The Decagon House Murders is an homage to Agatha Christie’s great mystery, And Then There Were None. Written in the 1980s, it triggered a resurgence in traditional mysteries in Japan. So, does it still work for modern readers? The answer is yes and no.
The pacing is excruciatingly slow. Admittedly, Dame Agatha’s book was too. Splitting the narration into those stuck on the island and those investigating on the mainland broke the story’s spell a bit for me. Once we returned to the islanders’ narrative, I had trouble recalling who had already been killed.
The Decagon House Murders is an interesting curiosity. The plot itself, once it is finally revealed, is rather convoluted and clever. Once the murderer was revealed, I could see clear clues that I just didn’t see when reading the book. There are red herrings a plenty to trip up armchair detectives like me. 3.5 stars!
Thanks to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.