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Troupe "Laughing Demon"Author: Yamamoto Shūgorō
| Original Title | 劇団「笑う妖魔」 |
|---|---|
| Author | 山本 周五郎 |
| Genre | Detective & Mystery |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | A cryptic phone call disrupts Gorō’s quiet evening, demanding he visit a theater cafeteria—a demand he dismisses as a prank. But when his younger sister Yukiko vanishes after receiving a similar call, suspicion turns to dread. Their father, a disgraced former police inspector, harbors grim theories about recent unsolved murders creeping toward Tokyo. Defying his father’s reluctance to involve authorities, Gorō uncovers ties between the killings and a foreign troupe, *Laughing Demon*, performing at the theater. A desperate note from his estranged brother—a clown in the troupe—reveals a dangerous secret: spies are smuggling national defense secrets, and Yukiko is their hostage. At the theater, tragedy strikes as Gorō witnesses his brother’s onstage murder, a staged act turned fatal. Autopsy findings expose swallowed evidence of espionage, forcing a reckoning with betrayal and sacrifice. As secrets unravel, Gorō races to save Yukiko and redeem his family’s fractured honor, unaware how deep the conspiracy runs. Shadows of loyalty and treachery blur in a pulse-pounding clash where one misstep could doom them all. |
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