The Man Who Died Seven Times

By: Yasuhiko Nishizawa, Jesse Kirkwood -translator

Narrated by: Kaipo Schwab

A subversively cozy Japanese crime novel with an ingenious Groundhog Day twist: a teenager’s time-loop race to solve—and possibly prevent—his grandfather’s murder!

Contemporary Japanese legend Yasuhiko Nishizawa makes his English-language debut with this slick, funny murder mystery that adds a sci-fi twist to an age-old setup: a murder in a wealthy family with an inheritance at stake.

Hisataro, a young member of the wealthy Fuchigami family, has a mysterious ability. Every now and then, against his will, he falls into a time-loop in which he is obliged to re-live the same day a total of 9 times. Little does he know how useful this ability will be, until one day, his grandfather mysteriously dies....

As he returns to the day of the murder time and again, Hisataro begins to unravel its secrets. With a sizeable inheritance up for grabs, motives abound, and everyone is a suspect. Can Hisataro solve the mystery of his grandfather’s death before his powers run out?

Written in a witty, lighthearted voice, this clever and playful book will appeal to fans of both traditional murder mysteries as well as listeners of cozy mysteries. It's a delightful treat for fans of the intricate plotting of Agatha Christie, the gentle humor of Richard Osman, and the audacious inventiveness of Stuart Turton.

©2017 Yasuhiko Nishizawa; English translation copyright 2025 by Jesse Kirkwood (P)2025 Dreamscape Media

excellent performance-play at 1.2

the narrator was superb. the repeats on the time loop got a bit boring at times but i was propelled to find out who did it. ,Mostly I liked the flawed characters. i could have done without the one creepy character towards the end. but all in all a good story for thise that like japanese mysteries

Great narration, little slow tho. Listen to at 1.15

I didn’t care for the epilogue. Felt it was unnecessary lol. Also the over explanation and repetition of certain things felt a bit redundant.

3.5 interesting concept

3.5 interesting concept, the audiobook was great. The story was a tad slow but also interesting.

Entertaining

I enjoyed this book. It was an easy read. It held my attention very well.

A great mystery

Loved the story. I couldn’t figure out what was going to end up playing out.