Pathway to Japanese Literature

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

The Devil's FaceAuthor: Nomura Kodō

Original Title	悪魔の顔
Author	野村胡堂
Genre	Detective & Mystery
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	In a lavish Tokyo mansion, a dinner party hosted by charismatic socialite Mrs. Toushi and her wealthy husband Ishii Kaorinosuke takes a sinister turn when macabre debates about crime escalate into reality. Amid cigar smoke and whiskey, guests jest about murder’s inevitability—until Kaorinosuke collapses from arsenic-laced chocolates. Suspicion swirls: his fragile daughter Mihoko, linked to the poison; her timid cousin Tamura, whose gaze betrays hidden intensity; and Ashina, a charming heir with rumored access to toxins. As journalist Chigusa investigates, another tragedy strikes: Kaorinosuke’s estranged daughter Sekiko, a scandalous mannequin entangled in inheritance disputes, is stabbed during a public spectacle. Detectives untangle a web of deceit where alibis crumble and motives blur—jealousy, greed, or vengeance? With a widow’s poise cracking and secrets festering beneath aristocratic facades, the mansion’s gilded walls conceal a killer’s devilish cunning. Will unmasking the truth shatter the family—or bury it deeper in darkness?