03 Dec THE TATTOO MURDER | AKIMITSU TAKAGI
The book is a crime thriller that makes you wonder about the prospects of being a foolish murderer and committing the crime for all the wrong reasons.
THE PLOT:
It is the year 1947, post the Second World War and the people of Japan are building back their empire to become great once again. It is amidst this that we find a curious meeting of the Edo Tattoo Society where all the people who have amazing body tattoos come to show it for a whooping prize money of ten thousand yen.
For this meeting, young Kenzo Matsushita who is the brother of a famous police officer comes to witness this extravagant show to find the beautiful snake tattooed Kinue Nomura. Not only did she win the first prize but also made Kenzo fall head over heels for her seduction. Unfortunately in a matter of three days, he finds her mutilated body with her head missing in her bathroom locked. The police investigators as well as Kenzo try hard to find the murderer.
When the police officers think they are going to catch the culprit, another victim is found yet again the tattoo removed just like Kinue. It is the entry of the brilliant Kyosuke Kamizu that solves the locked room murder of Kinue Nomura.
THE UNDERWHELMING ASPECTS:
The book is stretched unnecessarily and there are many parts of the book that could’ve been edited. The entry of Kyosuke Kamizu is towards the end of the story and he solves the mystery as if he was a part of the crime. The book doesn’t explain in detail how he reached his conclusions and the ones that are explained are not convincing enough. When you turn the final page of the book, you get quite disappointed as the reader knows the book could’ve been a better page-turner. The author tries his best to make each chapter to be dramatic but fails the impact on the reader.
THE GOOD ASPECTS:
For the people who choose this book as their first-ever locked-room murder mystery, this one will be quite a delight. The reader will find the crime as well as the investigation pretty interesting and might not realise the plot has been stretched to fill the pages. The translation is simple and easy to read. The book can easily be read by both young adults as well as old.
MY RATING: 4/5
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Akimitsu Takagi was born in Japan in 1920 and went on to work as an aeronautical engineer until the end of the Second World War. He later decided to become a mystery writer on the recommendation of a fortune teller. He went on to become one of the country’s most popular crime authors, winning the prestigious Mystery Writers Club Award. The Tattoo Murder was Takagi’s debut and is considered one of the great classic Japanese whodunits . It was published in 1948. (*as given in the book*)
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