'The Japanese Agatha Christie' Sarah Cox, on BBC2's Between the Covers

'The master of ingenious plotting' Guardian

'Dazzling' New York Times

FROM THE FATHER OF JAPANESE CRIME

In the winter of 1937, the village of Okamura is abuzz with excitement over the forthcoming wedding of a son of the grand Ichiyanagi family. But amid the gossip over the approaching festivities, there is also a worrying rumour - it seems a sinister masked man has been asking questions about the Ichiyanagis around the village.

Then, on the night of the wedding, the Ichiyanagi family are woken by a terrible scream, followed by the sound of eerie music - death has come to Okamura, leaving no trace but a bloody samurai sword, thrust into the pristine snow outside the house. The murder seems impossible, but amateur detective Kosuke Kindaichi is determined to get to the bottom of it.

'Plenty of golden age ingredients... with a truly ingenious solution' - Guardian, Best New Crime Fiction

'Readers will delight in the blind turns, red herrings and dubious alibis... Ingenious and compelling' - Economist

'At once familiar and tantalisingly strange... Its an absolute pleasure to see his work translated at last in these beautifully produced English editions' - Sunday Times

'With a reputation in Japan to rival Agatha Christies, the master of ingenious plotting is finally on the case for anglophone readers' - Guardian

'The premise alone is dazzling [and] the solution to this mystery came as a complete surprise - exactly what I asked for' - New York Times

Seishi Yokomizo (1902-81) was one of Japan's most famous and beloved mystery writers, best known for creating the legendary detective Kosuke Kindaichi, who featured in more than 70 stories, many of which were adapted for stage and television in Japan. The Honjin Murders, the first Kosuke Kindaichi novel, is regarded as one of Japan's great mystery novels and won the inaugural Mystery Writers of Japan Award in 1948. The Inugami Curse, The Village of Eight Graves, Death on Gokumon Island, The Devil's Flute Murders, The Little Sparrow Murders, Murder at the Black Cat Cafe and She Walks at Night are also available or forthcoming from Pushkin Vertigo.