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Inspector Imanishi Investigates

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Inspector Imanishi Investigates

By: Seicho Matsumoto, Beth Cary - translator
Narrated by: Kenichiro Thomson
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

A thrilling crime classic, from the bestselling author of Tokyo Express
Tokyo, 1960. As the first rays of morning light hit the rails at Kamata Station, a man’s body is found on the tracks. With only two leads – a distinctive accent and a single word, ‘kameda’ – senior inspector Imanishi Eitaro is called in to solve the puzzle.

Setting aside his beloved bonsai and haikus, he must cross Japan in search of answers, from Osaka to Akita, accompanied by junior detective Yoshimura. At each new town, they encounter traces of the avant-garde Nouveau Group – young Tokyo artists who are bringing new ideas from the West. What to make of this modern collective? And how to stop another mysterious death occurring? Inspector Imanishi investigates…

A fascinating glimpse into Japanese society at a time of great change, this is one of Seicho Matsumoto’s best-loved novels – a riveting mystery from the master of Japanese crime.

'An absolute classic, and a whole new world to explore ... irresistible' Lee Child
'Beautiful and melancholic, Inspector Imanishi Investigates is not just an ingenious and elegant mystery, but a fascinating window into 1960s Japan' Paula Hawkins


© 1989 Seicho Matsumoto (P)2024 Penguin Audio

 Classics Crime Thrillers Mystery Thriller & Suspense World Literature Crime Exciting Heartfelt
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I am sure this is a worthy story, but the monotone delivery made it so hard to listen to.

I tried, but ...

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There is no getting past that perhaps the first 40 minutes can seem almost tedious, despite containing the initial murder scene. But from that point onwards the plot begins to cohere. There is no “formula” here, just many investigative frustrations, until after grinding work, the murderer appears.

Historically, written in the late 1950s, this is a Japan emerging from the shame of its defeat in WW II, and the impact of not only two atom bombs, but also the bombings with incendiary munitions in early 1945. There is real significance that the murderer is a man attempting to conceal his past, and the victim a man who was upstanding and kind to him, but inevitably reminds the murderer of a family shame (which is not a shame at all, but a severe misfortune).

There is something deeply culturally reparative about this work, like a silk thread being delicately sewn through a ripped silk purse. What drives the detective is a simple moral quest, and a need not to either give up or accept this injustice. He lives, he endures, and he does not surrender to the egotism of either despair or hope.

As to the narration, this is also subtle and controlled. It’s in a British, non-London accent (midlands? Liverpool?) that has been schooled to “standard” English. The narrator does slip into a mild version of some sub-accents in an effort to convey the demotic speech of some characters. This works if you understand the conventions, but might puzzle North Americans.

Subtle, and you need some sense of history

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