The Mill House Murders

Written by Yukito Ayatsuji

Narrated by David Shih

A hugely enjoyable classic Japanese mystery with an ingenious conclusion from the author of The Decagon House Murders, translated into English for the first time



Don't miss this beautifully constructed, highly entertaining and atmospheric murder mystery—its propulsive plot makes for a compelling listen.



As they do every year, a small group of acquaintances pay a visit to the remote, castle-like Water Mill House, home to the reclusive Fujinuma Kiichi, son of a famous artist, who has lived his life behind a rubber mask ever since a disfiguring car accident.



This year, however, the visit is disrupted by an impossible disappearance, the theft of a painting, and a series of baffling murders.



The brilliant Kiyoshi Shimada arrives to investigate. But will he get to the truth, and will you too be able to solve the mystery of the Mill House Murders?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Translator: Ho-Ling Wong
• Release date: May 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9798765017166

Yukito Ayatsuji

Yukito Ayatsuji (born 1960) is a Japanese writer of mystery and horror novels and one of the founding members of the Honkaku Mystery Writers Club of Japan, dedicated to the writing of fair-play mysteries inspired by the Golden Age Greats. He started writing as a member of the Kyoto University Mystery Club, which has nurtured many of Japan's greatest crime writers. The Decagon House Murders and The Mill House Murders are also available from Pushkin Vertigo.

Reviews for The Mill House Murders

[amy de Kanter · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A delicious mystery that echoes Agatha Christie with a mansion, hidden rooms, a butler and a storm that keeps the police from arriving and the guests from leaving. It's so good I will overlook the author's absolutely awful depiction of the one (surviving) female character; a young wife whose entire function is to tremble, lower her head bashfully, or startle at loud noises. Normally that would put me off entirely, but again, the rest was so satisfying that I couldn't stop listening.
Something else that nearly cost this book a star is the narrator who makes interesting choices. I rather wish he'd stick to reading it without getting creative. He gives the person who ultimately solves the murders (this isn't a spoiler, he's an understated Poirot and exactly who you expect to figure things out) a strangely high-pitched voice and an accent that reminds me of Marilyn from Northern Exposure. Annoying but still not enough to dim what makes the novel so good.
The author's descriptions are so vivid and horrifying that you'll have images burnt in your brain as if you'd watched a movie. Or an actual murder. I was hooked in the first few minutes and that hook remained until it fell out of my dropped jaw the final chapter. Yukito Ayatsuji has one more audiobook on Everand and I'm saving it for my next binge.