Soji Shimada's debut novel, The Tokyo Zodiac Murders, is ranked among the 'top five best locked-room mysteries published worldwide' (Adrian McKinty, The Guardian). An instant classic, it transformed him into 'Japan's Man of Mystery' and one of the country's bestselling authors. His novel Murder in the Crooked House was a Sunday Times Best Book of the Year. He is also known for his Detective Mitarai series and the Detective Yoshiki series. Shimada is the recipient of the Japan Mystery Literature Award and the founder of three literary awards: Amateur Mystery Novel contests, The City of Roses Fukuyama Mystery Award and the Soji Shimada Mystery Award. Sir David Warren was British ambassador to Japan from 2008 to 2012, having served twice before in the British Embassy in Tokyo during his career as British diplomat. He is now honorary professor at Sheffield University, a member of the Board of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures at the University of East Anglia, and was Chair of the Council of the University of Kent until July 2020. From 2013 to 2019, he was Chairman of the Japan Society, the leading independent body in the United Kingdom dedicated to UK-Japanese cultural, educational and business contacts.
'This captivating story skips nimbly from artificial intelligence
to immortality to loneliness to a meditation on love that will
leave you surprised and moved. A mini-masterpiece". South China
Morning Post
'Blade Runner meets Le Grandes Meaulnes, all wrapped up in a
whodunnit written in an elegant and unsettling style. Boy meets
girl, or does he... all is not as it seems. Better written and more
engaging than a lot of the thrillers cluttering up the charts, this
beautiful little book is very much a break from the norm.'
BookBrunch
The meaning of unconditional love is given a fresh if disturbing
interpretation in this futuristic tale from the pen of one of
Japan's most popular authors, Soji Shimada. In a heartless
mechanical society, the book's central character Xie Hoyu thinks he
has finally found love following a motorcycle accident. But has
he?' Alex Pearl, author of The Chair Man
Everything about this series' intention and design is steeped in
Japanese culture... the books are thematically diverse [and] signal
a cultural exchange... communicating directly and intentionally
with Western audiences through fiction.' TLS
'Readers of Japanese mystery novels compare him with classic
British authors such as Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie.'
The Financial Times
'Shimada combines fantastic crimes with a logical and fair solution
likely to stump even the most astute readers.' Publishers
Weekly
'A strange brew - one with a taste that certain adventurous readers
may be well pleased to savour.' The Wall Street Journal, commenting
on Murder in the Crooked House
'Hugely entertaining... a brilliant and satisfying conclusion.'
Sunday Times, Best Crime Fiction Book of 2019, commenting on Murder
in the Crooked House
'Ignites the mind.' Huffington Post, commenting on Murder in the
Crooked House
'Their very compactness sets them apart as rather special and even
luxurious, in a way that accentuates the distinctive appeal of a
self-contained Japanese short story.' Wasafiri, the Journal of
International Contemporary Writing
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