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The Secret of the Noh MaskAuthor: Sakaguchi Ango
| Original Title | 能面の秘密 |
|---|---|
| Author | 坂口 安吾 |
| Genre | Detective & Mystery |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In the secluded grandeur of a fading Atami estate, Otsune, a blind masseuse with uncanny intuition, navigates a web of secrets during a routine visit to the enigmatic Noda family. Tasked with tending to the eccentric Mr. Okawa—a man who demands she wear a haunting Noh mask during sessions—she inadvertently overhears a tense confrontation: Madam Noda, the family matriarch, defiantly resisting a shadowy blackmailer’s threats. Hours later, a fire engulfs the estate’s annex, leaving Okawa’s corpse in a locked room, his charred belongings hinting at hidden fortunes. \nAs reporter Tsuji delves into the mystery, he uncovers layers of deception: vanished alibis, a son drowning in debt, and whispers of illicit stock schemes. Otsune’s fragmented testimony—a blind woman’s account of muffled voices and eerie rituals—becomes pivotal, yet unreliable. Clues surface in Noh masks, midnight exchanges, and a gardener’s sudden windfall, but every revelation deepens the enigma. With suspects circling and motives tangled in greed and legacy, the truth smolders beneath ashes of opulence, threatening to consume all who grasp it. Will Otsune’s intuition illuminate the darkness, or will the estate’s cursed secrets remain entombed? |
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