ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in 1948 in Hiroshima prefecture, Soji Shimada has been dubbed the “God of Mystery” by Japanese crime fans. A novelist, essayist and short-story writer, he made his literary debut in 1981 with The Tokyo Zodiac Murders, which was shortlisted for the Edogawa Rampo Prize. Blending classical detective fiction with grisly violence and elements of the occult, he has gone on to publish several highly acclaimed series of mystery fiction, totalling more than 100 books. In 2009 Shimada received the prestigious Japan Mystery Literature Award in recognition of his life’s work.
ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR
Louise Heal Kawai grew up in Manchester, England, but Japan has been her home since 1990. She has translated a variety of novels and short stories from Japanese, including Mieko Kawakami’s novella Ms Ice Sandwich for Pushkin Press, Seicho Matsumoto’s A Quiet Place, and Seventeen by Hideo Yokoyama.
ALSO AVAILABLE FROM SOJI SHIMADA
‘The solution is one of the most original that I’ve ever read’
COPYRIGHT
Pushkin Press
71–75 Shelton Street
London WC2H 9JQ
Naname Yashiki no Hanzai © 2016 Soji Shimada
First published in 1982 in Japan by Kodansha Ltd., Tokyo
Publication rights for this edition arranged through Kodansha Ltd.
English translation © Louise Heal Kawai 2019
First published by Pushkin Press in 2019
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
ISBN 13: 978–1–78227–464–3
Although this translation is of the 2016 revised Japanese edition of Murder in the Crooked House, the novel was originally published in 1982, and all details, such as the angle of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, are correct as of that date. The translator has attempted to stay faithful to place and time.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from Pushkin Press.