Abstract

Ishioka is a mystery writer. One day a woman asks him to travel with her to Okayama Prefecture to exorcise an evil spirit. Disembarking at a gloomy train station, they journey deep into the mountains to a strange hotel, the Ryugatei. There Ishioka comes face to face with a horrifying series of murders. What are the “sin of the village” and the “fate” about which the villagers are whispering? In the deep dark of midnight, the ghost of the murderer in a legendary (true) case appears before him . . . How did he execute the “Thirty Murders”? An astonishing masterpiece by Soji Shimada, who enjoys enormous popularity among readers throughout Asia.

Author’s Information

Soji Shimada was born in Hiroshima in 1948. After graduating from Musashino University of Art, he worked as a truck driver, musician, and writer. In 1981 he made his authorial debut with the novel The Tokyo Zodiac Murders. A prolific writer, he has produced several series of novels, including his Kiyoshi Mitarai and Takeshi Yoshiki series. His works have been translated throughout Asia, where he enjoys enormous popularity as a leading writer of modern Japanese detective novels.