Japanese Fiction Thrillers

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.

Kosuke Kindaichi arrives on the remote Gokumon Island bearing tragic news—the son of one of the island’s most important families has died, on a troop transport ship bringing him back home after the Second World War. But Kindaichi has not come merely as a messenger—with his last words, the dying man warned that his three step-sisters’ lives would now be in danger. The scruffy detective is determined to get to the bottom of this mysterious prophesy, and to protect the three women if he can.

Nestled deep in the mist-shrouded mountains, The Village of Eight Graves takes its name from a bloody legend. In the 16th century, eight samurais, who had taken refuge there along with a secret treasure, were murdered by the inhabitants, bringing a terrible curse down upon their village. Centuries later, a mysterious young man named Tatsuya arrives in town, bringing a spate of deadly poisonings in his wake. The inimitably scruffy and brilliant Kosuke Kindaichi investigates.

Brought to you by Penguin. A thrilling crime classic, from the bestselling author of Tokyo Express Tokyo, 1960. As the first rays of morning light hit the rails at Kamata Station, a man’s body is found on the tracks. With only two leads – a distinctive accent and a single word, ‘kameda’...

Bloomsbury presents In The Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami read by Kenichiro Thomson A rollercoaster ride from the cult master of the psycho-thriller 'A blistering portrait of contemporary Japan, its nihilism and decadence wrapped up within one of the most savage thrillers since The Silence of the...

Jun Nakayama was a silent-film star in the early days of Hollywood. By 1964, he is living in complete obscurity, until a young writer, Nick Bellinger, tracks him down for an interview. When Bellinger reveals that he has written a screenplay with Nakayama in mind, Jun is intrigued by the possibility of returning to movies. But he begins to worry that someone might delve too deeply into the past and uncover the events that abruptly ended his career in 1922. Like the changing social and racial tides in California - and the unsolved murder of his favorite director.

Brought to you by Penguin. While on a business trip to Kobe, Tsuneo Asai receives the news that his wife Eiko has died of a heart attack. Eiko had a heart condition so the news of her death wasn't totally unexpected. But the circumstances of her demise left Tsuneo, a softly spoken government...

Brought to you by Penguin. A biting psychological thriller from the bestselling author of Tokyo Express, now available in English for the first time Onizuka Kumako is a fierce woman: tall, beautiful, and not afraid to speak her mind. In Tokyo bars, she seduces customers and commits petty crime...

A taut psychological thriller about the hidden demons that guide our convictions, our biases, and our deepest desires, available in English for the first time from “Japan’s Agatha Christie.” (The Sunday Times) In the middle of the night, a car drives off a pier. An elderly man drowns, but...

Brought to you by Penguin. THEIR MISSION IS MURDER. HIS IS REVENGE. A propulsive new thriller from the bestselling author of BULLET TRAIN. Suzuki is just an ordinary man until his wife is murdered. When he discovers the criminal gang responsible he leaves behind his life as a maths teacher and...

During the National High School Cultural Festival ceremony, Yoshiyuki Shimizu - the current Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and a literary giant - was fatally stabbed by a man who rushed out from backstage. The arrested suspect, 37-year-old Akatsuki Nagase, began publishing his memoirs in a weekly magazine following his arrest.

貉(むじな)とは、主にアナグマのことを指すそうで、日本の民話では、貉はタヌキやキツネと並び、よく人をばかす妖怪として描かれています。さて、小泉八雲が綴った『貉』とはどのような内容だったのでしょうか?のっぺらぼうの犯人は貉だったのでしょうか。記憶に残る結末と情景が目にうかぶ巧みな描写がとても秀逸な、印象深い素敵な怪談作品です。

試合で活躍した選手が心臓麻痺で死んだ。セリエＡの日本人プレーヤー冬次の依頼で調査に乗り出した小説家・矢崎は、死を招く最強のドーピング剤「アンギオン」の存在を知る。

Brought to you by Penguin. *Not Suitable For Vegetarians* Ed is in trouble with the yakuza. He's gambled away all his money and his family is at risk. But just as he’s about to lose everything, he receives an offer he can’t refuse. A reclusive billionaire is looking for a private chef. The...

第24回『このミステリーがすごい！』大賞・大賞受賞作。紫禁城で起こる密室殺人事件に溥儀と日本人絵師が挑む！身分も国も超えた人々の友情×歴史ミステリー1920年、中国。北京在住で日本人絵師の一条剛は、紫禁城に住む廃帝・溥儀に水墨画の師として雇われた。

Bloomsbury presents Audition by Ryu Murakami, read by Kenichiro Thomson Since the death of his wife seven years ago, documentary maker Aoyama has not dated anyone else. Now even his teenage son, Shige, thinks that he should remarry and his best friend Yoshikawa comes up with a plan: to hold fake...

刑事たちの昭和は終わらない。真犯人が見つかる、その日まで。1974年に起きた一家惨殺事件。未解決のまま50年――。アパートで見つかった、一体の死体によって事件の針は再び動き出す。

本格ミステリ・ベスト10」2年連続1位！　ランキングを席巻する鬼才の最新短編集！　クラスメイト襲撃事件を捜査する小学校の名探偵。滅亡に瀕した人類に命運を託された“怪物”。郭町の連続毒殺事件に巻き込まれた遊女。

Ken Hideyoshi is the new guy in Halawa Correctional Institute. He’s tough looking, a hard case. His cellmate is Cal—the mute tattoo artist of the prison who murdered his own wife. Ken, already inked with a gang symbol and a Japanese emblem, eventually asks Cal to create an elaborate tattoo on his back, in kanji script, of Musashi’s Book of the Void.

その街は、たった一晩で姿を消した。奇跡の如き鮮やかな、5つの消失劇。稀代のトリックメーカー、新たな代表作となる傑作推理短編集。一攫千金を夢見て忍び込んだ砂漠の街にある高レートカジノで、見事大金を得たジョージ。誰にも見咎められずにカジノを抜け出し、盗んだバイクで逃げだす。