Pathway to Japanese Literature

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Golden MaskAuthor: Edogawa Ranpo

Original Title	黄金仮面
Author	江戸川乱歩
Genre	Children's Literature
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	In a Tokyo gripped by whispers of an uncanny phantom, a gilded enigma emerges—Golden Mask, a thief whose audacity defies reason. Rumors swirl of his expressionless metal visage, glimpsed in shadowed alleys and moonlit crime scenes, but when he brazenly steals a priceless pearl from a heavily guarded exposition, his legend becomes terrifying reality. Disguising himself as an actor in a play mocking his own infamy, he executes a theft so bold it blurs reality and performance, vanishing into chaos as police scramble. His escape culminates in a death-defying spectacle atop a towering spire, where he dangles like a golden pendulum before evaporating into myth once more. Yet this is only his opening gambit. As panic spreads, amateur detective Akechi Kogorō confronts a foe who seems less human than machine—a master of illusion leaving trails of blood and dread in his wake. From glittering expositions to secluded mountain villas, Golden Mask’s schemes escalate, targeting not just treasures but lives, his motives as inscrutable as his metallic grin. Tokyo’s citizens whisper: Is he man, demon, or omen of catastrophe? The answer lies in a labyrinth of mirrors, where every reflection hides a blade.