Caffeinated Reviewer | The Clock House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji
29th Jun
In the Clock House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji, Detective Shimada Kiyoshi works to save a group of paranormal investigators trapped in a house steeped in mystery as they are killed one by one. Narrated by Jonathan Yen, I found myself swept up in this locked-room mystery.
The Clock House Murders
by Yukito Ayatsuji
Translator: Ho-Ling Wong
Series: The Bizarre House Mysteries #4
Narrator: Jonathan Yen
Length: 14 hours and 14 minutes
Genres: Mystery
Source: Libro.fm
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible | Libro.fm *affiliate
Rating: 
Narration: 5 cups Speed: 1.4x
Brilliant detective Shimada Kiyoshi must save a team of paranormal investigators, trapped in an abandoned house, as they are picked off one-by-one!
Rumor has it that the mysterious Clock House—a remote mansion built by notorious architect Nakamura Seiji for a long-dead clock enthusiast—is haunted by the ghost of a young girl, who died there ten years earlier. No one is more intrigued by this than the investigating team from the paranormal magazine CHAOS. They decide to visit the mansion, along with a psychic medium, in an attempt to make contact with the spirit.
The plan is for the group of investigators to spend three days locked in the house, but their stay has barely begun when a gruesome murder is committed. And then the survivors find that they are trapped in the house, with no possibility of escape . . .
Meanwhile, the brilliant detective Shimada Kiyoshi is investigating the enigma of The Clock House from the outside, eager to unravel the mystery of another of Nakamura Seiji’s twisted architectural creations.
But as his investigation proceeds, the team inside the house are being slaughtered one-by-one. Will Shimada crack the puzzle of the Clock House before all of them are dead?
I went into The Clock House Murders, not realizing it was the fourth audiobook of the Bizarre House Mysteries. Despite clues that Detective Shimada Kiyoshi had worked previous cases, this novel works as a standalone and contains a complete mystery. Perhaps next time I will pay closer attention to the Japanese letters above the title on Goodreads…LOL
If you enjoy puzzle boxes and locked-room mysteries, I think you will find this delightful. Be warned, there are a lot of characters, and while I am glad that I listened, this is one I would have liked to read along with, just to keep things straight in my head.
Jonathan Yen’s narration helped me keep track of who was who, and I enjoyed the clock details and history of the Clock House. Inside the house, we have a medium; college students and a reporter and his photographer are all locked in for three days to contact the ghosts of the house. Meanwhile, Detective Kiyoshi is outside with the curator and others trying to solve the mystery.
Puzzles, twists, and red herrings kept me on edge. This was my first Japanese detective novel, but it won’t be my last. I was truly kept guessing. In hindsight, the clues were all there. This is one I will re-listen to, perhaps along with the ebook so I can see the floor plans, etc.
The story works well on audio and was helpful with the endless names and pronunciations. The writing is simple but intentional, and I could visually imagine the house, clocks, and characters. Yen provided unique voices and enhanced my overall enjoyment of this mystery.
About Yukito Ayatsuji
Naoyuki Uchida, known by his pen name Yukito Ayatsuji, is a Japanese writer of mystery and horror. He is one of the founders of Honkaku Mystery Writers Club of Japan and one of the representative writers of the new traditionalist movement in Japanese mystery writing.
About Jonathan Yen
Jonathan Yen was inspired by the Golden Age of Radio, and he’s carried that inspiration through to commercial work, voice acting, and stage productions. From vintage Howard Fast science fiction to naturalist Paul Rosolie’s true adventures in the Amazon, Jonathan loves to tell a good story.
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat.
