The Early Cases of Akechi Kogoro by Edogawa Rampo (4🌟)

The early cases of Akechi Kogoro is a collection of 4 short stories. Actually it's 3 short stories and one long story. The stories were originally written in Japanese in 1925 and 1926, and were translated by William Varteresian.

The stories follow a detective called Akechi Kogoro solving crimes in a style which reminds me of Sherlock Holmes.

Kogorõ is some sort of private detective who works with the police. Two stories in this book relate murder cases. There is also kidnapping and stalking. The detective gets involved in the cases by chance or is called by the victims or relatives. There is always a veil of mystery around Kogorõ. He sometimes disappears for days to follow suspects or run enquiries.  He investigates crime scenes with great attention to detail and puts together facts and evidence using logic. I loved the way each of the cases is solved, particularly the one in the last and longest story.

Rampo does not reveal much about Kogoro apart from his detective work. We don't know much about his life except that he lives on his own in a rented room and that he likes to read. Despite this I found the  detective a likable and interesting character.

1. The Case of the murder on D. Hill. - a woman is killed inside a bookshop
2. The Black Hand Gang - a kidnapped girl
3. The Ghost - a dead man wants revenge
4. The Dwarf - a young rich woman disappears and her parents ask Kogorõ to find her.

My edition was published by Kurodahan press in 2014. It comes with an introduction and endnotes. 201 pages.