獄門島

Mystery with an intricate cast set in post-war Japan

The story is set on a remote island, somewhat removed from the common customs/mindset on the mainland, after the war. That means there's a time skip of a couple years between 本陣殺人事件 and 獄門島. Aside from 金田一耕助, there's one other person reintroduced from earlier in the series, but it still very much can be read as a stand alone.

I found it to be both more difficult and more enjoyable than 本陣殺人事件. Here's why:

Language: The old language makes reading this difficult for someone with little to no exposure to such. It uses old kanji, now uncommon words, etc. In this one especially there are a lot of references to buddhist terms, historical events and people as well as haiku. This makes it more difficult in terms of language than 本陣殺人事件 in my opinion.

Content: Just like in 本陣殺人事件 the interpersonal relationships detailed in the story are vast, complex, and ultimately necessary for the case. If you liked the complexity of the cast and its relationships in 本陣殺人事件, you won't be disappointed by it in this book either. Since 獄門島 is even longer than 本陣殺人事件('s main story), it is arguably even more intricate. While the people and relationships can be hard to keep track of they are a huge part of what brings the story to life. That said, I had an easier time keeping track of people here compared to 本陣殺人事件.