About this ebook
From one of Japan's greatest and most influential writers, a chilling story of corruption and international intrigue – now available in English for the first time
Musashino, 1959. A young Japanese flight attendant is found strangled on the icy banks of the river. The police suspect foul play – but the deeper they dig, the more they collide with a wall of silence.
Musashino, 1959. A young Japanese flight attendant is found strangled on the icy banks of the river. The police suspect foul play – but the deeper they dig, the more they collide with a wall of silence.
At the centre of it all stands a foreign priest and the Guglielmo Church, a charitable Christian mission. The dead woman’s connection to the church is undeniable. But what begins as a routine investigation quickly turns into something far more treacherous, entangling together narcotics, post-war relief schemes and the delicate web of international diplomacy.
As the story moves from back alleys to diplomatic sanctuaries, following the twists and turns of Detective Fujisawa's investigation, Seicho Matsumoto masterfully constructs a slow-burning procedural where truth is clear but justice is not permitted.
Translated from Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood
From one of Japan's greatest and most influential writers, a chilling story of corruption and international intrigue – now available in English for the first time
Musashino, 1959. A young Japanese flight attendant is found strangled on the icy banks of the river. The police suspect foul play – ...
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About the author
Seicho Matsumoto (Author)
Seicho Matsumoto (1909-1992) was one of Japan's most acclaimed and popular writers. Self-educated, he published his first novel when he was forty years old and his books, including Tokyo Express, Inspector Imanishi Investigates and The Little Black Book, became huge bestsellers that were made into movies and TV series. He pioneered the social school of detective fiction, exploring human psychology and Japanese post-war malaise through twisting, dark mysteries. He received the prestigious Akutagawa Literary Prize in 1950 and there is now a prize in Japan in his honour.
Jesse Kirkwood (Translator)
Jesse Kirkwood was awarded the Harvill Secker Young Translators’ Prize in 2020 and has translated the bestselling Tokyo Express by Seicho Matsumoto, A Perfect Day to Be Alone by Nanae Aoyama, The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai, and Sympathy Tower Tokyo by Rie Qudan.
Seicho Matsumoto (1909-1992) was one of Japan's most acclaimed and popular writers. Self-educated, he published his first novel when he was forty years old and his books, including Tokyo Express, Inspector Imanishi Investigates and The Little Black Book, became huge bestsellers that were made into movies and TV series. He pioneered the social school of detective fiction, exploring human psychology and Japanese post-war malaise through twisting, dark mysteries. He received the prestigious Akutagawa Literary Prize in 1950 and there is now a prize in Japan in his honour.
Jesse Kirkwood (Translator)
Jesse Kirkwood was awarded the Harvill Secker Young Translators’ Prize in 2020 and has translated the bestselling Tokyo Express by Seicho Matsumoto, A Perfect Day to Be Alone by Nanae Aoyama, The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai, and Sympathy Tower Tokyo by Rie Qudan.
Seicho Matsumoto (Author)
Seicho Matsumoto (1909-1992) was one of Japan's most acclaimed and popular writers. Self-educated, he published his first novel when he was forty years old and his books, including Tokyo Express, Inspector Imanishi Investigates and The Little Black Book, became huge bes...
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