A Game of Cat and Killer - Jiro Akagawa

 

Description

"Murder mystery fans and cat lovers get ready for an iconic new series" Janice Hallet

"Think Agatha Chrisite with claws" A.J. Finn

"You can absolutely see why Jiro Akagawa is such a staple of Japanese crime fiction" Kristen Perrin

Detective Yoshitaro Katayama is afraid of many things: heights, dark spaces, blood and . . . women.

When a young female student is found murdered, he's given two choices - review the harrowing crime-scene photographs or head to Hagoromo Women's College to investigate - and reluctantly opts for the latter.

But the murders don't stop, and soon Katayama has a different surprise on his hands: a calico cat named Holmes, orphaned her owner falls victim.

Surely that's the last thing Katayama needs. Until Holmes begins to display some uncanny investigative instincts of her own . . .

Introducing one the most iconic investigative duos in crime fiction - a hapless detective and his capable cat - A Game of Cat and Killer is a must for all readers of Japanese cat fiction and classic crime.

Translated from the Japanese by Haydn Trowell

Review

A Game of Cat and Killer

Although A Game of Cat and Killer was originally published in Japan in 1978, and this edition has been translated from the original Japanese, I was surprised by how little it felt dated. There are, of course, some obvious differences from a modern-day crime novel. There are no mobile phones, computers or modern technology to help with the investigation, but I was so caught up in the story that I barely noticed their absence.

The central character, Katayama, is certainly an unusual detective. In fact, he seems an unlikely choice for the job, as he readily admits to being afraid of just about everything. He isn't exactly the stereotypical confident, fearless detective, and this makes him quite an endearing character. He can also be rather easily led, which occasionally made me want to give him a bit of a shake, but I found him likeable enough and enjoyed seeing how he developed as the investigation progressed.

Then there is Holmes. The cat belonging to the murdered man. For me, she completely stole the show. Holmes is no ordinary cat and seems to have an uncanny ability to help Katayama uncover clues and make connections that he might otherwise have missed. She certainly has plenty of personality, and she can even put up quite a fight when necessary! Some of the scenes involving Holmes added a lighter and more unusual element to what is otherwise a murder mystery.

I particularly enjoyed the way the relationship between Katayama and Holmes developed. Katayama seems to discover abilities he didn't know he possessed, both in his professional life and in his personal life, and Holmes appears to play a surprisingly important part in bringing this about.

The mystery itself kept me interested, and I liked the combination of traditional detective work with the slightly quirky and almost whimsical presence of Holmes. It is certainly different from many of the crime novels I usually read, but that is part of its charm.

Overall, A Game of Cat and Killer was an enjoyable and entertaining read. It has the feel of a classic murder mystery, but with a rather unusual twist in the form of a very clever and very feisty cat. Katayama may not be the most conventional detective, but perhaps that is exactly what makes him (and this book) so much fun.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Netgalley for an ARC to review.

Under Story - Chloe Benjamin

 

Description

At an isolated research station in Antarctica, biologist Laurel Salter washes dishes for a living ten hours a day, six days a week. She tells no one why she left her career, or why her marriage ended.

But even in this remote outpost, Laurel can't outrun her past. When a strange light appears across the ice and draws a group of physicists to McMurdo, her former husband, Eli, won't be far behind.

Laurel is captivated by the Arc: its surreal glow; the way it seems almost alive. And though Eli is reluctant to test her wildest theory, Laurel is convinced that the Arc leads down a rabbit hole and into a world they can barely imagine. Can she persuade him to risk everything to fix the burden that hangs between them - to turn back the clock and live their story a second time?

And this time, live it differently.

Once read, never forgotten, Under Story is a genre-defying exploration of the promise of this life, what might lie beyond it, and how far we would go for more time with the people we love.

Review

I have a confession to make: I actually started reading this book several months ago, but after getting to around 30%, I just couldn’t get on with it. I found myself struggling to engage with the story and, in the end, I put it aside to read other books. I’m not usually one to abandon a book, so I did wonder whether I would ever go back to it. Eventually, though, I decided to give it another try.

When I picked it up again, I quite quickly reached the second part of the book, and initially things did seem to improve. The story became more interesting and I found myself wanting to see where it was going. Unfortunately, though, some of the issues I had with the first part remained.

At 512 pages, I also felt that the book was simply too long. There were times when the story felt very drawn out, and I found myself wondering when it was going to move on. I think the book could have been considerably shorter without losing the main story or the ideas the author was trying to explore. For me, the length contributed to the feeling that the story was sometimes plodding rather than moving at a pace that kept me interested.

Another issue I had was the amount of science. I appreciate that the scientific elements are important to the story and that the author has clearly put a great deal of thought into the ideas behind it, but there was just far too much of it for my liking. At times I felt that the science took over from the actual story, and I found some of it quite difficult to follow. I also wasn’t convinced that everything being presented was actually possible.

The second half of the book definitely asks you to suspend your disbelief. There is a particular premise introduced that I really struggled to get my head around. I can’t say too much about it without giving away a major part of the story, but I found it difficult to accept, even within the fictional world the author had created. Perhaps other readers will be more willing to go along with it than I was, but for me it made it harder to become fully immersed in the story.

Unfortunately, I didn’t particularly like the two lead characters. I found both of them to be quite selfish and self-centred, and I struggled to sympathise with their decisions or become emotionally invested in what happened to them. When I don't particularly connect with the main characters, I find it much harder to care about their journey, and that was certainly the case here.

Having said all that, I’m glad I went back to the book rather than leaving it unfinished. There were moments when the story grabbed my attention, particularly as it moved further into the second half, and I can appreciate the ambition behind the ideas. There is certainly an interesting concept at the heart of the book, even if it didn’t completely work for me.

Sadly, though, Under Story just wasn’t a book that worked for me. The combination of the length, the drawn out pacing, the amount of science, a premise that I struggled to accept and two main characters I didn’t particularly like made it a difficult read. I’m pleased I gave it a second chance, but ultimately I was left feeling that the book could have been shorter, tighter and more engaging.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

The Best Of Enemies - Julie Mae Cohen

 

Description

Gwen keeps a list of enemies. Not that she'd ever hurt any of them - she just likes knowing if karma catches up.

So when her childhood bully drowns in sewage, Gwen's quietly satisfied. But then another foe dies. And another. Soon, everyone who's ever crossed Gwen - from sworn enemies to obnoxious strangers - is meeting a bizarre end.

The police think Gwen's involved, but she's terrified. Someone's turning her private grudges into a murder spree, and if Gwen doesn't stop them, her newly rebellious daughter could be next . . .

Review

I think we all have a few people we secretly wish karma would catch up with. Gwen has taken this idea a little further than most of us, though. She keeps a list of people she thinks deserve some bad karma, along with exactly how she thinks it should happen.

So when the people on Gwen’s list begin to die in precisely the ways she had imagined, she is understandably terrified. She never really intended any of them to come to harm, and certainly never expected (or wanted!) them to die. What starts off seeming like a series of coincidences soon becomes much more sinister.

I was intrigued by the mystery of who could possibly be behind the deaths. At first, it really does seem as though the deaths are just unfortunate coincidences, but as more and more people from Gwen’s list turn up dead, it becomes increasingly difficult to believe that there isn't something much more deliberate going on.

I have to admit that I struggled with Gwen as a character. I didn't particularly like her, and at times I found it difficult to connect with her, which made the book a little harder to get into. However, I persevered and I'm glad I did because the story became more and more intriguing as it progressed.

And then came the twist! The ending completely caught me by surprise, and I definitely didn't see it coming. 

Overall, although I had some reservations about the main character and found parts of the book a little difficult to get through, the mystery kept me reading and the unexpected and gripping ending made it worthwhile.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.