title: Tokyo Express by: Matsumoto, Seicho published: 2018 read: 2024-03-02 preview

A book written in the 1950s, and recently translated (or translated again?) by Jesse Kirkwood.

The book, which captivated me so much I read it on a single Saturday, describes what looks like a lovers’ suicide. But two detectives – and one is reminded by Agatha Christie’s books – ensure that the case has not even a single loose end. And thus prove that it is a murder case after all.

It begins with the discovery of two bodies on a remote beach, initially believed to be a double lovers’ suicide. The victims are identified as Sayama Ken’ichi, a government official, and Otoki, a waitress from a Tokyo restaurant. As the police try to solve the case, inconsistencies and clues turn up to suggest that their deaths were not suicides but carefully orchestrated murders.

Detective Mihara is assigned to the case and starts piecing together the victims’ last days. His investigation leads him to uncover political corruption and bribery. With meticulous attention to train schedules and alibis, Mihara uncovers a plot involving high-ranking officials and business executives.

Mihara’s finds the truth: the lovers were murdered to cover up a bribery scandal linked to a major construction project. The culprits are exposed and judged.

A much recommended read, also for those like myself who are not really into whodunnits.