'The solution is one of the most original that I've ever read' Anthony Horowitz

'This book is an unmissable triumph' Tom Mead, Publishers Weekly

'It's a budding Sherlock's dream' Crime Scene

______A BESTSELLING AND INTERNATIONALLY-ACCLAIMED MASTERPIECE

An eccentric artist is found brutally murdered in a room locked from the inside. His diaries reveal dabblings in alchemy and astrology, and a macabre plan to kill and dismember seven women in an occult ritual. Then, shortly after his death, the artist's bloody project is carried out, as if from beyond the grave...

Decades later, astrologer and amateur detective Kiyoshi Mitarai sets out to solve these notorious crimes. His investigation leads him across the country towards a dark, shocking truth. But can you unravel the mystery of the Tokyo Zodiac Murders before he does?



Born in 1948 in Hiroshima prefecture, Soji Shimada has been dubbed the 'God of Mystery' by international audiences. A novelist, essayist and short-story writer, he made his literary debut in 1981 with The Tokyo Zodiac Murders, which was shortlisted for the Edogawa Rampo Prize. Blending classical detective fiction with grisly violence and elements of the occult, he has gone on to publish several highly acclaimed series of mystery fiction, including the casebooks of Kiyoshi Mitarai and Takeshi Yoshiki. He is the author of 100+ works in total.In 2009 Shimada received the prestigious Japan Mystery Literature Award in recognition of his life's work.



Ignites the mind



Shimada's novel is a classic of the popular Japanese honkaku or "authentic" subgenre of crime fiction, which prioritises tight plots and carefully scattered clues



If you like your crime stories to be bloody and bizarre, then this one may be for you. The winner of several major awards... the solution is one of the most original that I've ever read



I have long wanted to recommend this debut mystery novel by a prolific master... Whether you're attempting to solve the case yourself (I didn't) or just immersing yourself in a true distraction, this will carry you across the ocean, amiably fill a week's vacation or sweep you away for a few hours before bed



An intricate, compelling, violent, and exciting [read]. Full of hints, it's a budding Sherlock's dream; Shimada encourages the reader to be as much of a detective as his protagonist.



A wonderful example of excellent plotting and characterization, with a brilliant sense of the mysterious and the bizarre



Intricately constructed and entertainingly exotic



Both gory and intelligent



An elaborate puzzle that should appeal to the readers of Keigo Higashino.



Intricate and utterly fascinating



Groundbreaking... Shimada's expansive novel of forensic detection is something entirely original



For those who enjoy the whodunit type of crime novel, The Tokyo Zodiac Murders represents a touch of the exotic while at the same time being a fairly straightforward puzzle.



A sprawling, multi-faceted epic... The solution to the mystery is deceptively simple, and yet I can honestly say I have never read one quite like it anywhere else. This book is an unmissable triumph



Perfect for amateur sleuths... A classic "fair-play" mystery novel