Japanese crime novels
my favourite genre, these books are so much fun and more and more are being added all the time If anyone has any questions about any book I will try to help. I have read most of them and have reference books on the history of Japanese crime fiction.
created by Peony
last updated January, 2026
Comments
Hi! I'm a beginner in the genre, which books would you recommend me to read first?
PeonyOP
Decagon house murders Yukito Ayatsuji and strange pictures by Uketsu are great beginner books (given them to my friends and they lived them). My personal favourite is Seishi Yokomizo who wrote classic murder mysteries with crazy twists the inugami curse in particular is amazing. Is there anything in particular you are interstsed in trying, traditional murder mystery, post war fiction, contemporary ?
Does Yukito Ayatsuji's House Murder series need to be read in horror?
I love this list. Thanks for putting it together.
PeonyOP
Did you mean order? Personally yes it should be read in order. It has the same detective in each one and they also make way more sense if read in order. The decagon house murders is also a great book so would recommend reading that first anyway. There is also callbacks to the past houses.
Haha what a Freudian slip. Yes, I did mean order. Thanks for letting me know. The Mill House Murders is currently available but The Decagon House Murders is a 9 week wait. So, I thought I would ask. 9 week wait it is then đ
PeonyOP
Damn that a long wait. I think itâs worth the wait though. Also I feel like decagon sets the tone for the series.
plsplspls add In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami to this list!! It's an absolute masterpiece of the crime/thriller genre!!
PeonyOP
Hi Thankyou for the suggestion I will do so. If you come across more I havenât added definitely tell me.
My favourite genre! Iâm so happy to see this curated list, and Iâve added the few new ones I havenât heard of before to my TBR.
P.S. Iâve just started reading The Clock House Murders, and I saw youâve posted in the forum. Excited to read your thoughts!
PeonyOP
Yay, thanks for liking the list!! Always excited to find someone else who loves Japanese mysteries. I really loved the clock house murders so hopefully you enjoy it too. Canât wait to see what you write.
What a cool genre that I have never explored! Thanks for this list! I'm off to see what is available at my library! â€ïž
