Little Sparrow Murders

'A bloody feast of multiple murders in a terrorized mountain community' Sarah Weinman, New York Times

A classic Japanese mystery from the author of The Honjin Murders and Murder at the Black Cat Cafe

A remote mountain village is struck by a series of gruesome murders, eerily mirroring the lines of a local nursery rhyme.

Kosuke Kindaichi comes to remote Onikobe expecting a peaceful mountain retreat, but finds death stalking him at every turn. No sooner has the famous sleuth learnt of a decades-old murder haunting the village than a new series of killings strikes the community. This time the victims' bodies are eerily arranged to allude to the lyrics of a children's song.

As the scruffy sleuth investigates, the murders continue, with a sinister, stooped old woman appearing before every new death. Kindaichi must unravel a tangled tale of broken hearts and blackmail to get to the truth.

Can he do so before the killer reaches the final verse?

PRAISE FOR SEISHI YOKOMIZO

'The diabolically twisted plotting is top-notch' - New York Times

'Readers will delight in the blind turns, red herrings and dubious alibis... Ingenious and compelling' - Economist

'With a reputation in Japan to rival Agatha Christie's, the master of ingenious plotting is finally on the case for anglophone readers' - Guardian

'This is Golden Age crime at its best, complete with red herrings, blind alleys and twists and turns galore... A testament to the power of the simple murder mystery and its enduring appeal' - Spectator

'Plenty of golden age ingredients... with a truly ingenious solution' - Guardian, Best New Crime Novels

'Truly ingenious' Guardian

'The king of the locked-room mystery' CrimeReads

'The Japanese Agatha Christie' Sara Cox, Between the Covers

'Fiendishly complex and wonderfully atmospheric' S.J. Bennett, author of Murder Most Royal