Pathway to Japanese Literature

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

Ultraviolet RaysAuthor: Kosakai Fuboku

Original Title	紫外線
Author	小酒井不木
Genre	Detective & Mystery
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	In a bustling Tokyo laboratory, young investigator Tsukahara Toshio harnesses the cutting-edge power of ultraviolet light to unravel mysteries invisible to the naked eye. When a priceless necklace vanishes from a Ginza jeweler and a student dies under suspicious circumstances, Toshio discovers a cryptic message scrawled on black paper—a puzzle that baffles even seasoned detectives. Using his mercury quartz lamp, he reveals hidden fluorescent clues pointing to a vacant house shrouded in rumors of hauntings. But the trail grows darker as a prominent doctor is murdered in broad daylight, his identity concealing a web of deception. Toshio’s ultraviolet expertise exposes forged evidence and shadowy doubles, linking high-society thefts to a criminal underworld spanning continents. As bodies and counterfeit gems multiply, every glowing revelation pulls him deeper into a labyrinth where trusted faces mask lethal secrets. Can ultraviolet rays illuminate the truth before another life flickers out? The answer lies in wavelengths unseen—and a killer who knows light’s power to both reveal and deceive.