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A fun and lively read! The Inugami Clan carried readers into the chilly mountains of Nasu, northeast of Tokyo. It was delightful to be away from the city and tucked in among quiet ryokan lodgings and lovely estates. But don't let the pristine beauty of the landscape fool you! Those hills are crying out for blood--and blood they will have.

The novel has quite an extensive cast of characters, and each one carrying some kind of grudge or unmet desire. Jealousy abounds.

Our detective on the case, Kosuke Kindaichi, with his shock of uncombed hair and rumpled hakama, reminds me of the beloved and bumbling Lieutenant Columbo. Just when you think Kindaichi has lost the scent of the murderer and has headed off in the wrong direction, he surprises with a remarkable discovery.

This was an enjoyable page turner. The antics of some of the characters were a bit over-the-top in places, taking the novel far from the kind of social justice scenarios I prefer in writers like Matsumoto Seicho or Miyabe Miyuki, but still the work tantalized. If you enjoy characters who change identity, characters with masks, intrigue, and creative puzzles, you can't go wrong with this novel.