A throwback to Golden Age murder mysteries, including a map of the island where the killings occur, a floor plan of the Decagon House, and a drawing of a murder scene (made by the surviving students.) The Japanese students each are called by non-Japanese names, taken from famous mystery writers ("Agatha," "Poe," "Carr," etc.) which I thought was a little pretentious at first, but helps keep the characters apart in one's mind if you are not familiar with Japanese names. One quibble I had was the constant referring to smoking, including the brand of cigarette. (I thought maybe that was a clue to the identity of the killer, but, no...). The solution is a surprise, and might have a reader going back over passages to see how the clues were there to see (like in a book written by the real "Agatha.")

Share/Like this Review?