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Matsumoto Seichō

    December 21, 1909 – August 4, 1992

    Seicho Matsumoto forged a new tradition in Japanese crime fiction, moving beyond formulaic plots to weave in elements of human psychology and everyday life. His narratives often reflect broader social contexts and postwar nihilism, expanding the genre's scope and deepening its atmosphere. He introduced a new dimension by exposing corruption among both officials and criminals, focusing his investigations not just on the crime itself but on the society in which it occurred.

    Il Giallo Mondadori: La donna che scriveva Haiku e altre storie
    Modern Classics: Suspicion
    A Quiet Place
    Point Zero
    Tokyo Express
    Modern Classics: Inspector Imanishi Investigates
    • La ragazza del Kyūshū

      • 208 pages
      • 8 hours of reading

      Ucciso con l'accusa di omicidio e condannato a morte, il fratello di Kiriko Yanagida è innocente, secondo la sua convinzione. Kiriko si reca a Tokyo dal Kyūshū per chiedere aiuto al famoso avvocato Kinzo Ōtsuka, ma viene bruscamente respinta. Il fratello muore in carcere con l'onta dell'accusa, e inizia per Kiriko una vendetta ossessiva contro l'avvocato Ōtsuka. L'opera interroga il significato della legge e del sistema giudiziario per gli uomini moderni, ognuno con le proprie ombre e in situazioni di isolamento, evidenziando le loro limitazioni.

      La ragazza del Kyūshū2021
      3.7
    • A Quiet Place

      • 235 pages
      • 9 hours of reading

      Why did Tsuneo's shy wife end up stone dead in a boutique in a louche Tokyo neighborhood? He discovers she's been having an affair, and, in a moment of panic, kills her lover. No apparent motive, no witnesses, a faltering investigation. But the pressure builds and Tsuneo starts making mistakes.

      A Quiet Place2016
      3.6
    • 'An absolute classic, and a whole new world to explore ... irresistible' Lee Child 'Beautiful and melancholic, Inspector Imanishi Investigates is not just an ingenious and elegant mystery, but a fascinating window into 1960s Japan' Paula Hawkins A thrilling crime classic, from the bestselling author of Tokyo Express Tokyo, 1960. As the first rays of morning light hit the rails at Kamata Station, a man's body is found on the tracks. With only two leads - a distinctive accent and a single word, 'kameda' - senior inspector Imanishi Eitaro is called in to solve the puzzle. Setting aside his beloved bonsai and haikus, he must cross Japan in search of answers, from Osaka to Akita, accompanied by junior detective Yoshimura. At each new town, they encounter traces of the avant-garde Nouveau Group - young Tokyo artists who are bringing new ideas from the West. What to make of this modern collective? And how to stop another mysterious death occurring? Inspector Imanishi investigates... A fascinating glimpse into Japanese society at a time of great change, this is one of Seicho Matsumoto's best-loved novels - a riveting mystery from the master of Japanese crime.

      Modern Classics: Inspector Imanishi Investigates1997
      3.9
    • Point Zero

      • 320 pages
      • 12 hours of reading

      A jewel by Seicho Matsumoto (1909-1992), the master of Japanese mystery writing. A beautifully written crime novel set in a coastal city in Northern Japan that takes on the taboo of Japanese prostitution during the American occupation.

      Point Zero1971
      3.7
    • 'An irresistible Hitchcockian gem: a fiendishly-plotted crime novel told in crisp, elegant prose' Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train 'Matsumoto was Japan's Agatha Christie' Laura Hackett, The Sunday Times 'It was a puzzle with no solution. But he did not lose heart.' In a rocky cove in the bay of Hakata, the bodies of a young and beautiful couple are discovered. Stood in the coast's wind and cold, the police see nothing to investigate: the flush of the couple's cheeks speaks clearly of cyanide, of a lovers' suicide. But in the eyes of two men, Torigai Jutaro, a senior detective, and Kiichi Mihara, a young gun from Tokyo, something is not quite right. Together, they begin to pick at the knot of a unique and calculated crime... Now widely available in English for the first time, Tokyo Express is celebrated around the world as Seicho Matsumoto's masterpiece - and as one of the most fiendish puzzles ever written.

      Tokyo Express1970
      3.8
    • Detektivní povídka japonského autora, v níž se rozvíjí příběh o záhadné vraždě muže a ženy, jejichž mrtvoly byly nalezeny na opuštěném mořském pobřeží v zálivu Kašii. Případ vyšetřuje místní policie z blízkého městečka Hakaty, která ze zjištěných okolností usoudí na sebevraždu milenců a celou záležitost jednoduše uzavře. S tímto rozhodnutím není však spokojen starý policejní veterán Džútaró Torigaj. Pátrá na vlastní pěst a vnese do teorie o sebevraždě milenců pochyby.

      Body a přímka1964
      3.9