Sean Bala reviewed Death on Gokumon Island by Seishi Yokomizo
Kosuke Kindaichi arrives on the remote Gokumon Island bearing tragic news – the son of …
Small (Island) Japanese Murder Mystery
4 stars
Content warning Analysis of Author's Writing Over Multiple Novels
After returning home from World War II, Detective Kosuke Kindaichi fulfills his comrade's dying wish to go to Gokumon Island in order to save his sisters from being murdered. The setting (an insular fishing island) was a nice twist on a small town murder mystery. It plays with our perceptions of the insularity of small places and the power dynamics at play throughout. Yokomizo's novels are part of a genre of "fair play" mysteries where the author tries to give the reader all they need to figure out the solution. I genuinely did not expect the solution though it makes sense once you go back through.
This is my fourth Kindaichi novel and it is definitely one of the better ones. It is just the right length and just believable enough. I am beginning to see some of the author's stylistic flourishes. The use of the fourth wall to forshadow, elements of thriller and action to keep the plot going forward, stylistically gruesome murders. One that I'm starting to notice (SPOILER) is that out of the four novels, this is the third one where a psychologically dominant character overtaking a weaker-willed one is a central aspect of the plot. I am curious if that is going to continue.