The Aosawa Murders

WALL STREET JOURNAL: ' Ms. Onda’s novel—part psychological thriller, part murder mystery—is audacious in conception and brilliant in execution.

NY TIMES: ' The Aosawa Murders” all but demands rereading. Fortunately, that’s no hardship. After turning the last page, it’s a delight to plunge back into the dark, intoxicating world Onda conjures and discover pieces of the puzzle that you missed the first time.

PW STARRED REVIEW: ' An enigmatic and haunting crime novel. Onda’s unusual narrative technique, which presents differing perspectives by giving only the responses to the interviewer’s questions, enhances the nesting-doll plot. American readers will appreciate why this puzzle mystery won the annual Mystery Writers of Japan Award for Fiction.'

TIMES (London): ' The hot and humid atmosphere of the coastal town almost becomes a character in itself. The fascinating result is rich and strange, utterly absorbing. Onda makes you aware of “another, different world below the surface of this one.'

KIRKUS STARRED REVIEW: ' The domino effect of the murder on the community and the nation, as well as the swirl of uncertainty concerning the way its narratives are shaped, gives the book a striking resonance. This dark and dazzling novel defies easy categorization but consistently tantalizes and surprises.'

GLOBE AND MAIL: 'The Aosawa Murders is certain to top a lot of Best Books this year and Alison Watts’s masterful translation is part of the reason. Can this book open up the world of Japanese crime in the way that The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo opened up Scandi Noir? I hope so.

Mrs Peabody Investigates: ' The minute I saw this ravishing book cover, I wanted a copy. And – oh happy day – it’s turned out to be one of my most satisfying crime reads of the year.'

ForeWord Reviews: ' Intoxicating details and shiver-inducing propositions hold the full story at a careful distance; when the truth emerges, it’s both partial and staggering. The Aosawa Murders is an intricate and devastating search for the facts behind a complicated crime.'

NY Journal of Books: ' The genius of this novel is that it cultivates a nonstop air of menace. Practically every character comes off like a potential murderer.'