Abstract

The Witch of Orleans is resurrected, and the curtain rises on a tragedy on a prison island! Underground passages, a woman in an iron mask, an isolated island, a witch legend... When celebrities gather in a town for a film festival, the curtain rises on a series of murders. A detective who solves mysteries with mathematical logic and a soprano singer arrive at the dark side of modern history. --Recommended by Nakagawa Usuke (critic)! [A detective's journey through the city of movies, the prison island, and the witch town!] Amano Nanami is selected to play the lead role in a new production at the Paris Opera. She is said to be the perfect fit for the image of "black-haired Joan of Arc" that the original author Régine Brapin is particular about. At the request of director Jacques Rolland, Nanami travels to Cannes for promotion. Meanwhile, a case has occurred in Paris where a prostitute was shaved and killed. The victim was holding a note with the room number of a hotel in Cannes and the mysterious words "The Witch of Orleans" written on it. Detective Emile, who is investigating the case, also flies to Cannes, and the story moves to the "Prison Island" where a horrible legend remains. Who is the Witch of Orleans? ◎ Celebrities gather on an isolated island, and the incident occurs about halfway through the story. At the end, the detective brings together all the people involved to solve the mystery, and while you enjoy the structure reminiscent of Christie, what awaits you is a tragedy born from the darkness of modern history. Inaba's mystery style, which intertwines classical art and social issues within the framework of a full-scale mystery, has been established. (Critic Nakagawa Usuke) ◎ The contrast between the stately stage and the gloomy tragedy. I was intoxicated by the opera-like structure. (Yaesu Book Center Uchida Toshiaki) ◎ Elegant and bold. A wind of unrest erupts in Kagetsu's France. Is it a coincidence that "rot" comes from the combination of fire and orchid? (Waseda Mystery Club) [Table of Contents I Tokyo / II Paris / III Cannes / IV Prison Island / V Monastery Island / VI Orleans / VII Cannes]

Author’s Information

Hakuto Inaba won the Kita-ku Uchida Yasuo Mystery Literature Award Special Prize in 2015. In 2017, he was the runner-up in the Shimada Soji Rose Town Fukuyama Mystery Literature Newcomer Award (commonly known as Fukumiss, which has produced such greats as Chinen Mikito and Sakamoto Ayumu). His winning work, "The Closed Room of the Union," was published by Hara Shobo, which has a reputation for its serious mysteries. In 2020, he published "The Kanadehon Murder Case," one of his works that is expected to be released in paperback. /