Abstract

From dating apps and virtual parties to YouTube reality shows, the dark potential of digital communication technology is at the heart of this collection of five mystery stories by Millennial author YUKI　Shinichiro.
A salesman visits a house where nothing is as it seems, a group of old friends trade on trust and technology to betray one another, and a boy learns his whole life is a sham…today more than ever, these stories argue, trust can be a deadly mistake.
YUKI keeps readers guessing with twisty plots, complex characters, and inventive takes on what happens when human vice meets a hyper-connected world. Engagingly written and often funny, the book is also sharply cynical about the unsavory appetites driving much online (and offline) activity.

Digital communication technology meets classic mystery in this collection of five whodunwhats by author YUKI　Shinichiro. From virtual parties and YouTube reality series to dating apps and online sperm-donor registries, the tools of our connected world function here as the source of mind-bending new motives and methods likely to hold the interest of both devoted mystery fans and Millennials who might normally prefer a TikTok video. YUKI’s characters are complex and his plots are dizzyingly twisty, but for this reader at least, the most interesting aspect of the book is the questions it raises about trust, privacy, and knowledge in a digitized world.

Author’s Information

Born in Kanagawa in 1991, YUKI Shinichiro graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo before becoming a writer. His debut novel, Elegy for a nameless star, won the Shincho Mystery Award in 2018. He has since published two additional novels and won the Mystery Writers of Japan Award for his story “#pleaseshare,” earning him acclaim as a rising star of the genre. This is his first collection of short stories.