Death on Gokumon Island

First published in Japan in 1951, it gets a ton of leeway in my reading. It's akin to the badly dubbed, Sunday afternoon, kung-fu movies of my youth that I absolutely loved in all their over-the-top, cheesy glory. The book can be a tad extra - I mean there's just so much nervous sweating going on! Every other chapter is the literary equivalent of the dramatic hamster meme turning his head in wide-eyed wonder accompanied by a musical sting. The author never tires of reminding us how beautiful young Tamayo is and even as the story resolved I admit I'm still not exactly sure what Sahei had in mind with his will. But it doesn't matter! It was a distracting and fun romp.

You have the incredibly wealthy Silk King of Japan, Sahei Inugami, who has died. Detective Kosuke Kindaichi has been called to the reading of the will which will surely will be an “event soaked in blood” according to on of the estate's lawyers Toyoichiro Wakabayashi ...who is immediately discovered dead from poison. Dun, dun, duuuuunn.

It's yet another intriguing case for Kosuke Kindaichi who has been featured in over 75 novels and feels like a progenitor to Columbo with his disheveled attire, wild hair, which he is prone to nervously scratching, while stuttering from excitement. And the plot is very Knives Out as the extended family descend like vultures vying for the family wealth. The body count mounts and we are left to wonder who will be the last one standing? It's got that old school, Agatha Christie classic mystery vibe but at the same time it just goes for it. What's not to like?