Cơ mà đối với cuốn này, thú thật là có muốn nghi ngờ, mình cũng chẳng biết nghi ngờ ai, vì dân đảo đa phần toàn những người kỳ dị.

Kindaichi, "like every other young man in Japan," had been drafted into the army, where he had spent two years in China before being deployed "between different islands to the south. The Publisher Says: Kosuke Kindaichi arrives on the remote Gokumon Island bearing tragic news—the son of one of the island’s most important families has died, on a troop transport ship bringing him back home after the Second World War. After serving as editor in chief of several magazines, he resigned in 1932 to devote himself full-time to writing.I also really loved that Yoshimizo incorporated popular culture into the book as well—films and songs of the time, books, and so on. There are some aspects that the modern reader may find problematic, like the assumption that since Gokumon was an island of priests and convicts, its people are strange, crazy even. He has a bit of a stammer and is not the smooth operating detective, and though he is bright, the puzzle of Gokumon is a formidable one even for him, and one where he makes mistakes aplenty as well. Reading cult-classic-crime-thrillers always left you with that bitter sense of; these crimes can never be prevented . I had great memories of The Honjin Murders, another lurid tale in a unique setting, also brought out by Pushkin Press and translated by Louise Heal Kawai, so I did have expectations from this book, and it didn't disappoint.

This is the fourth novel published by Pushkin Vertigo in this series featuring Detective Kosuke Kindaichi. Instead, the murders are treated like an interesting puzzle built around a series of unusual actions, and we're asked to empathize with the men who did the killing. Also, I'm a huge fan of the manga series Young Kindaichi which was inspired by the book series by Seishi Yokomizo here. But we soon learn that Kindaichi’s purpose in visiting the island was not merely to deliver news of his old friend’s death.Kindaichi is determined to get to the bottom of this mysterious statement and to protect the three women if he can. One thing which surprised me when reading this book, was how the prose style, at times, took on the tone of an English drawing room drama. For some people who are not familiar with his writing style, this may throw you off but believe me, this introduction set the book in the direction of what the author meant. I have been in love with Detective Kosuke Kindaichi's series ever since I read The Inugami Curse/Clan, the 2nd installment, and that book was just so damn good and I want more.