Inspector Imanishi Investigates

After having really enjoyed Matsumoto's A Quiet Place (my review is here: [URL not allowed]) I was ready to have my mind blown by this... but it wasn't. Possibly that's because the book was written a good 10 years earlier, I'm not sure. And whIle I enjoyed Imanishi's dogged pu......more

The Castle of Sand (Suna no utsuwa) by Seicho Matasumoto is a surprisingly engaging 4.5 stars read. The book has always been considered by many as Mr. Matsumoto's best novel, and despite of the the 500+ pages of the book, the novelist still managed to construct a solid mystery with vivid characters,......more

This was written in 1961. Plotwise, it's very complicated and tightly-woven, replete with subtle clues and red herrings. But stylistically, it's plodding. Probably due to the translation, the writing is choppy and repetitive. And perhaps because of the culture, perhaps because of the period, the pro......more

This book about the investigations of Inspector Imanishi takes place in Japan in the year 1960, so is not only a murder / mystery story but also provides an insight into Japanese culture just 15 years after the end of World War II. More than most murder / mystery stories Inspector Imanishi eats a lot......more

Inspector Imanishi Investigates? Yes he does. Even on bank holidays. He takes annual leave ... in order to investigate. He spends his wife's savings on investigating. In the best traditions of these fictional detectives, Imanishi has annoying hobbies that have to be mentioned in every other chapter.......more