The Devil'S Flute Murders

An ingenious and highly atmospheric classic whodunit from Japan's master of crime.

Amid the rubble of post-war Tokyo, inside the grand Tsubaki house, a once-noble family is in mourning.

The old viscount Tsubaki, a brooding, troubled composer, has been found dead.

When the family gather for a divination to conjure the spirit of their departed patriarch, death visits the house once more, and the brilliant Kosuke Kindaichi is called in to investigate.

But before he can get to the truth Kindaichi must uncover the Tsubakis' most disturbing secrets, while the gruesome murders continue...

Praise for Seishi Yokomizo's classic mysteries: ― .

The diabolically twisted plotting is top-notch ― New York Times

Readers will delight in the blind turns, red herrings and dubious alibis... Ingenious and compelling ― Economist

With a reputation in Japan to rival Agatha Christie's, the master of ingenious plotting is finally on the case for anglophone readers ― Guardian

This is Golden Age crime at its best, complete with red herrings, blind alleys and twists and turns galore... A testament to the power of the simple murder mystery and its enduring appeal ― Spectator

Plenty of golden age ingredients... with a truly ingenious solution ― Guardian, Best New Crime Novels

A classic murder mystery... Comparisons with Holmes are justified, both in the character of Kindaichi and Yokomizo's approach to storytelling mixing clues, red herrings and fascinating social insight before drawing back the curtain to reveal the truth ― Japan Times

At once familiar and tantalisingly strange... It's an absolute pleasure to see his work translated at last in these beautifully produced English editions ― Sunday Times

Has a touch of Agatha Christie but with so much added spice. There are plenty of twists, red herrings, and suspects in this monkey puzzle of a story. Japan has a wonderful history of crime writing, and Yokomizo is one of their finest authors ― NB Magazine

Another legendary Yokomizo book... A campy and delightful detective novel ― Books and Bao

A gory tale of family greed, honour, revenge and loyalty with plenty of red herrings. Full of action and with a detective like no other ― Live and Deadly

A delightfully entertaining locked room murder mystery... There are plenty of twists, red herrings, and suspects in this monkey puzzle of a story... An ideal book to curl up with on a winter's night ― NB Magazine

Atmospheric, exciting and knotty whodunits. The covers alone are enough to get any fan of the genre salivating ― Japan Times

An exceptional whodunit... The brilliant and intricate plot will keep readers turning the pages. Golden age fans will hope for more translations of this gifted author ― Publishers Weekly, starred review

Seishi Yokomizo took a pinch of John Dickson Carr and a dash of Agatha Christie in creating Kosuke Kindaichi, solver of impossible crimes... Kosuke's arrival [on Gokumon Island] coincides with a string of bizarre and gruesome murders. As deaths mount, the quirky, endearing detective strings together the clues to solve this fiendish puzzle -- Sarah Weinman ― The New York Times --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.