12 of the Best Movie Detectives Ever lifehacker.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lifehacker.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Last modified on Tue 27 Apr 2021 06.25 EDT
After a day of joyous wedding celebrations, a bloodcurdling scream echoes into the night. The newlywed bride and groom are found dead in their bed, stabbed with a katana sword, now thrust into the snow outside. Their bedroom was locked from the inside, and there is no way the murderer could have broken in to do the deed, let alone escaped without leaving a trace. How was this impossible crime committed?
The Honjin Murders
This is the chilling opener of The Honjin Murders, a masterful detective novel by Japanese writer Seishi Yokomizo. First published in 1946, it was the first of his books to be translated to English, in 2019 (one more has followed, with two more on the way). It is also a perfect example of a honkaku mystery: a fascinating form of crime writing that first emerged in Japan in the 1920s and, thanks to a recent raft of translations and republications, is now enjoyed by English readers more than ever.