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Quick answer: If you liked Strange Pictures, read The Decagon House Murders, The Devotion of Suspect X, Malice and Confessions. All are Japanese mysteries with clever puzzles, unsettling atmospheres and twists that make you flip back through earlier pages.
Uketsu's novel, which began as online videos, tells its mystery through odd drawings, notes and interviews that slowly reveal a disturbing story. It is short, strange and addictive. The books below offer more Japanese crime and puzzle fiction, from classic whodunits to modern psychological thrillers, all in English translation.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Decagon House Murders | Yukito Ayatsuji | Adult | puzzle mysteries |
| The Devotion of Suspect X | Keigo Higashino | Adult | battle of wits |
| Salvation of a Saint | Keigo Higashino | Adult | locked-room logic |
| Malice | Keigo Higashino | Adult | psychological twists |
| Journey Under the Midnight Sun | Keigo Higashino | Adult | long-running mysteries |
| Confessions | Kanae Minato | Adult | revenge and narrators |
| Penance | Kanae Minato | Adult | friendship and guilt |
| Out | Natsuo Kirino | Adult | dark crime fiction |
| Grotesque | Natsuo Kirino | Adult | social commentary |
| The Honjin Murders | Seishi Yokomizo | Adult | classic puzzles |
| The Inugami Clan | Seishi Yokomizo | Adult | family secrets |
| The Tokyo Zodiac Murders | Soji Shimada | Adult | fair-play puzzles |
| The Moai Island Puzzle | Alice Arisugawa | Adult | puzzle fans |
| Villain | Shuichi Yoshida | Adult | characters and society |
| Six Four | Hideo Yokoyama | Adult | police procedurals |
1. The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji
A group of university mystery fans visits an island where a murderer has struck before, and they begin to die one by one. A landmark of the Japanese puzzle mystery with a stunning twist.
Best for: puzzle mysteries.
2. The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino
A mathematician helps a neighbor cover up a murder, and a physicist friend tries to see through his plan. Higashino's best-known novel is elegant, sad and clever.
Best for: battle of wits.
3. Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino
A man is poisoned in his home, and his wife seems to have the perfect alibi. A second Detective Galileo story that treats a puzzle with patience and heart.
Best for: locked-room logic.
4. Malice by Keigo Higashino
A novelist is killed, and the investigation is about why, not who. Two narrators tell conflicting versions in a story full of reversals.
Best for: psychological twists.
5. Journey Under the Midnight Sun by Keigo Higashino
A murder in an abandoned building leads to two linked lives over nearly twenty years. Long, bleak and gripping, it is a favorite among fans of slow-burning crime.
Best for: long-running mysteries.
6. Confessions by Kanae Minato
A teacher tells her class that two of them killed her daughter. The story passes among several voices and builds toward a chilling finish.
Best for: revenge and narrators.
7. Penance by Kanae Minato
Four women look back on a childhood friend's murder and how it shaped their lives. Quiet, tense and told in separate accounts.
Best for: friendship and guilt.
8. Out by Natsuo Kirino
Four women who work night shifts at a factory cover up a murder. Dark, violent and a powerful story of ordinary lives.
Best for: dark crime fiction.
9. Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino
Two sisters and the murder of one of them are explored through diaries and narration. Bleak, complex and unforgettable.
Best for: social commentary.
10. The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo
A bride and groom are found dead in a locked annex after their wedding in 1937. Detective Kosuke Kindaichi's first case and a classic of the genre.
Best for: classic puzzles.
11. The Inugami Clan by Seishi Yokomizo
A wealthy family gathers for the reading of a will, and murders follow. Gothic, atmospheric and a good second step into Yokomizo.
Best for: family secrets.
12. The Tokyo Zodiac Murders by Soji Shimada
A tangled series of 1930s murders is investigated decades later. Famous for its challenge to the reader to solve the puzzle.
Best for: fair-play puzzles.
13. The Moai Island Puzzle by Alice Arisugawa
A group of students on a small island faces a cryptic riddle and a series of deaths. Logic-driven, with a nostalgic feel.
Best for: puzzle fans.
14. Villain by Shuichi Yoshida
A young woman is found murdered, and the story explores everyone who touched her life. Sad and humane, it asks who the real villain is.
Best for: characters and society.
15. Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama
A police press officer faces an old kidnapping case and internal politics. Long and detailed, with a satisfying payoff.
Best for: police procedurals.
How to Choose
If you like puzzles and fair-play clues, start with The Decagon House Murders, The Honjin Murders or The Moai Island Puzzle. For psychological games and moral depth, choose The Devotion of Suspect X, Malice or Confessions. For darker, more adult stories, pick Out, Grotesque or Villain. If you enjoy slow, detailed police stories, try Six Four. Translations vary in style, so sample the first pages before you buy.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Strange Pictures about?
A series of odd drawings and interviews slowly reveals a connected, disturbing mystery.
Who is Uketsu?
An anonymous Japanese writer and YouTuber who appears in a mask and uses a distorted voice.
Is Strange Pictures a long book?
No, it is short and can be read in an evening.
Are these Japanese mysteries gory?
Some are dark, but many are puzzle-focused rather than graphic.
Is there a sequel to Strange Pictures?
Uketsu has written other books that are available in English, so check the latest listings.
What is a honkaku mystery?
It is the Japanese term for a classic, fair-play puzzle mystery where readers can solve the case from the clues.