Abstract

Every year a ritual in which people interact with the dead, known as the Higan, is held on Another Hill, which is located in a world (V. Far) where British and Japanese culture is integrated. During the year in which a bloodthirsty killer known as Bloody Jack has committed five murders, a series of mysterious murders occur on the sacred Another Hill. Another Hill is surrounded by a moat-like canal, so the murderer must still be within the area. Every person within the precincts of this sacred area is a suspect. However, when all of them are investigated with the use of an ancient ritual that detects all lies, the culprit remains unknown.
The protagonist, Jun, who is visiting the area in order to take part in the Higan, eventually gets caught up in the search for the murderer. In search of the truth, Jun heads toward a certain location, and…
Depicting a world in which the boundaries alternate between eastern and western cultures, the past and the present, and life and death, Riku Onda’s masterpiece featuring a fusion of mystery and fantasy has been drawn out on an unprecedented scale.

Author’s Information

Riku Onda is a bestselling author. Won the Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Prize for New Writers, and won the Japan Booksellers' Award for 'Yoru no Pikunikku' in 2005, The Mystery Writers of Japan Award for Best Novel and Short Story for 'The Aosawa Murders' in 2006, The Yamamoto Shugoro Prize for 'Nakaniwa no Dekigoto' in 2007, and the Naoki Prize and the Japan Booksellers' Award (for the second time) for 'Honeybees and Distant Thunder' in 2017.