Thrillers & Suspense
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The Mill House Murders: The Classic Japanese Locked Room Mystery (Pushkin Vertigo)
"A psychological-mystical thriller built on Agatha Christie-type stopwatch sequences and John Dickson Carr-style locked-room conundrums… No one can accuse Mr. Ayatsuji of not sustaining the eerie mood of his strange story until its very last sentence." - The Wall Street Journal
A hugely enjoyable, page-turning classic Japanese mystery with an ingenious conclusion from the author of The Decagon House Murders, translated into English for the first time
Don't miss this beautifully constructed, highly entertaining and atmospheric murder mystery--its propulsive plot makes for a compelling, page-turning read.
As they do every year, a small group of acquaintances pay a visit to the remote, castle-like Water Mill House, home to the reclusive Fujinuma Kiichi, son of a famous artist, who has lived his life behind a rubber mask ever since a disfiguring car accident.
This year, however, the visit is disrupted by an impossible disappearance, the theft of a painting and a series of baffling murders.
The brilliant Kiyoshi Shimada arrives to investigate. But will he get to the truth, and will you too be able to solve the mystery of the Mill House Murders?
A hugely enjoyable, page-turning classic Japanese mystery with an ingenious conclusion from the author of The Decagon House Murders, translated into English for the first time
Don't miss this beautifully constructed, highly entertaining and atmospheric murder mystery--its propulsive plot makes for a compelling, page-turning read.
As they do every year, a small group of acquaintances pay a visit to the remote, castle-like Water Mill House, home to the reclusive Fujinuma Kiichi, son of a famous artist, who has lived his life behind a rubber mask ever since a disfiguring car accident.
This year, however, the visit is disrupted by an impossible disappearance, the theft of a painting and a series of baffling murders.
The brilliant Kiyoshi Shimada arrives to investigate. But will he get to the truth, and will you too be able to solve the mystery of the Mill House Murders?
Editorial Reviews
"A psychological-mystical thriller built on tropes from cozier crime fiction. Agatha Christie-type stopwatch sequences and John Dickson Carr-style locked-room conundrums coexist with Poe-like Gothic sequences full of severed limbs and charred flesh… No one can accuse Mr. Ayatsuji of not sustaining the eerie mood of his strange story until its very last sentence."
--The Wall Street Journal
"If you enjoyed Yukito Ayatsuji's ingenious The Decagon House Murders – and how could you not? – you will love this quasi-Christie locked-room mystery."
--The Times and Sunday Times Crime Club
"Another ingenious puzzle... John Dickson Carr would be proud to come up with as clever a locked room mystery as this... exceptional fun and superbly plotted."
--Paul Burke, Crime Time FM
"From the first page you know you're in the hands of a master. The atmosphere, the setting, the characters... it is flawless."
--Ian Moore, author of Death and Croissants
"The dénouement was fiendishly clever... An engaging, entertaining mystery with a puzzle fit for the most ardent of armchair detectives."
--NB Magazine
"A great classic, Japanese locked room mystery perfect for fans of Agatha Christie!... I thought I had the mystery solved but lo and behold, the unraveling was completely unexpected and I loved it."
--readamongstthecrime
"This chilly, elegant tribute to the locked-room mysteries of the golden age of crime writing offers a challenge in clue spotting to readers who enjoy pitting their wits against an author's."
--Literary Review
"Just as clever and delightful as the locked room mystery that got Ayatsuji on our radar last year... [The characters have] their agendas, complex backstories, and shifting allegiances, and by the end of the novel, I f...
--The Wall Street Journal
"If you enjoyed Yukito Ayatsuji's ingenious The Decagon House Murders – and how could you not? – you will love this quasi-Christie locked-room mystery."
--The Times and Sunday Times Crime Club
"Another ingenious puzzle... John Dickson Carr would be proud to come up with as clever a locked room mystery as this... exceptional fun and superbly plotted."
--Paul Burke, Crime Time FM
"From the first page you know you're in the hands of a master. The atmosphere, the setting, the characters... it is flawless."
--Ian Moore, author of Death and Croissants
"The dénouement was fiendishly clever... An engaging, entertaining mystery with a puzzle fit for the most ardent of armchair detectives."
--NB Magazine
"A great classic, Japanese locked room mystery perfect for fans of Agatha Christie!... I thought I had the mystery solved but lo and behold, the unraveling was completely unexpected and I loved it."
--readamongstthecrime
"This chilly, elegant tribute to the locked-room mysteries of the golden age of crime writing offers a challenge in clue spotting to readers who enjoy pitting their wits against an author's."
--Literary Review
"Just as clever and delightful as the locked room mystery that got Ayatsuji on our radar last year... [The characters have] their agendas, complex backstories, and shifting allegiances, and by the end of the novel, I f...
Readers Top Reviews
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This is about the crime staged by a man living like a hermit or recluse in a grand mansion in Japan. The storytelling method, which is going back and forth in time, was interesting, but it was kind of easy to guess the whole story. So, it was not that thrilling.
Andrea Ward944791
At the beginning, there were so many characters and the two timelines. This and the habit of sometimes calling them by their family name and sometimes calling them by their individual names made it difficult to follow the first part of the book. I think it would have been easier if I had a physical copy of the book, so I could flip back and forth between pages as needed. As I kept reading, I was able to better figure out who was who. As to the mystery, I was able to figure out part of it early on. However, there were other details that were not even on my radar. So I liked that surprise. There was also a twist as to the 'bad guy' that I didn't see coming. I thought that was very clever as well. I was also intrigued by the way that gender played out in the book. There were moments that felt like traditional Western gender roles were being fulfilled and other times when they felt like they were being subverted. Considering this is a Japanese novel, the fact that there was a difference was not surprising. However the way that difference played out was more enjoyable than I expected. I have heard about people talk reverently about Japanese murder mysteries and I'm glad I was finally able to pick this one up. I will definitely be looking for more like this.
Amanda N.Andrea W
The second novel in Ayatsuji’s classic locked room murder mystery series, The Millhouse Murders introduces a small group of acquaintances that meet annually at the home of a masked recluse, his young wife, and the exclusive collection of his late father’s art - The Millhouse. “An impossible disappearance, the theft of a painting, and a baffling series of murders” take place during a stormy night on one of these annual visits. The following year, those that survived the night find themselves at The Millhouse again with unexpected guest Kiyoshi Shimada. I love a good, claustrophobic murder mystery story! The setting is creepy, the murders are macabre, and there is just a general sense throughout the whole novel that things are not as they seem. I did have a good idea what happened early in the story, but it didn't lessen my enjoyment of it and reading on to see how Ayatsuji would (or would not) bring our characters to the final conclusions of the novel. The first novel in this series, The Decagon House Murders, has been on my radar for a long while, and now I'm even more excited to read it. I will note that I do wish I'd read The Decagon House Murders first as Shimada is introduced there and there were a few comments alluding to it in The Millhouse Murders. I hope we get more of this series in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Vertigo for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.
MaydayAmanda N.An
This review is for an ARC copy received from the publisher through NetGalley. This was another fiendish locked room mystery from Yukito Ayatsuji. The chapters alternate between the same day one year apart, the former in 1985 that includes two deaths and a missing painting, the latter in 1986 with the remainder of those who experienced the previous fateful night plus two new characters. Once again the story takes place in an unusual house designed by the architect of Ayatsuji's first novel. This time, the house is owned by a reclusive son of a famous painter, now crippled and disfigured due to a car crash years earlier, along with his young wife, a girl he took in after her parents died. In 1985 he is also hosts a longtime friend who's down on his luck, and allows an annual visit from four fans of his father's art. When the housemaid and one of the guests are killed, and one of the prized paintings vanishes, another of the guests is suspected as the killer; though how he escaped from a locked room situation and during a raging storm is anyone's guess. In 1986, the remaining three art fans have returned, but unexpectedly another man shows up who was a friend of the suspected culprit. As another typhoon rages and the mystery of the past is brought up, will it finally be solved? Ayatsuji really had a way of writing original takes on classical mystery novels. The story has inventive layers and numerous surprises. I had figured out who the killer was before it was revealed, but how he got away with it and several of the other complexities in the mystery eluded me. As with the previous novel, the final explanation was a bit long-winded and some of it was a bit far fetched, but it was nonetheless very entertaining and a new twist on old tropes.
Kindle MaydayAma
This is the second of Ayatsuji’s mysteries I have read. I very much enjoyed it although I will admit that I believe the average reader will quickly zero in on a major point in the plot. Not trying to give anything away and I will also admit that I was very surprised by the complete solution. I definitely recommend it as well as his The Decagon House.
