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Murder in the Crooked House

Author Soji Shimada
Translated by Louise Heal Kawai
Paperback
$18.95 US
Steerforth Press | Pushkin Vertigo
5-1/16"W x 7-13/16"H | 13 oz | 24 per carton
On sale Jul 07, 2026 | 352 Pages | 9781805335788
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A delightfully comic Japanese murder mystery “reminiscent of Agatha Christie” from a master of the genre—now available for the first time in English (Wall Street Journal)!

“One of those locked-room head-bangers that invite . . . the reader to decipher the clues and solve a murder along with an all-seeing detective.” —New York Times Book Review

The Crooked House sits on a snowbound cliff overlooking icy seas at the remote northern tip of Japan. A curious place for the millionaire Kozaburo Hamamoto to build a house, but even more curious is the house itself—a disorienting maze of sloping floors and strangely situated staircases, full of bloodcurdling masks and uncanny, lifesize dolls. When a man is found dead in one of the mansion's rooms, murdered in seemingly impossible circumstances, the police are called. But they are unable to solve the puzzle, and powerless to protect the party of house guests as more bizarre deaths follow.

Enter Kiyoshi Mitarai, the renowned sleuth, famous for unmasking the culprit behind the notorious Umezawa family massacre. Surely if anyone can crack these cryptic murders he will. But you have all the clues too—can you solve the mystery of the murders in The Crooked House first?
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Dramatis Personae 7
Prologue 9
Act One
Scene 1 · The Entrance of the Ice Floe Mansion 23
Scene 2 · The Salon of the Ice Floe Mansion 29
Scene 3 · The Tower 45
Scene 4 · Room 1 53
Scene 5 · The Salon 59
Scene 6 · The Library 90
Act Two
Scene 1 · The Salon 123
Scene 2 · Room 14, Eikichi Kikuoka’s Bedroom 132
Scene 3 · Room 9, Mr and Mrs Kanai’s Bedroom 138
Scene 4 · Back in the Salon 147
Scene 5 · Kozaburo’s Room in the Tower 153
Scene 6 · The Salon 161
Scene 7 · The Library 175
Scene 8 · The Salon 205
Scene 9 · The Tengu Room 209
Scene 10 · The Salon 225
Act Three
Scene 1 · The Salon 235
Scene 2 · The Tengu Room 242
Scene 3 · Room 15, The Detectives’ Bedroom 247
Scene 4 · The Salon 249
Scene 5 · The Library 260
Scene 6 · The Salon 272
Entr’acte 277
Challenge to the Reader 285
Final Act
Scene 1 · The Ground Floor Landing of the West Wing Staircase, or By the Door of Room 12 289
Scene 2 · Room 14 297
Scene 3 · The Tengu Room 302
Scene 4 · The Salon 305
Scene 5 · The Hill 343
Epilogue 347
"Shimada’s brilliant sequel to The Tokyo Zodiac Murders will thrill fans of golden age puzzle mysteries… The tension rises as one impossibility follows another before an effective and dramatic reveal. Shimada combines fantastic crimes with a logical and fair solution likely to stump even the most astute readers."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A delightfully intricate murder puzzle with retro charm, bound to tantalize readers."
—Kirkus

"One of those locked-room head-bangers that invite—'taunt' is more like it—the reader to decipher the clues and solve a murder along with an all-seeing detective."
—Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review

"Reminiscent of Agatha Christie, [Murder in the Crooked House] is a strange brew—one with a taste that certain adventurous readers may be well pleased to savor."
—The Wall Street Journal

"Famed detective Kiyoshi Mitarai investigates a murder that transpired in impossible circumstances, and the mind-bending puzzle reveals a trail of horror that is both satisfying and entertaining... It’s a clever and engaging mystery whose clues are revealed at a satisfying pace. The novel is translated with clarity and humor."
—Foreword Reviews

"A superb Japanese locked room mystery . . . Hugely entertaining... a brilliant and satisfying conclusion."
—Sunday Times (A Crime Book of the Month Selection; 100 Best Summer Reads)

"This ingenious locked-room mystery is our crime novel of the month."
—Times

"An inventive, page-turning comic-thriller . . . not only intellectually rewarding but also a hell of a lot of fun."
—The Japan Times

"A locked room mystery worth reading for the setting alone"
—Crimereads

PRAISE FOR THE TOKYO ZODIAC MURDERS:

"The great Soji Shimada virtually invented the 'logic problem' sub-genre."
—Guardian, Top 10 Locked Room Mysteries (No. 2)

"Ignites the mind."
—Huffington Post

"If you like your crime stories to be bloody and bizarre, then this may be one for you . . . the solution is one of the most original that I've ever read."
—Anthony Horowitz, New York Times bestselling mystery author

About

A delightfully comic Japanese murder mystery “reminiscent of Agatha Christie” from a master of the genre—now available for the first time in English (Wall Street Journal)!

“One of those locked-room head-bangers that invite . . . the reader to decipher the clues and solve a murder along with an all-seeing detective.” —New York Times Book Review

The Crooked House sits on a snowbound cliff overlooking icy seas at the remote northern tip of Japan. A curious place for the millionaire Kozaburo Hamamoto to build a house, but even more curious is the house itself—a disorienting maze of sloping floors and strangely situated staircases, full of bloodcurdling masks and uncanny, lifesize dolls. When a man is found dead in one of the mansion's rooms, murdered in seemingly impossible circumstances, the police are called. But they are unable to solve the puzzle, and powerless to protect the party of house guests as more bizarre deaths follow.

Enter Kiyoshi Mitarai, the renowned sleuth, famous for unmasking the culprit behind the notorious Umezawa family massacre. Surely if anyone can crack these cryptic murders he will. But you have all the clues too—can you solve the mystery of the murders in The Crooked House first?

Creators

Soji Shimada View titles by Soji Shimada

Table of Contents

Dramatis Personae 7
Prologue 9
Act One
Scene 1 · The Entrance of the Ice Floe Mansion 23
Scene 2 · The Salon of the Ice Floe Mansion 29
Scene 3 · The Tower 45
Scene 4 · Room 1 53
Scene 5 · The Salon 59
Scene 6 · The Library 90
Act Two
Scene 1 · The Salon 123
Scene 2 · Room 14, Eikichi Kikuoka’s Bedroom 132
Scene 3 · Room 9, Mr and Mrs Kanai’s Bedroom 138
Scene 4 · Back in the Salon 147
Scene 5 · Kozaburo’s Room in the Tower 153
Scene 6 · The Salon 161
Scene 7 · The Library 175
Scene 8 · The Salon 205
Scene 9 · The Tengu Room 209
Scene 10 · The Salon 225
Act Three
Scene 1 · The Salon 235
Scene 2 · The Tengu Room 242
Scene 3 · Room 15, The Detectives’ Bedroom 247
Scene 4 · The Salon 249
Scene 5 · The Library 260
Scene 6 · The Salon 272
Entr’acte 277
Challenge to the Reader 285
Final Act
Scene 1 · The Ground Floor Landing of the West Wing Staircase, or By the Door of Room 12 289
Scene 2 · Room 14 297
Scene 3 · The Tengu Room 302
Scene 4 · The Salon 305
Scene 5 · The Hill 343
Epilogue 347

Praise

"Shimada’s brilliant sequel to The Tokyo Zodiac Murders will thrill fans of golden age puzzle mysteries… The tension rises as one impossibility follows another before an effective and dramatic reveal. Shimada combines fantastic crimes with a logical and fair solution likely to stump even the most astute readers."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A delightfully intricate murder puzzle with retro charm, bound to tantalize readers."
—Kirkus

"One of those locked-room head-bangers that invite—'taunt' is more like it—the reader to decipher the clues and solve a murder along with an all-seeing detective."
—Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review

"Reminiscent of Agatha Christie, [Murder in the Crooked House] is a strange brew—one with a taste that certain adventurous readers may be well pleased to savor."
—The Wall Street Journal

"Famed detective Kiyoshi Mitarai investigates a murder that transpired in impossible circumstances, and the mind-bending puzzle reveals a trail of horror that is both satisfying and entertaining... It’s a clever and engaging mystery whose clues are revealed at a satisfying pace. The novel is translated with clarity and humor."
—Foreword Reviews

"A superb Japanese locked room mystery . . . Hugely entertaining... a brilliant and satisfying conclusion."
—Sunday Times (A Crime Book of the Month Selection; 100 Best Summer Reads)

"This ingenious locked-room mystery is our crime novel of the month."
—Times

"An inventive, page-turning comic-thriller . . . not only intellectually rewarding but also a hell of a lot of fun."
—The Japan Times

"A locked room mystery worth reading for the setting alone"
—Crimereads

PRAISE FOR THE TOKYO ZODIAC MURDERS:

"The great Soji Shimada virtually invented the 'logic problem' sub-genre."
—Guardian, Top 10 Locked Room Mysteries (No. 2)

"Ignites the mind."
—Huffington Post

"If you like your crime stories to be bloody and bizarre, then this may be one for you . . . the solution is one of the most original that I've ever read."
—Anthony Horowitz, New York Times bestselling mystery author

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