The Meiji Guillotine Murders

English language

Published Jan. 28, 2024 by Pushkin Vertigo.

ISBN:
9781782278887

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4 stars (1 review)

Tokyo, 1869. It is the dawn of the Meiji era in Japan, but the scars of the recent civil war are yet to heal. The new regime struggles to keep the peace as old scores are settled and dangerous new ideas flood into the country from the West.

A new police force promises to bring order to this land of feuding samurai warlords, and chief inspectors Kazuki and Kawaji are two of its brightest stars. Together they investigate a spree of baffling murders across the capital, moving from dingy drinking dens to high-class hotels and the heart of the Imperial Palace. Can they solve these seemingly impossible crimes and save the country from slipping into chaos once more?

1 edition

Structurally and narratively interesting.

4 stars

One of the things I most appreciated is that this story is structured in a manner as to be multiple stories that all connect, so it feels like you're reading multiple short stories that initially appear mostly disconnected until too many connections keep making you (like the audience stand-in Kawaji) think that there's something more.

Some of the cases, however, don't seem possible to solve on your own with any of the information provided. A couple of them feel like there is foreshadowing, but others feel like there's just... no way to solve it using the information provided.