Enjoyed the mystery of the missing Roman Hat. There were only two suspects left in my mind by the time of the final capture. Nice read. The story is sEnjoyed the mystery of the missing Roman Hat. There were only two suspects left in my mind by the time of the final capture. Nice read. The story is suspenseful and feels like a Christie novel. Recommended....more
Enjoyed the mystery superbly. It's seldom that you get to soak a story to its full and want it not to end. Reading a murder mystery set in the streetsEnjoyed the mystery superbly. It's seldom that you get to soak a story to its full and want it not to end. Reading a murder mystery set in the streets of Tokyo, when you have actually walked along those banks yourself is a fun on itself. Mr. Ishigami's task is simple. He has to protect the women he has a secret crush on at all costs. Just how far can he go?
I loved the overall premise, story and plot settings and the character build. The author has done a tremendous amount of reading and relevant research, as expected from a mystery writer of this stature from Japan, where a simple run-of-the-mill manga mystery is thought through astutely. The two reveals at the end would come as a stark surprise even to the most observant of the reader. But I like happy endings and would have preferred story to end otherwise just at that last bit.
Superbly enjoyed and recommended. Go for it! And I shall be picking up the next Galilio myself....more
Wonderful collection of stories and an equally vivid narrations. 12 extraordinary stories, starting with the "Silver Blaze" and the curious incident oWonderful collection of stories and an equally vivid narrations. 12 extraordinary stories, starting with the "Silver Blaze" and the curious incident of the dog at the night; and ending with the sombre adventure of the "Final Problem". The Memoirs are specially memorable for introducing to us several unique features of the Holmes canon. Unlike all the tales published before this collection was serialised, two of the stories, "Gloria Scott" and "Musgrave Ritual", collected herein are narrated by Holmes himself instead of our charming Doctor as usual. Moreover, the "Greek Interpreter" reveals to us that Holmes afterall has family in the form of his slightly chubby and more gifted brother, Mr. Mycroft Holmes. Finally, in the "Final Problem", we come face to face with the Napoleon of Crime, the great evil mastermind of the criminal underworld, Mr. Moriarty himself. A magnificent narration by Fry with his talented dramatic movements of tones brings the affable adventures alive....more
Ah, this magnificent collection of stories achieves an extraordinary luminance in Fry's narration. This is a considerable long book in comparison to tAh, this magnificent collection of stories achieves an extraordinary luminance in Fry's narration. This is a considerable long book in comparison to the first novellas, but the fascination and intrigue in being indulged in the world of Sherlock Holmes makes every second of the listening worth it. The London of yonder engulfed in fog, ha, the Lancaster opium den then seems alive right in front of us. An awesome read and a veritable audiobook....more
Yah, Holmes and Watson, the moors of Dartmoor and the Hound of Baskervilles, ah! What a brilliant tale of mystery, intrigue, suspense; it's hardly a cYah, Holmes and Watson, the moors of Dartmoor and the Hound of Baskervilles, ah! What a brilliant tale of mystery, intrigue, suspense; it's hardly a coincident that "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is highly esteemed as the best Sherlock Holmes story. I loved this reread superbly and of-course as usual the audiobook is as immersive as it gets....more
"The Sign of Four" is one of my favorite Holmes story. What with the great veil of enigma surrounding the precious pearls, the horrific murders and am"The Sign of Four" is one of my favorite Holmes story. What with the great veil of enigma surrounding the precious pearls, the horrific murders and amidst the lure of the Great Agra Treasure. As Watson rightly says towards the end of the fascinating tale, "everyone gained something from this episode", most certainly including the reader. The audiobook is one rich adaption of the novella. Fry does ample justice with his narration, his quirky and prompt wit as to the narration tones sufficiently compensating to a slight slowness in the reading speed. Overall, quite an enjoyable rereading. Holmes never tires!...more
Stephen Fry's narration is fantastic. The story seems to come alive. This is certainly the definitive audiobook. Fry's foreword at the start of the naStephen Fry's narration is fantastic. The story seems to come alive. This is certainly the definitive audiobook. Fry's foreword at the start of the narration are crisp insights into the world of Sherlock Holmes from a fan's perspective....more
This was the first Colin Dexter book I took up, indeed only after we had obtained a paperback of it. This is per se the sixth book in the Inspector MoThis was the first Colin Dexter book I took up, indeed only after we had obtained a paperback of it. This is per se the sixth book in the Inspector Morse series, but I am glad I started off with this first. Because, this is a mighty likeable book. Also, the first episode of the Inspector Morse TV series is based on the Dead of Jericho, so another plus point.
In the book, Morse cunningly, albeit with hick-ups here and there, solves the Murder of Miss Anne Scott, previous employee at Richards Publishing shifted now to giving private Greek lessons owning to her previous exposer to it, and that of her nosy sixty-something neighbour Mr. George Jackson, who pries over others affairs and wanted to make a buck or two out of it. Events take place mostly in the Oxford sub-urb of Jericho, which is a real place on the map.
I liked the complexity of the plot and the level of familiarity the author shows about the vocabulary of the English language. The sure to be relied upon Morse's assistant, Sergeant Lewis, doesn't has much say in this one though, as compared to some other books in the series, for instance, the immediate next one. Anyway, on the whole, I found the book to be a lovely, engaging and often mischievously lascivious mystery, with an intriguing detective and an equally interesting victim. Go for it! By the way, the trick of the tale lies with the Richard Brothers, Charles and Conard. I hope you can figure it out before the author normally want you to. ...more
Well, this is my first of both translated Japanese mysteries and in particular, Seishi Yokomizo-san. I was vaguely familiar with the author's name froWell, this is my first of both translated Japanese mysteries and in particular, Seishi Yokomizo-san. I was vaguely familiar with the author's name from it being mentioned in some Detective Conan episodes. What I didn't know was how famous this author is in Japan, which googling the book afterwards amply told me.
The Honjin Murders is the first book in a series of 77 novels featuring the scruffy looking young detective Kosuke Kindaichi that Seishi-san wrote in his lifetime. Only two of the series have been translated to English till date.
The story of The Honjin Murders starts with a cheery narrator, fascinated by a crime committed ten years ago in the remote village of Yamanaza, visiting the location in order to get the material for his book on the same. Soon the reader learns about the Ichiyanagi family, their honjin lineage, the events before the fateful night and the greasome crime. The bride and the groom are found dead in their bedroom on the very night of their wedding day. Moreover, the main tatami room of the annex house, where the dead bodies lie, is locked from the inside and no outgoing footprints are visible on the recently accumulated snow outside. The mysterious three-fingered man, who was asking the way to the Ichiyanagi mansion, becomes the prime suspect, soon to be himself found murdered nearby. But is he really? And why is a sickle left embedded in the camphor tree outside the annex? And who plays the Koto in the night? More importantly, why does it seem like everyone of the family is hiding something?
When I took up the book, I wasn't aware that the story was first serialised more than half a century ago. As a modern reader, having read, watched and felt so many adaptations and derivations of classic mystery stories like this, there isn't much surprise in the tale. Ones all the characters have been introduced and the scene set, it's easy to more or less deduce all the rest of the story. Especially, since it's known that writers embed clues throughout the book, which any astute fan of the genre knows how to look for. However, in spite of this, this book was an interesting read, primarily because of two reasons. One, that it introduces Kindaichi-san, of which I would love to read more, to the point of going for the original Japanese editions, if necessary. And two, that the story emphasises numerous Japanese traditions and day-to-day things from the typical village life of 1937. There is a strong resemblance of watching a present-day mystery anime episode when reading the book. I think it's the quality of translation that lets some of the beauty of visually instructive writing of the original intact.
If not for the modus operandi, then atleast for the setting and the characters and for Kindaichi-san, The Honjin Murders is a quality read....more
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