A review by kchin
The Tattoo Murder Case by Akimitsu Takagi

dark emotional informative mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was a longer honkaku than others I've read, but also the one with most amount of depth I've encountered. The whodunnit part of the book was actually quite small and can be slow at parts, and the mystery itself was good but nothing out of the ordinary locked room mystery. However it was the story setting and surrounding bits that I really enjoyed. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the subculture of Edo tattoos (and found myself in a deep rabbit hole on the internet afterwards) and Japan navigating as a nation post WW2. Also, a cool female character (even though antagonist)! All in all the best honkaku I've read so far.