THE MILL HOUSE MURDERS
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ซ
๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ข
๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ซ: ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ก๐ค๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐จ (๐๐๐๐)
๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐๐๐ค: ๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐๐: ๐๐๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ (๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐๐)
๐๐๐ง๐ซ๐: ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฒ/ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐
๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐
๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ: ๐๐๐๐
The year is 1986, and our setting is the Mill Houseโan isolated dwelling nestled in the mountains. Here resides Fujinuma Kiitchi, the son of the renowned painter Fujinuma Issei. Kiitchi lives with his much younger, beautiful wife - Yurie, as well as his trustworthy butler - Kuramuto Shoji and his diligent housekeeper Nozawa Tomoko. Unlike his father, Kiitchi lacks any artistic prowess. However, he finds success as a prosperous businessman. A tragic car accident once left him disfigured, leading him to retire to this mountain abode. Now, he mostly navigates the house in a wheelchair, occasionally aided by walking sticks, and always concealed behind a white rubber mask. The Mill House also serves as a shrine to Issei's art, displaying every painting his father ever created in its galleries.
Once per year, on the anniversary of Issei's passing, four guests are welcomed into the Mill House. These guests hold varying connections to Issei: art dealer ลishi Genzo, art professor Mori Shigehiko, surgeon and hospital director Mitamura Noriyuki, and priest Furukawa Tsunehito. They gather to admire Issei's works, with one exceptionโa painting shrouded in mystery, Issei's final creation, forbidden for any eyes to behold.
A year prior, in 1985, a series of enigmatic events transpired during the annual gathering of these visitors, set against a backdrop of a raging typhoon and relentless rain. A woman plummeted from the tower, a painting vanished, a brutal demise occurred, and a man seemingly disappeared without a trace. The authorities proposed a theory, the only one that provided some semblance of explanation, yet nothing was confirmed, and the presumed perpetrator remained elusive.
Then now, a year later, an unexpected guest arrives at the Mill House: Shimada Kyoshi. A friend of Furukawa, the vanished man from the prior year, Kyoshi is determined to uncover the truth behind those perplexing events. Tasked with an arduous mission, Kyoshi finds himself amidst a familiar group of annual visitors, recreating the circumstances of the previous year. Furthermore, nature echoes the past with a typhoon and heavy rainfall.
Amidst this atmospheric and intriguing setting, does Kyoshi uncover the mystery that has haunted the Mill House?
The narrative unfolds through alternating chapters, switching between the presentโtold in Kiitchi's first-person perspectiveโand the past year- in the third person. As Kyoshi delves deeper into the enigmas of the past, each chapter reveals more of the intricate web that entangled the inhabitants of the Mill House. This captivating tale kept me spellbound from its commencement to its conclusion, weaving a suspenseful narrative that lingers in the mind. The translated text flows so seamlessly that one might not suspect it wasn't originally written in English if not for being informed otherwise.
Although the book is excellently written, expertly translated, and undeniably captivating, I have awarded it 4.5 stars. Possibly due to my enthusiasm for thrillers and extensive experience as a thriller reader, I guessed the culprit and their motive quite early on. Overall, this is an incredibly engaging and enjoyable read from beginning to end. One that I wholeheartedly recommend to any mystery enthusiast.
My Rating:
4.5/5
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