The Inugami Curse

The thing I have to focus on is that I very much liked the character of Kindaichi Kosuke, and it's particularly because he reminded me of Columbo (so it's also quite adorable to me that both characters have existing statues in the world). I know that Columbo came after him, but they both have the kind of unique charm of an incredibly observant person who appears a little haphazardly bumbling at times. I don't know why, but this kind of detective is far more engaging to me. Perhaps because it makes the detective feel more relatable and like it's just that they happen to see the world through a different lens which helps them make connections that others can't.

I really enjoy the mystery and the structure. While there are a couple red herrings, the primary thing that seems to be utilised are a lot of well-placed Chekhov's guns... Except it feels more like a mix between the two (Chekhov's herrings?) where the piece of evidence was designed to mislead but that its importance could later be reinterpreted in a way to understand it in the proper context. (Now that I'm writing about this, it feels very much like the Ace Attorney series... so maybe it's a turnabout!)

Anyway, I enjoyed it. The pacing was great, Kindaichi is a good character, and it was just hard to put down.

Having not previously heard of Seishi Yokomizo, I relied on my faith in the quality of work published by Pushkin Vertigo when choosing to download a review copy of The Inugami Curse from NetGalley and I am glad to say that I wasn't at all disappointed! The character of independent sleuth Kosuke Kindaichi was great fun to read about and made a refreshing change from the norm. He's not a divorced alcoholic, but does have suitably quirky personal habits a traits that make him come across as less of a threat to the criminally inclined than he really is.

Kindaichi has his work cut out to unravel the convoluted trail of murders surrounding the Inugami family as its members start to be picked off one after the other and I imagine Yokomizo must have spent hours painstakingly plotting this novel in order to keep everything plausible. There is a surprisingly large cast of characters so I was pleased at how easily I managed to differentiate between them all. Yokomizo doesn't go in for deep portraits, but can deftly sketch individuals so they are each memorable. Admittedly there are a few moments when The Inugami Curse hasn't aged so well - women are valued almost entirely by their physical appearance, for example, and at one point Kindaichi is critical of a young woman whose (emotional) 'strength made her unfeminine'. As readers we are privy to a couple of ignorantly homophobic thoughts from him too.

Yokomizo describes the natural world and changing seasons around Nasu in a way that adds great atmosphere to the story. Storms flare up or snow falls at just the right time to accentuate scenes, but without seeming overly played. There's perhaps too much foreshadowing, particularly in the first third of the story, but the narrative keeps up a great pace throughout, especially for such a complicated mystery. I appreciated the brief recaps which gave me a moment to draw breath alongside Kindaichi, before plunging back in! I think The Inugami Curse would strongly appeal to fans of authors such as Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh or George Bellairs. The novel is excellent classic crime fiction with a tangible Japanese flavour.