Amid the rubble of post-war Tokyo, inside the grand Tsubaki house, a once-noble family is in mourning. The old viscount Tsubaki, a brooding, troubled composer, has been found dead. When the family gather for a divination to conjure the spirit of their departed patriarch, death visits the house once more, and the brilliant Kosuke Kindaichi is called in to investigate. But before he can get to the truth Kindaichi must uncover all the Tsubakis' most disturbing secrets, while the gruesome murders continue... The Devil's Flute Murders is an ingenious and highly atmospheric classic whodunit from Japan's master of crime. Seishi Yokomizo (1902-81) was one of Japan's most famous and best-loved mystery writers. He was born in Kobe and spent his childhood reading detective stories, before beginning to write stories of his own, the first of which was published in 1921. He went on to become an extremely prolific and popular author, best known for his Kosuke Kindaichi series, which ran to 77 books, many of which were adapted for stage and television in Japan. The Honjin Murders, The Inugami Curse,The Village of Eight Graves and Death on Gokumon Island are also available from Pushkin Vertigo. Jim Rion is an American translator and writer living in the beautiful western Japan prefecture of Yamaguchi with his wife, son, and cats of unusual size.
