Originally written in 1973 and now released by Bolinda Publishing with translation from the Japanese by Jim Rion and narrated by Akira Matsumoto. The story is set in post WW2 Japan and was reflective of the times post war which was contemporary for the author. The Detective Kindaichi Mysteries first came out as serials and later as books which were popular in Japan. The series is finding new readers among those whose families originated there and seems to be quite popular with those who have a greater understanding of the background. Which is my roundabout way of saying that while the deductions were exemplary, I found it slow and difficult for me to relate. But it is interesting and I do favor books set in places I can never afford to visit. And I geek history. Glad that I read it.
I requested and received a free temporary audio copy from Bolinda Audio via NetGalley. Thank you! ( )

I had previously ranked Death on Gokumon Island my least favourite book in the Kosuke Kindaichi series; in that case I felt it took too long for the murders to happen and found the motive implausible when it was revealed. The Devil’s Flute Murders slow-burns a bit as well, but it felt justified and the spooky supernatural vibe worked for me this time. What did not work for me was the revelation of the motives behind the murders—it felt really distasteful. There was also a sizeable helping of sexism that I don’t recall being present in other books. In terms of more bland complaints, I found it hard to keep track of the various characters as well. Although now I'm adding half a star because of how the book weaves in a case reminiscent of a mass poisoning case at the Imperial Bank in Tokyo in 1948 -- as soon as I saw the case in this book, I thought "Hey, that's like the case that David Peace retells in Occupied City." ( )

I like it, but I struggled with the writing style and the portrayal of the characters. Of course I cannot tell whether this is an effect of translation, or present in the original Japanese. You get these dramatic scenes with characters gesturing wildly or freezing suddenly, and atmospheric detail. Maybe there is an intention to mimic the style of some traditional Japanese theatre performances? Yokomizo is very visually oriented, some of his stories have become movies, this one reads like it could be a kabuki play.
The story is another creepy mystery, put together well with enough clues for the attentive reader. You can guess who the culprit is, but you cannot be certain until the end. ( )