be able to solve the mystery of the Mill House Murders?

Review Quotes

"A psychological-mystical thriller built on tropes from cozier crime fiction. Agatha Christie-type stopwatch sequences and John Dickson Carr-style locked-room conundrums coexist with Poe-like Gothic sequences full of severed limbs and charred flesh... No one can accuse Mr. Ayatsuji of not sustaining the eerie mood of his strange story until its very last sentence."
--The Wall Street Journal

"If you enjoyed Yukito Ayatsuji's ingenious The Decagon House Murders - and how could you not? - you will love this quasi-Christie locked-room mystery."
--The Times and Sunday Times Crime Club

"Another ingenious puzzle... John Dickson Carr would be proud to come up with as clever a locked room mystery as this... exceptional fun and superbly plotted."
--Paul Burke, Crime Time FM

"From the first page you know you're in the hands of a master. The atmosphere, the setting, the characters... it is flawless."
--Ian Moore, author of Death and Croissants

"The dénouement was fiendishly clever... An engaging, entertaining mystery with a puzzle fit for the most ardent of armchair detectives."
--NB Magazine

"A great classic, Japanese locked room mystery perfect for fans of Agatha Christie!... I thought I had the mystery solved but lo and behold, the unraveling was completely unexpected and I loved it."
--readamongstthecrime

"This chilly, elegant tribute to the locked-room mysteries of the golden age of crime writing offers a challenge in clue spotting to readers who enjoy pitting their wits against an author's."
--Literary Review

"Just as clever and delightful as the locked room mystery that got Ayatsuji on our radar last year... [The characters have] their agendas, complex backstories, and shifting allegiances, and by the end of the novel, I fear many of them shall be dead..."
--Crime Reads

About the Author

Yukito Ayatsuji (born 1960) is a Japanese writer of mystery and horror novels. He started writing as a member of the Kyoto University Mystery Club, a society dedicated to the writing of fair play mysteries inspired by the Golden Age greats. The Decagon House Murders was Ayatsuji's debut and is considered a landmark crime novel in Japan, where it revived the traditional puzzle mystery format and inspired a new generation of writers. The Mill House Murders is the sequel, again starring the great detective Kiyoshi Shimada.

About the Translator:
Ho-Ling Wong is a translator currently living in the Netherlands. Heis also both a Member of the Honkaku Mystery Writers Club of Japan andformer member of the Kyoto University Mystery Club. He did not commit anymurders on Mystery Club excursions.