Soji Shimada

A fiendish LOCKED ROOM MYSTERY from the Japanese master of the genre. Never before available in English. By the author of the acclaimed Tokyo Zodiac Murders. The Crooked House sits on a snowbound cliff overlooking icy seas at the remote northern tip of Japan. A curious place for the millionaire Kozaburo Hamamoto to build a house, but even more curious is the house itself - a disorienting maze of sloping floors and strangely situated staircases, full of bloodcurdling masks and uncanny, lifesize dolls. When a man is found dead in one of the mansion's rooms, murdered in seemingly impossible circumstances, the police are called. But they are unable to solve the puzzle, and powerless to protect the party of house guests as more bizarre deaths follow. Enter Kiyoshi Mitarai, the renowned sleuth, famous for unmasking the culprit behind the notorious Umezawa family massacre. Surely if anyone can crack these cryptic murders he will. But you have all the clues too - can you solve the mystery of the murders in The Crooked House first?

Murder in the Crooked House

Astrologer, fortuneteller, and self-styled detective Kiyoshi Mitarai must in one week solve a macabre murder mystery that has baffled Japan for 40 years. Who murdered the artist Umezawa, raped and killed his daughter, and then chopped up the bodies of six others to create Azoth, the supreme woman? With maps, charts, and other illustrations, this story of magic and illusion, pieced together like a great stage tragedy, challenges the reader to unravel the mystery before the final curtain.

The Tokyo Zodiac Murders

Rumah Miring itu bertengger di tebing berselimut salju yang menghadap ke lautan es di ujung utara Jepang yang terpencil. Tempat yang aneh, tetapi di situlah sang jutawan Kozaburo Hamamoto membangunnya. Banyak labirin lantai yang miring dan tangga-tangga di tempat yang tidak biasa, juga topeng-topeng dan boneka seram seukuran manusia. Ketika seorang pria ditemukan mati dibunuh di salah satu kamar, polisi dipanggil, tapi mereka tak mampu memecahkan teka-teki itu. Lantas korban-korban lain berjatuhan. Maka dipanggillah Kiyoshi Mitarai, si detektif terkenal yang pernah memecahkan misteri kasus Pembunuhan Zodiak. Kalau bukan Mitarai, siapa lagi yang bisa? Tetapi mungkin Anda bisa mendahului Mitarai dalam memecahkan kasus ini? Semua petunjuknya dibeberkan dengan gamblang. Jadi, silakan ikut mencobanya.

Pembunuhan di Rumah Miring (Murder in the Crooked House)

Pada suatu malam bersalju tahun 1936, seorang seniman dipukuli hingga tewas di balik pintu studionya yang terkunci di Tokyo. Polisi menemukan surat wasiat aneh yang memaparkan rencananya untuk menciptakan Azoth Ósang wanita sempurnaÓdari potongan-potongan tubuh para wanita muda kerabatnya. Tak lama sesudah itu, putri tertuanya dibunuh. Lalu putri-putrinya yang lain serta keponakan-keponakan perempuannya tiba-tiba menghilang. Satu per satu mayat mereka yang termutilasi ditemukan, semua dikubur sesuai dengan prinsip astrologis yang diuraikan sang seniman. Pembantaian misterius itu mengguncang Jepang, menyibukkan pihak berwenang dan para detektif amatir, namun tirai misteri tetap tak terpecahkan selama lebih dari 40 tahun. Lalu pada suatu hari di tahun 1979, sebuah dokumen diserahkan kepada Kiyoshi Mitarai, seorang astrolog, peramal nasib, dan detektif eksentrik. Dengan didampingi Dr. Watson versinya sendiri, seorang ilustrator dan penggemar kisah detektif, Kazumi Ishioka, dia mulai melacak jejak pelaku Pembunuhan Zodiak Tokyo serta pencipta Azoth yang bagaikan lenyap ditelan bumi. Kisah menarik tentang sulap dan ilusi karya salah satu pencerita misteri terkemuka di Jepang ini disusun seperti tragedi panggung yang megah. Penulis melemparkan tantangan kepada pembaca untuk membongkar misteri sebelum tirai ditutup.

Pembunuhan Zodiak Tokyo (The Tokyo Zodiac Murders)

A love story that explores the mechanics of the heart and humankind's inevitable evolution. One Love Chigusa by Soji Shimada, one of Japan's most famous authors, is a tale of obsessive love in a world where technology has crept into the very heart of humanity. The year is 2091 AD. A horrendous motorcycle accident leaves Xie Hoyu coming to terms with his new cybernetic body. Reconstructed from the latest biomechanical prosthetics, he is discharged from hospital and tries to return to his life as an illustrator after many weeks in recovery. While surgery saves his life, existence for Xie has lost all meaning. His saviour comes in the form of a girl with whom Xie falls hopelessly in love. But not all is as it seems. Translated by Sir David Warren, a retired diplomat and former British ambassador to Japan, One Love Chigusa offers a glimpse into a possible future and questions the purpose of humanity in a manner that only Japan's master of the postmodern whodunnit can do. Red Circle Minis: Original, Short and Compelling Reads One Love Chigusa is part of Red Circle Minis, a series of short captivating books by Japan's finest contemporary writers that brings the narratives and voices of Japan together as never before. Each book is a first edition written specifically for the series and is being published in English first.

Soji Shimada

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