The Japanese word honkaku means, roughly, orthodox. It also refers to a mid-20th century literary genre “that mainly focuses on the process of a criminal investigation and values the entertainment derived from pure logical reasoning,” according to writer Haruta Yoshitame. These whodunits are making a comeback in Japan, and an excellent new English translation suggests they’ll find appeal far beyond their country of origin.
Peter C. Meilaender is professor of political science and dean of religion, humanities, and global studies at Houghton University.
