The Tokyo Zodiac Murders by Soji Shimada

The Tokyo Zodiac Murders (Pushkin Vertigo, #4)

by Soji Shimada

'If you like your crime stories to be bloody and bizarre, then this one may be for you. The winner of several major awards... the solution is one of the most original that I've ever read' Anthony Horowitz


A bestselling and internationally-acclaimed masterpiece of the locked-room mystery genre


Japan, 1936. An old eccentric artist living with seven women has been found dead - in a room locked from the inside. His diaries reveal alchemy, astrology and a complicated plan to kill all seven women. Shortly afterwards, the plan is carried out: the women are found dismembered and buried across rural Japan.


By 1979, these Tokyo Zodiac Murders have been obsessing a nation for decades, but not one of them has been solved. A mystery-obsessed illustrator and a talented astrologer set off around the country - and you follow, carrying the enigma of the Zodiac murderer through madness, missed leads and magic tricks. You have all the clues, but can you solve the mystery before they do?

Reviewed by Aidan Brack (Mysteries Ahoy) on

4 of 5 stars

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The locked room elements of the plot are oversold and the least interesting part of an otherwise fascinating case.

Read my full review at Mysteries Ahoy!

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 2 July, 2020: Finished reading
  • 7 September, 2020: Reviewed