Pathway to Japanese Literature

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Death ThreatAuthor: Nomura Kodō

Original Title	死の予告
Author	野村胡堂
Genre	Detective & Mystery
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	In an opulent estate shrouded in secrecy, a tormented aristocrat confesses a decades-old sin to a journalist—a betrayal that now haunts him through cryptic death threats. Count Kaihara Mitsuaki’s tranquil life unravels when a live-in student dies mysteriously in his study, dismissed as accidental poisoning. Yet the Count harbors darker suspicions: a vengeful warning, tied to a woman he abandoned years prior, suggests murder. As a second victim falls—electrocuted under baffling circumstances—the shadow of retribution looms closer. \nAce reporter Chigusa Jūjirō and his shrewd ally, “Legs Isamu,” navigate a labyrinth of deception within the mansion’s walls. Clues point to a killer wielding science as a weapon: cyanide-laced stamps, rigged baths, and chillingly precise timing. Tensions escalate as paranoia grips the household, where even trusted faces mask hidden vendettas. The Count’s aristocratic pride clashes with desperation to conceal his shame, while a brooding housekeeper’s quiet intensity hints at secrets darker than imagined. \nWith each cryptic note—“March 23rd will be the end”—the stakes heighten. Can guilt-ridden nobility outwit a phantom foe? Or will buried sins erupt in a finale as lethal as the past itself? A tale of twisted justice unfolds where every shadow whispers revenge.