Death on Gokumon Island

Kosuke Kindaichi arrives on the remote Gokumon Island bearing tragic news - the son of one of the island's most important families has died, on a troop transport ship bringing him back home after the Second World War. But Kindaichi has not come merely as a messenger - with his last words, the dying man warned that his three step-sisters' lives would now be in danger. The scruffy detective is determined to get to the bottom of this mysterious prophesy, and to protect the three women if he can.As Kosuke Kindaichi attempts to unravel the island's secrets, a series of gruesome murders begins. He investigates, but soon finds himself in mortal danger from both the unknown killer and the clannish locals, who resent this outsider meddling in their affairs.Loosely inspired by Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, the fiendish Death on Gokumon Island is perhaps the most highly regarded of all the great Seishi Yokomizo's classic Japanese mysteries.

An exceptional whodunit... The brilliant and intricate plot will keep readers turning the pages. Golden age fans will hope for more translations of this gifted author, A succession of grotesque murders has the endearingly dishevelled Kindaichi forever scratching his head... exposing family rivalries and ancient superstitions which defy outside interference. The truth, when it emerges, is as bizarre as it is chilling, An intricately plotted murder mystery that really brings post-World War II Japan to life. If you're at all a fan of traditional mystery novels, and are ready to explore a terrain far removed from the usual Western setting and perspective then you must check out this series, This fiendish mystery ... will appeal to all lovers of the Golden Age of crime fiction., Seishi Yokomizo was the king of the locked-room mystery, and there's nothing more cut off than an island... [This is] Yokomizo's ode to And Then There Were None

Seishi Yokomizo (1902-81) was one of Japan's most famous and best-loved mystery writers. He was born in Kobe and spent his childhood reading detective stories, before beginning to write stories of his own, the first of which was published in 1921. He went on to become an extremely prolific and popular author, best known for his Kosuke Kindaichi series, which ran to 77 books, many of which were adapted for stage and television in Japan. Gokumon Island is one of Seishi Yokomizo's most highly regarded mysteries. The Honjin Murders, The Inugami Curse and The Village of Eight Graves are also available from Pushkin Vertigo.Louise Heal Kawai grew up in Manchester, UK, but Japan has been her home since 1990. She previously translated Seishi Yokomizo's The Honjin Murders, Soji Shimada's Murder in the Crooked House and Mieko Kawakami's Ms Ice Sandwich for Pushkin Press. Her other translations include Seventeen by Hideo Yokoyama and Sosuke Natsukawa's The Cat Who Saved Books.