The Noh Mask Murder

The Noh Mask Murder is a 1949 novel by Akimitsu Takagi. Jesse Kirkwood translated the English version, which was published by Pushkin Vertigo in 2024.

Story

The work takes place in 1946. In the novel, Koichi Yanagi tries to figure out who had killed Taijiro Chizui, who dies in a locked room.

Reception

Sarah Weinman of The New York Times wrote that the story setup was "wickedly plotted".
Declan Burke of Irish Times wrote that the story is "a playful, meta-narrative puzzle".
Steven W. Beattie of the Brampton Guardian wrote that the "stylistic pyrotechnics" are "the real draw" of the work even though the explanation for how the crimes occurred "is blatantly absurd".