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The Mystery of the BeardAuthor: Kosakai Fuboku
| Original Title | 髭の謎 |
|---|---|
| Author | 小酒井 不木 |
| Genre | Detective & Mystery |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | On a frigid January morning, Tsukahara Toshio—a sharp-witted investigator—is drawn into a chilling mystery when Yukiko, daughter of renowned scientist Dr. Endō, arrives distraught. Her father, guardian of a classified poison gas formula, has been found strangled, and her brother stands accused. Yet Yukiko insists on his innocence, claiming shadowy forces at play. As Toshio examines the crime scene, peculiar clues emerge: a hand towel from a distant inn, cryptic bloodstains, and strange hairs clinging to the victim’s fingers—later identified as *bat fur*. The professor’s meticulously groomed beard reveals inconsistencies, hinting at an imposter in his deathbed. Meanwhile, a hidden secret lies within an ordinary desk calendar, its pages scrawled with lethal formulas sought by foreign spies. With live-in student Saitō behaving suspiciously and whispers of a rogue uncle entangled in espionage, Toshio races to untangle a web of familial betrayal and international intrigue. But as alibis unravel and identities blur, one question lingers: Who truly silenced Dr. Endō—and will the empire’s deadliest weapon fall into enemy hands? |
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