Customer Reviews

Inspector Morimoto and the Two Umbrellas: A Detective Story Set in Japan

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

If you like the classic mysteries then you'll enjoy this book.
The plot is intricate and cunning.
There's some humor as well.
I've never read a mystery story about Japan before,
and that added an interesting angle.
Morimoto is a great guy - I enjoyed his cooking lesson!
Suzuki is fun too.

Excellent first book. I really enjoyed the descriptive passages on life in Japan. I am looking forward to the sequel and the development of the two main characters.

Timothy Hemion's writing is very good.
It's a very good mystery story.
It ranks up there with all the other mysteries that we've read.
Fascinating insights into life in Japan.
Do the trains always run on time to the minute?
Everybody seems very polite.
We're looking forward to the next of Hemion's books.

We really enjoyed this book.
Well done Timothy Hemion.
Shouldn't there have been more blood on the clothes?
It's nice to learn something about Japan.
In the west we think we know about it, but maybe we don't.
This book revealed a lot about real life in Japan.
We're really looking forward to the next Morimoto book.

I really enjoyed reading the book.
That's not because I am Japanese and the crime is set in Japan,
but because this book provides the pleasure of logical thinking.
It's interesting that the author is a mathematician.
If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes stories like me,
you are certain to enjoy the science of deduction in this book.
The combination of two characters
--- Inspector Morimoto and a young female officer Suzuki,
who is a mathematics graduate --- is also fun.

Hemion's first effort is a well crafted detective story which is especially well suited to the mystery fan who sometimes ends up saying, "How did they do that?" The reader is gently and clearly guided to the solution through a series of Socratic discussions between the veteran detective Morimoto and his protegee Suzuki.

These conversations are punctuated by pleasant train trips between Okayama and Osaka and the tasty meals that Morimoto enjoys while ruminating on the case. Comparing them to the expert Holmes and his affable though less talented sidekick Watson, Morimoto and Suzuki are much more the expert and gifted student who smoothly collaborate to pin down the answer.

The one ingredient which might spice things up a bit would be more of the human tendency to err, which neither Morimoto nor Suzuki seem vulnerable to. We learn that Morimoto is married but almost nothing about Suzuki and whether or not they share anything more than the purely intellectual challenge of their work. I hope to see more of the complexity of these two characters in their future installments, the second of which I am eager to purchase. Thank you Mr. Hemion for introducing us to another pair of entertaining sleuths!

I have just read the new book, Inspector Morimoto and the Two Umbrellas.
It is a very good story, with a plot that is complex but not too
complicated. The book is full of astounding plans
and misleading red herrings. Inspector Morimoto and Officer Suzuki must be
very clever to work out the mystery. I can not wait for the next in the
series!

Having reseached on Japan, I find this book very educating about the culture of Japan in an entertaining way. I couldn't put the book down. I wanted to figure out the mystery and help Inspector Morimorto.I would recommend this book to anyone as a fun summer reading book or even a book on life in Japan.

Inspector Morimoto is a good mystery that makes you think
and has a satisfying conclusion.
It makes sense in the end if you think about it.
I found Mr. Nishi hilarious.
It's good to see the underdog have the last laugh.
Well done Inspector Morimoto (& Police Officer Suzuki)!!!!

Timothy Hemion says he is a mathematical researcher.
Maybe that's why Suzuki is a math wizard?
If you like math and puzzles you should enjoy this book.
I read it from cover to cover.
I didn't know that they played baseball in Japan.
It's a good mystery, which treats the reader as an intelligent person.