Pathway to Japanese Literature
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The CriminalAuthor: Sakaguchi Ango
| Original Title | 犯人 |
|---|---|
| Author | 坂口 安吾 |
| Genre | Detective & Mystery |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a secluded mountain village shrouded in mist and whispers, the naked body of Sayo—a young Nichiren ascetic entangled in scandal—is discovered in her ramshackle hut, a single stab wound piercing her abdomen. Dr. Hitomi, the village’s sole physician, is drawn into the investigation, only to find himself ensnared in a web of suspicion when a Queen of Hearts playing card flutters from Sayo’s discarded kimono. As rumors swirl about Sayo’s promiscuity and shadowy debts, tensions mount between Dr. Hitomi and Kundo, a rigid schoolteacher who eerily prophesied her death. The arrival of an ambitious reporter amplifies doubts, casting Dr. Hitomi’s every action in a sinister light. Meanwhile, Yoshikichi—a troubled boy who discovered the corpse—haunts the periphery with a haunting poem about loneliness and red mountains, his motives as elusive as the missing murder weapon. Amidst paranoia and half-truths, the village’s fragile veneer of peace crumbles, exposing buried desires and festering guilt. As alibis unravel and alliances shift, the line between predator and prey blurs, leaving readers to question who harbors the darkest secret in this claustrophobic tale of obsession and ruin. |
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