Inspector Imanishi Investigates

A more considered work than Tokyo Express, although one similarly interested in train travel. Set in 1960, the writing brings up a Japan before high-speed trains, one that is more alive to differences, not least in dialect, between particular areas... A well-presented book... Deserves being in the library of all interested in detective fiction

Jeremy Black, Critic

A stylish mystery novel written by one of Japan's most popular authors . . . First-rate storytelling . . . Inspector Imanishi deserves to be welcomed to the ranks of international crime fiction

New York Times

An absolute classic, and a whole new world to explore ... irresistible

Lee Child

Beautiful and melancholic, Inspector Imanishi Investigates is not just an ingenious and elegant mystery, but a fascinating window into 1960s Japan

Paula Hawkins

Patient, meticulous stories that offer an anatomy of a society as much as a picture of a crime

Economist

Reminds me of [John le Carré's] writing . . . fascinating . . . It’s a moment of transition in Japan; new ideas are spreading, new contexts are forming. There’s traditional beauty still, but modernity is yammering to be let in . . . Highly recommended

Nick Harkaway, author of Titanium Noir

A blood-drop on a cherry blossom, an ageless masterwork from the master himself, Seicho Matsumoto paved the way for Japanese crime fiction with good reason. Inspector Imanishi Investigates is a beguiling omakase of a novel – a fascinating exploration of tradition versus modernity, a contemplation of human darkness and a silk-smooth murder mystery. As Imanishi investigates death, so too the reader investigates a post-war Japan in metamorphosis. Matsumoto etches himself in time with this elegy to the Japanese detective

Nicolás Obregón

In this 1960s crime novel, the setting is as enticing as the plot... thoroughly satisfying

Barry Turner, Daily Mail

Seicho Matsumoto's Inspector Imanshi Investigates explores post-war Japan, its anxieties and struggles for a new identity. With an engaging older detective and an enthusiastic younger sidekick, this is a book lovers of traditional crime fiction will understand and enjoy

Ann Cleeves

The most intricate web of detection . . . A tantalizing double unveiling act . . . Belongs on your shelf next to Christie and Simenon, P.D. James and Robert Van Gulik. A superb thriller

LA Times