The Black Swan Mystery – Tetsuya Ayukawa (1960 trans. Bryan Karetnyk 2024)

Towa Textiles company director Gosuke Nishinohata is a man with many enemies. So when his body is found dumped by the side of the railway tracks, there are many suspects. But the most obvious candidates have alibis - might the true killer be someone with a more hidden motive? Not that that means they should skimp on the alibi…Inspector Sudo, assisted by Constable Seki, investigates, but it's Inspector Onitsura who travels far and wide across Japan by train to bring the case to its…

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4.50 From Paddington (1957) – Agatha Christie

When Mrs McGillicuddy witnesses a murder through her train window, who else could she turn to for help but her friend Jane Marple? Even Miss Marple might find it difficult to locate the body, though. But after some clever reasoning, Miss Marple sends for housekeeper extraordinaire, Lucy Eyelesbarrow, who proves more than up to the task of investigating. She charms her way into the hearts of the isolated and unhappy Crackenthorpe family, but finding the corpse is only the first obstacle, as uncovering its…

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Tokyo Express – Seichō Matsumoto (1958 trans. Jesse Kirkwood 2022)

Two bodies are found lying together on a windswept beach in southern Japan. Toki was a waitress at a Tokyo restaurant, and Sayama worked in a government department under investigation for corruption. The police believe the two must have committed suicide together. All except local inspector Jūtarō Torigai, who begins to have doubts. When dynamic Inspector Mihara of Tokyo's anti-corruption police hears about this, he picks up the investigation with a vengeance. He becomes suspicious of a successful businessman with friends in high places…

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