Translating a Japanese Mystery Star

This intriguing item comes from In Reference to Murder:

The stories of locked-room king Seishi Yokomizo, considered the master of ingenious plotting with a reputation in Japan to rival Agatha Christie’s, were long unavailable to English-speaking audiences. The first English version of The Honjin Murders was only published last year when Pushkin Vertigo released Louise Heal Kawai’s translation—73 years after the original novel first appeared in Japan. And now, the indie press is also publishing Yumiko Yamazaki’s translation of ... The Inugami Curse. The Honjin Murders novel won Yokomizo the first Mystery Writers of Japan award in 1948, and its protagonist, the scruffy amateur sleuth Kosuke Kindaichi, went on to star in another 76 novels, selling more than 55 million books and appearing in numerous television and stage adaptations.

Although Pushkin Vertigo’s The Honjin Murders debuted in Britain in December, U.S. book retailers won’t receive copies until June. The Inugami Curse, also starring Kindaichi, will follow in August.