Murder at the Black Cat Cafe

A classic Japanese mystery, from the author of The Honjin Murders

The Japanese Agatha Christie Sara Cox, Between the Covers

Tokyo, 1947.

The Pink Labyrinth is one of the bomb-scarred citys most shady neighbourhoods. There, in the dead of night a patrolling policeman catches a young Buddhist monk digging in the back yard of The Black Cat Cafe, a notorious brothel. In the shallow grave at his feet lie the dead body of a woman, her face disfigured beyond recognition, and the corpse of a black cat.

Who is the murdered woman, and how was she connected to the infamous establishment? And where did the dead cat come from, given that the cafes feline mascot seems to be alive and well? The brilliant sleuth Kosuke Kindaichi investigates, but as he draws closer to the truth, he finds himself in grave danger...

PRAISE FOR SEISHI YOKOMIZO

The diabolically twisted plotting is top-notch - New York Times

Readers will delight in the blind turns, red herrings and dubious alibis... Ingenious and compelling - Economist

With a reputation in Japan to rival Agatha Christies, the master of ingenious plotting is finally on the case for anglophone readers - Guardian

This is Golden Age crime at its best, complete with red herrings, blind alleys and twists and turns galore... A testament to the power of the simple murder mystery and its enduring appeal - Spectator

Plenty of golden age ingredients... with a truly ingenious solution - Guardian, Best New Crime Novels

Truly ingeniousGuardian

The king of the locked-room mysteryCrimeReads

The Japanese Agatha Christie Sara Cox, Between the Covers

Fiendishly complex and wonderfully atmospheric S.J. Bennett, author of Murder Most Royal