Pathway to Japanese Literature

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

The Laughing DemonAuthor: Nomura Kodō

Original Title	笑う悪魔
Author	野村胡堂
Genre	Detective & Mystery
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	In 1930s Tokyo, amidst cutthroat newspaper rivalries and looming political tensions, veteran journalist Chigusa Jūjirō navigates a web of secrets after a chilling threat disrupts a tycoon’s opulent birthday banquet. Kumagaya Saburōbee, a ruthless industrialist, receives a meticulously crafted letter vowing to dismantle his empire—and life—through calculated vengeance. The night spirals into chaos when his daughter vanishes from a locked room, her friend Mihoko wounded beside a bloodstained window. As Chigusa investigates with his brash protégé Hayasaka Isamu and detective Hanabusa Ichirō, contradictions emerge: a weapon materializes impossibly in a guarded garden, eerie laughter echoes from a fortified art vault, and Mihoko’s fragile testimony hints at dangerous loyalties. Between smoky pressrooms and glittering mansions, alliances blur as journalists chase truths that could unravel a zaibatsu dynasty—or cost them their lives. Shadows of past sins and forbidden affections twist every clue, leaving Chigusa to question whether justice or retribution drives this game—and who will pay the final price.