Pan Macmillan scoops two in cosy crime series by Japanese author Konishi

Pan Macmillan has scooped My Grandfather, The Master Detective and another book by Japanese author Masateru Konishi.

Publishing director Gillian Green acquired world English language rights from Li Kangqin of New River Literary on behalf of Kohei Hattori at the English Agency and Takarajima in two books in the series, described by the publisher as "cosy crime meets Before the Coffee Gets Cold [Picador]". Rights have already sold in 11 territories.

Pan Macmillan will publish the first novel, My Grandfather, The Master Detective, in hardback in autumn 2025, and it will be translated by Louise Heal Kawai. The book follows a school teacher and her grandfather, who has dementia, as they solve crimes, and the synopsis adds: "It was inspired by the author’s own experiences looking after his father who had dementia and has already been a bestseller in Japan as well as winning the 2022 ‘This Mystery is Amazing’ prize."

Green said: "This is a quirky, charming delight of a novel which is essentially a Japanese Thursday Murder Club and represents the very best of emerging Japanese fiction. It’s also steeped in the Golden Age of classic crime with playful references from everyone from Agatha Christie to Chesterton to Poe. It’s such an honour for us to be bringing Masateru Konishi’s work to an English language readership."

Konishi added: "This is a tender, mystery-filled tale, spun through conversations between an elderly man and his only granddaughter. To all the English-language readers, I hope you enjoy it slowly to the end. Or perhaps better to say, enjoy it at your own pace. Since time is indeed something precious to us all."