I started The Mill House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji with low expectations after the disappointment that was The Decagon House Murders. But readers, take note - it is possible to rate two books by the same author with one-star and four-stars. This is another one of Ayatsuji’s locked-room mysteries in the style of the Golden Age mysteries. A reclusive, disfigured artist’s son invites the same four guests every year to view the paintings of his father. Last year, the gathering was interrupted by the murder of one guest and the disappearance into thin air of another. This year, strange things start happening again…

Having read Ayatsuji’s previous installment in the “Mansion Murder” series right before reading this one, what struck me most was how much more successfully this book navigates a complex, parallel mystery. The book alternates between flashbacks from the mysterious occurrences 1 year ago and the ongoing action from the present timeline. The narration is clever to trace the action in parallel, with the present timeline composed of both recollection of the past and ongoing action. I found the identity of the murderer (“whodunit”) to be predictable but the reveal “howdunit”) to still involve some elements of surprise, in a way that the ending felt plausible and satisfying. On reread, clues can be found peppered throughout the text, so the book rewards not only the first-time but also the second-time reader.

All in all, I was fond enough of this book to summarize it for my husband, a great lover of Golden Age mysteries, and for him to stop me mid-way through the summary so he could read it himself. If that’s not an endorsement, I don’t know what is. If anything could be improved, some of the characters are somewhat flat - in particular, the child bride reads poorly as someone who is stereotyped and has disappointingly little agency in the book. But the key element of mystery for me is plot and setting - and there is much to recommend here.

Thanks to @pushkin_press for the eARC via @netgalley. This book is out May 2!