Murder in the Crooked House

By Sōji Shimada and Louise Heal Kawai

A stunning new paperback edition of the cult classic mystery following a set of bizarre murders at a family's eerie remote estate.

"A delightfully intricate murder puzzle with retro charm, bound to tantalize readers." -Kirkus Reviews

The Crooked House sits alone on a snowbound cliff at the remote northern tip of Japan. A curious place to build a house, but even more curious is the house itself: a maze of sloping floors and strange staircases, full of bloodcurdling masks and uncanny dolls.

Christmas, 1983. Kozaburo Hamamoto, the aging 'lord' of the strange Crooked House, is hosting a grand gathering for his relatives. But when one of them is found murdered in seemingly impossible circumstances, the police are called. But they are unable to solve the puzzle, and more unsettling deaths follow as the guests start seeing bizarre sights on the estate.

Enter Kiyoshi Mitarai, the eccentric fortune teller, psychic and self-styled detective. Surely if anyone can crack these cryptic murders it is him. But you have all the clues too - can you solve the mystery of the murders in the Crooked House first?

The Haunting of Hill House meets Agatha Christie, this fiendish locked-room mystery is the thrilling follow-up to Soji Shimada's widely acclaimed crime novel, The Tokyo Zodiac Murders. Known as the "god of mystery", Shimada masterfully blends classical detective fiction with grisly violence and elements of the occult to creative a riveting, intricate puzzle that will delight horror and mystery fans alike.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1805335782
• ISBN13: 9781805335788
• Release Date: July 2026
• Publisher: Pushkin Vertigo
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.81 lbs.