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)


Intricate Portrayal of Art and History   April 8, 2002
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Mythical and traditional history, present life and conditions in Japan, and ideals of beauty and art versus respectability appear embodied through the expertly designed tattoo on one of Takagi's characters. The Tattoo Murder Case is as intricately woven and colorful as the bewitching tattoo. The combination of the three tattoos create the mystery through illusion and provide the only clues to solve the case.

Takagi weaves together the cultural history of Japan and the reality of the recently defeated country. The art of tattoo and the ancient stories told through the art fascinate many of the characters and introduce the readers to an aspect of this country's culturally rich past. However, in present day, the practice of this art is illegal and hidden away in secret shops, and the art is not accepted in society. Bombed buildings and mentions of American soldiers and trucks illustrate the physical aspects of the defeat.

The actual detective in the story, Kyosuke Kamizu, steps forward rather late in the novel at a point at which the police and other characters involved are struggling with overwhelming frustration. The "boy genius" fills the role of a Sherlock Holmes character. Kamizu steps ahead of the other detective characters because he seems to fill both the characteristics of rationality and ideals of a romantic. Rationality and romanticism are both necessary in solving this case because it includes aspects of physics, illusion, and art.


Captivating   July 4, 2000
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

A very enjoyable read with interesting array of characters even for those who do not typically read mysteries. This story has both titillating sensuality and intriguing obsession. I enjoyed the contrast between the true nature of the characters and how others perceived them. I was also intrigued with the author's presentation of post-WWII Japan. This is a well-written translation that succeed in revealing the author's sense of Japan.