a beautiful girl with an even more beautiful tattoo, her dead (tattooed) sister, her (tattooed) brother, a professor who lives for preserving tattooed skins. might sound a little weird and unusual to you, but it makes for a great crime story, that other reviewers have already gone into.

the translation has been done very well, imho, which comes across in the language used. you can't but think of japan. beautiful words, beautiful sentences, beautiful descriptions.

if, like me, you are into japan, japanese women, and japanese tattooing - then you must read this book! you then have no excuse!


macabre subject, interesting mystery   August 11, 1999
 4 out of 7 found this review helpful

The murder is gruesome, the idea of preserving the tattooed skins of people who have died, for their art value, is creepy, but still it is a very readable mystery. The translation is stilted, and there are a couple of anachronisms, but that doesn't matter once you get into the story.


The tattoos and characters are displayed with precision   May 13, 1999
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

To anyone who is interested in tattoos or in postwar Japan this book is a must. Having a traditional Japanese tattoo myself I was most impressed with the treatment of the art in relation to the trials of living with the artwork,and those who seek to posses it. The way the story does not rely on the tattoos to be the entire focus of the book is refreshing. The moral and ethical questions raised by the pursuit of these tattoos is hardly touched on,but this is a murder mystery not a book about ethics. As far as the mystery goes it is very well thought out and intelligent. You get to know the characters without too much guesswork and they do not have as rough a diologue as you would first assume.(this is in reference to the strict translation that is offered)


Tattoos are only skin deep   July 8, 2008
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

A locked room murder mystery. A hidden underbelly of society, populated by beautiful tattooed women who work behind doors opened by secret codes. A legend of three ancient sorcerers, linked together to carry a curse. A mysterious and driven older professor, known by the name of "Dr. Tattoo" for his obsession with skinning the bodies of tattooed corpses so that he may collect and preserve their unique art. A naive and idealistic young forensics student, seduced and far in over his head

These are the elements that author Takagi Akimitsu has woven together in order to create his grand design. Using the background of post-War Japan, a place bombed into despair and turned upside-down, he crafts his tale with precision and style, each element added at precisely the right time to extract the most impact from its revelation. This is a brilliant detective novel.

Kinue Nomura is a sensual and beautiful woman of the underworld, her skin carrying the last known tattoo of her famous father. An Orochimaru design, its twisted serpent design snares any man who she reveals it to. Kenzo Matsushiita is the young forensic student, just back from the War where he served as a medic, he is eager to put his past behind him and work towards his doctorate, but his love of mystery novels and the excitement of Kinue assure that he will follow another path.

Also involved is the world of the Japanese tattoo, and art form beautifully described in the novel by Takagi, and one completely illegal during the setting of this novel. The taboo nature of the art, the sexual nature of decorated naked flesh, the secrets hidden behind the ink, all of these add a primal feel to the logical structure of the crime, creating a balance of order and chaos, of body and brain. As someone who is also privileged to carry a Japanese tattoo, I really appreciated the sincerity and detail of this part of the novel.

Special note must also be made of the translation, which was flawless. The translator did a perfect job of maintaining Japanese words were appropriate, giving explanations of cultural terms rather than unsuitable translations.

This was enough to get me hooked on the author. I am looking forward to delving into further Takagi mysteries.