A nightmarish tale of deception, depravity and death, in which no one can be trusted. A fantastical game of cat and mouse played out on the streets of an other-worldly pre-war Tokyo. First published in 1930, this is the third full-length novel to feature the private detective Akechi Kogoro.
Born as Hirai Tarō, Edogawa Ranpo (1894-1965) was an influential author and critic known for his tales of the mysterious and macabre. His pseudonym is a rendering of ‘Edgar Allen Poe’ using Japanese characters. Ranpo often dealt with themes of sexual perversion and the grotesque, as well as writing more conventional detective stories.
Alexis J Brown is a translator living in London.