Pathway to Japanese Literature
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TheftAuthor: Edogawa Ranpo
| Original Title | 盗難 |
|---|---|
| Author | 江戸川 乱歩 |
| Genre | Detective & Mystery |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a rural Japanese town, a disillusioned man recounts his years working for a charismatic yet unscrupulous religious leader whose talent for extracting donations funds a lavish lifestyle. When the sect’s coffers swell with cash for a temple expansion, a brazen thief sends a written warning: *“At midnight tonight, I shall come to collect.”* Dismissed as a prank, the threat materializes in the form of a cunning imposter—a policeman who disarms suspicion with bureaucratic charm before vanishing with the money. Months later, a chance encounter at a festival reveals the thief’s audacious double-bluff involving counterfeit bills and shadowy accomplices. But nothing is as it seems: loyalties blur, lies unravel, and the narrator is left questioning whether he aided a criminal mastermind or became collateral in a deeper deception. Moral rot and twisted ingenuity collide in this taut tale of faith, fraud, and the slippery nature of truth—where every revelation invites more questions than answers. |
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