Author(s): Seicho Matsumoto; Beth Cary (Translator)

Classics

Tokyo, 1960. As the first rays of morning light hit the rails at Kamata Station, a man's body is found on the tracks: blood-stained, disfigured and unrecognisable. With only two leads - a distinctive accent and a single word, "kameda" - senior inspector Imanishi Eitaro is called in to solve the puzzle. Accompanied by junior detective Yoshimura, he crosses Japan in search of answers, determined to uncover the secrets of this gruesome crime. With no suspect, no evidence and no witnesses, the two quickly reach a dead end. But, before long, a series of strange coincidences reopen the unsolved case: a young woman scatters pieces of white paper out the window of a train; an actor, on the verge of revealing an important secret, drops dead of a heart attack; and Inspector Imanishi investigates...

A fascinating glimpse into 1960s Japanese society, this is one of Seicho Matsumoto's best-loved novels - a riveting thriller from the master of Japanese crime.