# The Tokyo Zodiac Murders - Paperback

[**Report copyright infringement**](https://reportcopyrightinfringement.com/)

by **Soji Shimada** (Author), **Ross MacKenzie** (Translator), **Shika MacKenzie** (Translator)

**One of _The Guardian_'s "Top 10 Locked Room Mysteries"**  
  
**An amateur detective races to solve a decades-old murder mystery in this "bloody and bizarre" Japanese crime novel with a twist hailed as "one of the most original" (_Daily Mail_).**

Astrologer, fortune teller, and self-styled detective Kiyoshi Mitarai must solve a macabre murder mystery that has baffled Japan for 40 years--in just one week.

With the help of his freelance illustrator friend, Kiyoshi sets out to answer the questions that have haunted the country ever since: Who murdered the artist Umezawa, raped and killed his daughter, and then chopped up the bodies of six others to create Azoth, 'the perfect woman'?

With maps, charts, and other illustrations, this story of magic and illusion--pieced together like a great stage tragedy--challenges the reader to unravel the mystery before the final curtain falls.

This quintessential Japanese "logic mystery"--eerie, gory, and intriguing--combines the puzzle-solving of Golden Age Western detective fiction with elements of shocking horror and dark humor.

### Author Biography

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. He is the author of 100+ works in total, including _Murder in the Crooked House_. In 2009 Shimada received the prestigious Japan Mystery Literature Award in recognition of his life's work.

**Number of Pages:** 320

**Dimensions:** 1 x 7.7 x 5 IN

**Illustrated:** Yes

**Publication Date:** August 05, 2025

## Details

- **Price:** 24.95 GBP
- **Vendor:** BooksCloud
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books, Fiction, International Crime & Mystery, Japan, Mystery & Detective, Price Written on Book, Suspense, Thrillers, World Literature

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 24.95 GBP | In stock |

## Images

- The Tokyo Zodiac Murders

---

> Source: [Somiibooks](https://somiibooks.com/products/the-tokyo-zodiac-murders-paperback)
> Updated: 2026-08-22