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The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji (1987)

The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji (1987)


Laura’s Rating: 3.5/5 Stars


I got this book a while ago from Gramercy Books (featured in an earlier bookstore tour) based off of a recommendation by staff. The book is inspired by the Agatha Christie classic And Then There Were None and I was intrigued to see how it would differ. 


The Analysis:


A group of college students belonging to a mystery fiction club decide to take a trip to a deserted island that was the scene of a mysterious murder. The previous owner of the island was an eccentric architect who perished along with his wife and 2 housekeepers and the case remains unsolved. Once the students arrive, it appears that someone intends to commit additional murders on the island, targeting each of the students one at a time…


The book was definitely similar to And Then There Were None and some of the story felt familiar, with the same basic structure for the plot. Author Yukito Ayatsuji managed to put his own spin on the classic tale, keeping it fresh and interesting with new twists. The book also featured some scenes back on the mainland, which added another dimension to the isolated “locked room” mystery. 


One small complaint from me would be that characters were often referred to by several different names, making it confusing to keep them all straight. In a few places, you could tell that the novel was translated from the original Japanese, due to odd phrasing, but this wasn’t too distracting. I also didn’t realize this book was published in the 80s, as it feels modern and could happen today. Fans of classic murder mystery novels would enjoy The Decagon House Murders as it pays homage to Christie while offering a new perspective.

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