Seishi Yokomizo - The Inugami Curse

Seishi Yokomizo published seventy-seven detective novels featuring his Japanese detective Kosuke Kindaichi. This is the second to be translated into English, though it is the fourth in the original order, Kindaichi is disheveled and slouching - more Colombo than Poirot. But like all great literaru detectives he saves up all the information in his head until one final piece clicks into place.

The Inugami Curse deals with rivals for the inheritence of the Ingumai corporation, a massively wealthy institution who accured enormous profits in the run up to WOrld War Two. The head of the clan, Sahei Inugami, dies just after the war ends, and his complex web of misterisses and children find themselves competeing for the vast ammount of money to be inherited. Sahei creates an incredibly complex Will, in order to ensure that his favoured person, Tamayo, the daughter of the couple who adopted and looked after him, gets all. To do this, and to protect her from assassination, Sahei insists that to receive the cash she must marry one of his other three children.

Realistically the only reason this Will exists is to create the sort of complex antagonism that can lead to various family members being picked off. The murderer must be one who stands to gain from the crimes. And the killer or killers realise that they can also use the murders to wipe out Tamayo's claims.

Its convoluted, and readers will be pleased with the family tree for reference. The ending is satisfactory, even if you are able to work out some of it, the denouncement fits it together incredibly satisfactorily. This is the second of Yokomizo's books I've read. They've both been unique and of a high standard. How did he keep it up for the other seventy-five!

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