Description

‘The solution is one of the most original that I’ve ever read’ Anthony Horowitz

‘This book is an unmissable triumph’ Tom Mead, Publishers Weekly

‘It’s a budding Sherlock’s dream’ Crime Scene

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A BESTSELLING AND INTERNATIONALLY-ACCLAIMED MASTERPIECE

An eccentric artist is found brutally murdered in a room locked from the inside. His diaries reveal dabblings in alchemy and astrology, and a macabre plan to kill and dismember seven women in an occult ritual. Then, shortly after his death, the artist’s bloody project is carried out, as if from beyond the grave…

Decades later, astrologer and amateur detective Kiyoshi Mitarai sets out to solve these notorious crimes. His investigation leads him across the country towards a dark, shocking truth. But can you unravel the mystery of the Tokyo Zodiac Murders before he does?

Publisher Review

‘Ignites the mind’ – Huffington Post

‘Shimadas novel is a classic of the popular Japanese honkaku or “authentic” subgenre of crime fiction, which prioritises tight plots and carefully scattered clues’ – The National

‘If you like your crime stories to be bloody and bizarre, then this one may be for you. The winner of several major awards… the solution is one of the most original that Ive ever read’ – Anthony Horowitz

‘An intricate, compelling, violent, and exciting [read]. Full of hints, its a budding Sherlocks dream; Shimada encourages the reader to be as much of a detective as his protagonist.’ – Crime Scene

‘A wonderful example of excellent plotting and characterization, with a brilliant sense of the mysterious and the bizarre’ – At the Scene of the Crime