Pathway to Japanese Literature

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Hayamimi Sanji's Arrest ChroniclesAuthor: Hayashi Fubō

Original Title	早耳三次捕物聞書
Author	林不忘
Genre	Historical Fiction
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	In the icy depths of winter, quick-witted investigator Hayamimi Sanji leaps into action when a shadowy figure plunges from a bridge into Edo’s treacherous Great River. Retrieving the lifeless body of Ofuji—a cheerful young wife accused of stealing a priceless coral hairpin—he uncovers a web of deceit that stains her name. Her husband, Isuke, spirals into grief and rage, swearing vengeance against unseen enemies. Determined to untangle truth from lies, Sanji traces cryptic clues: karo oil smeared beneath a shop’s display stand, a hidden go stone, and whispers of a mysterious woman who vanished after volunteering a suspiciously eager body search. As rain lashes the city, Sanji stalks a flamboyant stranger through muddy alleys, unraveling a brazen scheme that frames the innocent. With reputations and lives at stake, he must outwit cunning thieves whose greed ignited tragedy—before more blood stains Edo’s frozen waters.