Death of the Reader

Coming in seventeenth place for 2020 is The Sign of the Four. There are two names that will forever ring in the pantheon of Murder Mystery fiction; Dame Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. How did Sir Doyle land 17th place on our list? Returning to classics like Holmes isn't always as perfect as it seems.

Coming in last, 18th place, for 2020 is Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears. The Crypt of Tears is a movie adaptation of the Australian television staple, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, which aired from 2012 through to 2015 and was generally well received, however the stretching of a regular TV episode to the silver screen leaves a lot to be desired.

We discuss chapters 14-18 of Seishi Yokomizo's The Honjin Murders, also known as The Honjin Murder Case. As the end of our tale arrives, Kosuke Kindaichi has the case all tied together, his culprit selected, and a three-chapter-long monologue to give. How will the Ichiyanagi learn from the lessons of this crime, if at all? We may never find out as Seishi Yokomizo struggles to stick the landing wit...

We discuss chapters 8-13 of Seishi Yokomizo's The Honjin Murders, also known as The Honjin Murder Case. Seishi continues to share his love of other murder mysteries, ripping his influences wholesales in an enthusiastic romp through Kosuke Kindaichi's investigation into the deaths of Kenzo and Katsuko. Once our detective arrives, his had seemingly permanently affixed to his head, the second act beg...

We discuss chapters 1-7 of Seishi Yokomizo's The Honjin Murders, also known as The Honjin Murder Case. Our narrator recalls the definitely totally true and not made up for this book story of the fall of the Ichiyanagi family after the murder of their son Kenzo and his new wife Katsuko. A mysterious man arrives in town on the day of the wedding asking after the couple, and then in the dark morning...

We discuss chapters 15 to 19 of The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino. After confronting Ishigami with information that has suddenly changed his course of action, Detective Galileo and Kusanagi confront their other suspect, before the entire crime starts unraveling. Did Ishigami really pull off the perfect crime, or is Yasuko's fate sealed? We also discuss the controversy that this novel ca...

We discuss chapters 8-14 of The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino. Detective Galileo's hunt is concluded but he won't let Kusanagi in on the final conclusion, and the tension continues to build even while the events of the novel themselves have been fairly understated. Yasuko's new partner Kudo has also entered the scene, building towards what promises to be an emotionally charged climax to...

We discuss chapters 1-7 of The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino. First of the few in the Detective Galileo series to be translated to English, our story begins following a mathematics teacher by the name of Ishigami who swoops in to help his neighbour cover up a murder she has committed. With our murder, culprit and method shown in the opening chapters of the story, the cat-and-mouse game...

We discuss chapters 12-16 of Naomi Hirahara's Sayonara Slam. After warming our hearts with this personal, cozy tale, how does the mystery of Yuki's death hold up towards the end. Loose evidence, and a police-procedural approach to the narrative have Flex and Herds skeptical of the game, but the narrative keeps it strong. As each of our suspects is resolved and their true motivations revealed, will...

We discuss chapters 7-11 of Naomi Hirahara's Sayonara Slam. As the stakes continue raising and Mas Arai finds himself deeper and deeper in trouble, Mas' personality shines through confrontation after confrontation. The killer continues to evade Yuki but the veil is beginning to drop as the grim history of the community's experience with World War 2 creeps towards centre stage. Blending the persona...

Hear our full chat with Naomi Hirahara about her book Sayonara Slam as well as her upcoming work, Clark and Division. From the importance of journalism to the Japanese American community to the evolution of Mas Arai as a character, we pry into the heart behind Sayonara Slam and the broader Mas Arai series. We're only talking chapters 1-6 of Sayonara Slam so no worries about spoilers, get subscribe...

We discuss chapters 1-6 of Naomi Hirahara's Sayonara Slam. As retiree Mas Arai finds himself embroiled in the murder of a young Japanese journalist alongside a show-game between Korea and Japan at Dodger Stadium in his home city of Los Angeles. Another young Japanese journalist approaches Mas to help him investigate the death. This may be Mas' 6th time around the murder mystery block, but will he...

We have a long chat with Craig Sisterton about his new book Southern Cross Crime, as well as the Southern Cross scene itself! Craig is the expert when it comes to Australian and New Zealand Crime, having spent more than a decade reviewing the field, as well as founding the Ngaio Marsh Awards and Rotorua Noir. We talk about the evolution of the community in Australia and New Zealand, the importance...

We discuss chapters 15-19 in Jock Serong's The Rules of Backyard Cricket. As Darren Keefe's drive comes to an end, Jock Serong holds nothing back, dealing out the full moral punishment of the story in visceral detail. The ending stings, but that's the idea, as Jock joins us to give a small glimpse into why things had to end the way they did. We also look into how this story fits in with our normal...

We discuss chapters 9-14 in Jock Serong's The Rules of Backyard Cricket. While Darren is still stuck and injured in the back of a car, slowly trying to free himself. As his reminisces on a roller-coaster career continue, adulthood has finally arrived. Now competing for the Australian national side, Darren finds himself amidst scandal after scandal. Caught unawares in the middle of unscrupulous gam...

We discuss chapters 1-8 of Jock Serong's The Rules of Backyard Cricket. Beginning with our protagonist, Darren Keefe, with a gunshot wound, tied up in the back of the car, it's immediately apparent that this is going to be a slightly different cricket story to the ones normally lining the average cricket fanatic's bookshelf. Exploring Darren and his brother Wally's youth as they go from being the...

We discuss The Dwarf by Edogawa Rampo. Closing out the collection, this grim tale takes us through murder, love, and the grotesque in what would become known as Rampo's signature tone. Surrounded by villains and with an unwitting housemaid as his assistant, can Akechi Kogoro get to the bottom of this case in time? With final points on the line the tension is high and Flex may finally be out of his...

We talk about Enola Holmes, the new film based on Nancy Springer's mystery series of the same name. Starring Millie Bobby Brown, Sam Clafin, Henry Cavill and Helena Bonham Carter. Following alongside Enola (Brown), the wily sister of Sherlock (Cavill) and Mycroft (Clafin), this energetic adventure eschews many of the traditions of mystery (and to be honest, any mystery whatsoever), for a high-stak...

We discuss The Black Hand Gang, and The Ghost by Edogawa Rampo, as part of the collection The Early Cases of Akechi Kogoro, translated by William Varteresian. As Rampo continues to walk the line between Conan Doyle and Van Dine, our two new cases show an interesting point in his career, as we look at his least favourite story "The Ghost", and why he saw it as a failure. Flex is also tasked to solv...

We discuss The Case of the Murder on D. Hill by Edogawa Rampo, as part of the collection The Early Cases of Akechi Kogoro, translated by William Varteresian. Bringing the traditions of Western Murder Mystery to Japan, Rampo sets a tone that many describe as being akin to his namesake, Edgar Allan Poe, or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but we reckon he's actually a secret Van Dine subscriber. As Akechi Ko...

We discuss stories 7 & 8 from Cheng Xiaoqing's Sherlock in Shanghai, translated by Timothy C. Wong. Abandoning our heroes Huo Sang and Bao Lang, our last two adventures take us through a ghost story, and an exploit of the South China Swallow. How does Cheng Xiaoqing fare, delving more into atmospheric mysteries, more akin to the later novels of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction? How can the dash...

We discuss stories 4-6 of Sherlock in Shanghai by Cheng Xiaoqing, translated by Timothy C Wong. Beginning with the lighthearted and thoroughly charming "The Examination Paper", this stretch of the collection seeks to explore the relationship between Huo Sang and Bao Lang. From the quaint, simple story of a missing sheet of paper to the grim ransom of a young child, Cheng Xiaoqing shows incredible...

Flex sat down with Paul F Verhoeven to talk the release of his new book Electric Blue. This follow up to Loose Units explores his parent's careers in law enforcement, as well as how Paul ended up on such a different path. We chat about his heartwarming exploration of Star Trek: The Next Generation's Dixon Hill, the importance of owning what you love, and the writing adventures of working with sour...

We discuss stories 1-3 of Sherlock in Shanghai by Cheng Xiaoqing, translated by Timothy C Wong. Beginning from a passion sparked by translating the works of classic western crime fiction, Cheng Xiaoqing's tribute to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle makes a stunning debut as Huo Sang and Bao Lang meet for their first case together, The Shoe. Wearing inspiration on its sleeve, this collection starts out with...

We discuss chapter 10-13 of Good Murder by Robert Gott. After a contentious two episodes, Robert Gott thoroughly redeems himself as the comedy finally lands for Flex. William Power finds the town falling apart around him, literally, and as he faces the storm, Will continues to bungle the investigation as he descends into madness. Turning the traditional mystery ending on its' head, our criminal is...