Inspiring Older Readers

posted on 22 Feb 2026

Points and Lines by Seichō Matsumoto

I’ve written before about my admiration for the detective fiction of Seichō Matsumoto and I’ve also separately touched on the way he came to define something that was known as the ‘social realist’ school that stood (and still stands) as an alternative to the Japanese Golden Age writers.

Points and Lines was Matsumoto’s first novel, published in 1958 and translated into an English language edition in 1970 and I was delighted to find a first edition hardback copy on a recent book-hunting trip. It wasn’t until recently that I realised Points and Lines was in fact retitled for paperback reissue as Tokyo Express – for reasons I honestly find hard to fathom.

When I reviewed Inspector Imanishi Investigates, I made the point that modern crime fiction aficionados might well have to adjust their expectations around the pace and grittiness of the action and come to terms with police detectives who are conscientious, not beset by crippling personal problems and marital difficulties: all of these same warnings stand now too in this first outing.

As you might guess from the book’s title, trains play an important role in this book: in fact, the solution to the murder mystery revolves around some fairly detailed information about the Japanese train timetable of the 50s. But don’t let that put you off – this isn’t a book for trainspotters but a cunningly constructed crime investigation that relies on police detectives committed to hard work and logical deduction.

Two bodies are discovered together on a beach in Kyushu – a man and woman who have seemingly committed what is known in Japanese culture as a ‘love suicide’. Initially the police seem prepared to accept the ‘love suicide’ solution and move on but for the efforts of the veteran policeman, Jūtarō Torigai who refuses to accept that all is as it seems. He is able to pass on his concerns to the younger Tokyo-based detective, Kiichi Mihara who commits to solving the mystery of the apparent suicides.

And I’m really not telling you anything else about the plot other than it will involve an investigation into government corruption, the creation of a seemingly unbreakable alibi for the chief suspect and – as I’ve already indicated – a lot of train travel. This is where the title, Points and Lines comes into its own (and makes something of a nonsense of the Tokyo Express as an alternative).

Matsumoto’s novels are not for those addicted to fast, superficial action and his characters have real depth and substance – even those on the peripheries of the mystery. 

I’ve seen Matsumoto regularly referred to as ‘Japan’s Agatha Christie’ which is a comparison I can only imagine comes more from his popularity and sales rather than anything literary or stylistically. The Penguin Classic jacket of Tokyo Express makes a comparison with Georges Simenon and this is a much better one because the Belgian’s psychologically complex thrillers feel much more compatible with what Matsumoto was trying to do.

You will struggle to find or afford the hardback first translation (unless you’re lucky like I was) and so buying the paperback – albeit retitled – should set you back less than £10.

 

Terry Potter

February 2026