Alex: Japanese Detective Ratings, 2019

Time to learn what the Japanese think about the current trends in detection by observing the rating lists they compiled in December!

Bungeishunju: Shukkan Bunshun Mystery Best 10

Japanese

1. North Light (ノースライト) by Yokoyama Hideo

2. Furrow of Crime (罪の轍) by Okuda Hideo

3. The Murders In the Box of The Devil Eye (魔眼の匣の殺人) by Imamura Masahiro [Ho-Ling's review]

4. The Tragedy of I (Iの悲劇) by Yonezawa Honobu

5. medium: Spirit Detective Jōzuka Hisui (medium 霊媒探偵城塚翡翠) by Aizawa Sako

6. Do Not (いけない) by Michio Shūsui

7. Once Upon A Time, There Was a Corpse (むかしむかしあるところに、死体がありました。) by Aoyagi Aito

8. Our Girl A (我らが少女A) by Takamura Kaoru

9. Thread of Hope (希望の糸) by Higashino Keigo

10. Sword and Umbrella: A Meiji Capital Deduction Book (刀と傘 明治京洛推理帖) by Ibuki Amon

Translated

1. The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

2. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

3. Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson

4. The Three-Body Problem (三体) by Liu Cixin

5. The Border by Don Winslow

6. Punishment (Strafe) by Ferdinand von Schirach

7. The Diogenes Variations (第歐根尼變奏曲) by Chan Ho-Kei

8. Rosy & John by Pierre Lemaitre

9. Yellow (黄) by Lei Jun

10. The Cutting Edge by Jeffery Deaver

Takarajima: Kono Mystery ga Sugoi!

Japanese

1. medium: Spirit Detective Jōzuka Hisui (medium 霊媒探偵城塚翡翠) by Aizawa Sako

2. North Light (ノースライト) by Yokoyama Hideo

3. The Murders In the Box of The Devil Eye (魔眼の匣の殺人) by Imamura Masahiro

4. Furrow of Crime (罪の轍) by Okuda Hideo

5. Sword and Umbrella: A Meiji Capital Deduction Book (刀と傘 明治京洛推理帖) by Ibuki Amon

6. Murder of Gurenkan (紅蓮館の殺人) by Atsukawa Tatsumi

7. World of Deceit (欺す衆生) by Tsukimura Ryōe

8. If There Was No Yesterday, There Will Be No Tomorrow As Well (昨日がなければ明日もない) by Miyabe Miyuki

9. The Book and the Key (本と鍵の季節) by Yonezawa Honobu

10. Cuckoo Calls on Shiokubi Cape (潮首岬に郭公の鳴く) by Hiraishi Takaki

Translated

1. The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

2. She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper

3. The Border by Don Winslow

4. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

5. The Diogenes Variations (第歐根尼變奏曲) by Chan Ho-Kei

6. November Road by Lou Berney

7. The Red Envelope and Other Stories by Robert Lopresti

8. 1793 by Niklas Natt och Dag

9. Love Ain't Nothing But Sex Misspelled by Harlan Ellison

10. The German Teacher (Die Deutschlehrerin) by Judith W. Taschler

Hara Shobō: Honkaku Mystery Best 10

Japanese

1. medium: Spirit Detective Jōzuka Hisui (medium 霊媒探偵城塚翡翠) by Aizawa Sako

2. The Murders In the Box of The Devil Eye (魔眼の匣の殺人) by Imamura Masahiro

3. Murder of Gurenkan (紅蓮館の殺人) by Atsukawa Tatsumi

4. Sword and Umbrella: A Meiji Capital Deduction Book (刀と傘 明治京洛推理帖) by Ibuki Amon

5. And Then They Never Die (そして誰も死ななかった) by Shirai Tomoyuki

6. Mystery of an Egyptian Cross (或るエジプト十字架の謎) by Tsukatō Hajime

7. The Hourglass of the Time-Space Traveller (時空旅行者の砂時計) by Hōjō Kie [Ho-Ling's review]

8. Island of Prediction (予言の島) by Sawamura Ichi

9. Once Upon A Time, There Was a Corpse (むかしむかしあるところに、死体がありました。) by Aoyagi Aito

10. Cuckoo Calls on Shiokubi Cape (潮首岬に郭公の鳴く) by Hiraishi Takaki

Translated

1. The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

2. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

3. The Diogenes Variations (第歐根尼變奏曲) by Chan Ho-Kei

4. If and Only If the Snow Is White (当且仅当雪是白的) by Lu Qiucha

5. The Gold Watch (La Montre en Or) by Paul Halter

6. Yellow (黄) by Lei Jun

7. Sealed Room Murder by Rupert Penny

8. Yesterday by Felicia Yap

9. The Red Envelope and Other Stories by Robert Lopresti

10. The Jack of Diamonds by Q. Patrick

Hayakawa Shobō: Mystery ga Yomitai

Japanese

1. Sword and Umbrella: A Meiji Capital Deduction Book (刀と傘 明治京洛推理帖) by Ibuki Amon

2. North Light (ノースライト) by Yokoyama Hideo

3. The Murders In the Box of The Devil Eye (魔眼の匣の殺人) by Imamura Masahiro

4. Furrow of Crime (罪の轍) by Okuda Hideo

5. Murder of Gurenkan (紅蓮館の殺人) by Atsukawa Tatsumi

6. Murders (マーダーズ) by Nagaura Kyō

7. Do Not (いけない) by Michio Shūsui

8. Once Upon A Time, There Was a Corpse (むかしむかしあるところに、死体がありました。) by Aoyagi Aito

9. If There Was No Yesterday, There Will Be No Tomorrow As Well (昨日がなければ明日もない) by Miyabe Miyuki

10. Mystery of an Egyptian Cross (或るエジプト十字架の謎) by Tsukatō Hajime

Translated

1. The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

2. The Border by Don Winslow

3. The Diogenes Variations (第歐根尼變奏曲) by Chan Ho-Kei

4. The German Teacher (Die Deutschlehrerin) by Judith W. Taschler

5. Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

6. The Red Envelope and Other Stories by Robert Lopresti

7. Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson

8. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

9. She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper

10. Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

To conclude: these are the two books that excited the Japanese most this year:

Local: The Murders In the Box of The Devil Eye by Imamura Masahiro

Foreign: The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz