The Master Key
Ratings6
Average rating3.7
The prize-winning debut mystery from one of Japan's best-loved crime writers The K Apartments for Ladies are occupied by over one hundred unmarried women, once young and lively, now grown and old—and in some cases, evil. Their residence conceals a secret connecting the unsolved 1951 kidnapping of four-year-old George Kraft to the clandestine burial of a child's body in the basement bath-house. So, when news comes that the building must be moved to make way for a road-building project, more than one tenant waits with apprehension for the grisly revelation that will follow. Then the master key is lost, stolen and re-stolen—and suddenly no-one feels safe. Fiendish intrigue, double identity and an ingenious plot make this a thriller worthy of comparison with the work of P.D. James.
Tags
Reviews
Popular Reviews
Reviews with the most likes.
Rating: 4.5 ⭐️
I had no idea what this book was about. And I'm glad I bought it without knowing too much of the story because otherwise I'd have felt confused.
This is the story about a group of women who live in a building and have secrets. That premise doesn't sound very interesting, but once you start reading the book, it's so engrossing that you can't stop reading. The women's lives are like the pieces of a puzzle: they seem to be interesting but not so relevant, until every piece fits together and the big picture is revealed.
This book has no detectives or even ‘proper' villains: just a group of people with dangerous secrets.
Didn't, like, rock my world, but this Japanese mystery novel from 1962 had a cool setting and some great plot moments. Just felt a bit needlessly convoluted.
