Abstract

Four pairs of parents and their children and a cram school teacher gather at a villa by Lake Himegami for a study camp for children preparing for entrance exams to private junior high schools. Eriko Takashina, an adulterous lover, shows up in pursuit of Shunsuke Namiki, who is late. A few hours later, however, Eriko is found lying in a room at the villa in a changed state. Shunsuke's wife confesses to the crime, saying, "I killed her. Despite Shunsuke's upset, the other couples cover up the crime and plan to sink Eriko's body to the bottom of Lake Himegami...

This long-awaited newly written full-length suspense story is filled with the charm of Higashino mysteries and the thrill of a real mystery!

Author’s Information

Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1958.
Debuted in 1985 by winning the 31st Edogawa Rampo Prize with "Hokago (After School)".

Received the 52nd Japan Mystery Writers Association Award in 1999 for "Himitsu (Secret)", the 134th Naoki Prize and the 6th Honkaku Mystery Grand Prize in 2006 for "The Devotion of Suspect X," the 7th Chuo Koron Literary Prize in 2012 for "The Miracles of the Namiya General Store," the 26th Shibata Renzaburo Award in 2013 for "Mugenbana (Dreamy Flowers", and the 48th Yoshikawa Eiji Literary Prize in 2014 for "The Final Curtain". Also has numerous other awards.

Passionate about snowboarding, with works set on the slopes like "Silver Jack (Silver Hijack)", "Shippu Rondo (Gale Rondo)", "Koi no Gondola (Love Gondola)" and "Setsuen Chase (Chase in the Snow)".

Authored many books including "The Camphor Tree’s Guard (Kusunoki no Bannin)", "Majo to sugoshita Shichinichikann (Seven Days Spent with a Witch)", "Anata ga dareka wo koroshita (You Killed Someone)" and "Black Showman to kakuseisuru onnatachi (The Awakening Women with the Black Showman)".