I really enjoyed this newly translated (by Jesse Kirkwood) 1982 Japanese novella of a gold-digger accused of bumping off her older husband to get her hands on his life insurance. Only things are not as they seem, or are they? We only really find out at the end, like all good mysteries of course, but Matsumoto pulls off a couple of twists that lift the story from just good, to excellent, as I found with the longer but equally good A Quiet Place.
No. 11 of 24 books I intend to read and review in 2026.
I’m Patrick Sherriff, an Englishman who survived 13 years working for newspapers in the US, UK and Japan. Between teaching English lessons at my conversation school in Abiko, Japan, I write and illustrate textbooks for non-native speakers of English, release Hana Walker mystery novels, short stories, paint, and write essays and Our Man in Abiko, a monthly newsletter highlighting good writing in English, often about about Japan, art, crime fiction and teaching.
