Pathway to Japanese Literature

Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.

Mysterious WomanAuthor: Sakaguchi Ango

Original Title	フシギな女
Author	坂口安吾
Genre	Modern Short Fiction
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	In a chilling case shrouded in contradictions, a woman becomes the prime suspect in a gruesome multiple murder. Witnesses describe her as strikingly unattractive, yet her composite image suggests an ordinary face, sparking debates over perception and truth. Her peculiar behavior—lingering over meals, meticulously counting money—hints at a mind both methodical and enigmatic. A lone survivor’s testimony weaves a dubious narrative, riddled with inconsistencies that blur the line between observation and fabrication. Was she a cold-blooded killer acting alone, or part of a shadowy duo? As authorities piece together fragments of evidence, her eerie composure—erasing traces of blood yet leaving fingerprints—defies logic. Critics and detectives alike grapple with her inscrutable motives: Was it greed, fear, or something more unfathomable? The media’s sensationalism clashes with the haunting reality of a crime that resists easy answers, leaving readers to question where humanity ends and monstrosity begins.