Edogawa Rampo was an important figure in the development of Japanese mystery short stories and novels, greatly influencing many authors that came after him, and a large number of his works have been made into movies, TV dramas, and even comics. His pen name was taken from “Edgar Allan Poe”, showcasing Rampo’s great interest in Western mystery fiction.

In “The Masquerade Ball”, Rampo develops a mystery around the Western idea of a masquerade ball––where the participants wear masks and elaborate costumes––held as an event of an elite secret society, specially organized for the main character of the story.

Despite knowing how extreme and outlandish the events are held by this group, the protagonist decides to participate in this mysterious event. But nothing could have ever prepared him for what was to happen that fated night, and the terrible regret that would follow.

“The Masquerade Ball” exhibits Rampo’s characteristic style of keeping the reader guessing until the very end and is a good introduction to his writings, but is also highly recommended for experienced readers of Rampo.

In addition to an English-only translation, the story is listed as a parallel translation, with alternating paragraphs of English and Japanese as a resource for those studying the Japanese language or translation.