A female's limbs and head are found in a locked bathroom, and all the doors and windows of the house are locked. The dismembered body is discovered by two admirers, Professor Heishiro Hayakawa, a collector of tattoo skins, and Kenzo Matsushita, the naive, lovestruck younger brother of Detective Chief Inspector Daiyu Matsushita. The police's problems are compounded by two additional murders. A tattooed man?the brother of the first victim?is found dead and has been skinned, and victim number three, the jealous lover of the woman, is found dead from a gunshot to the head. Frustrated by their inability to solve these crimes, the brothers Matsushita, who have joined forces, enlist the services of Kyosuke Kamizu, the "Boy Genius." Kamizu methodically analyzes the deaths, interviews the prime suspects, and quietly solves the case. Intermingled among the twisted plot is the Japanese tradition of myth and superstition, ritual, male and female relationships, the strong tradition of family and family honor, and the relationships of younger brothers to older brothers. Takagi, Japan's most acclaimed mystery writer, has created a first-rate mystery, excellently translated into English.

高木彬光Takagi Akimitsu

日本推理小说大师,和横沟正史被并称为“本格推理的巅峰”。

高木彬光一九二〇年九月二十五日出生于青森县青森市一个世代行医的家庭,幼时母亲去世。毕业于京都帝国大学工学部冶金科,后进入中岛飞机公司工作,日本战败后因公司倒闭而失业。

一九四八年,高木彬光发表了推理处女作《刺青杀人事件》,得到江户川乱步赏识,开始了作为职业作家的创作之路。一九五〇年创作的《能面杀人事件》获得了第三届日本推理作家俱乐部奖,一举奠定了其本格推理大师的地位。其后陆续创作了《诅咒之家》、《人偶为何被杀》、《成吉思汗的秘密》、《邪马台国的秘密》等本格推理小说。这些作品至今依然雄踞日本各大本格推理小说榜单前列。高木彬光着力塑造的主人公神津恭介,也成为和横沟正史笔下的金田一耕助齐名的“日本本格推理两大名侦探”。高木彬光后期创作风格有所转变,在注重本格性的同时,融入了更多社会派推理元素,并大量运用法庭推理,使作品更加深刻厚重。这个时期的代表作品有《白昼的死角》、《破戒裁判》等。

高木彬光的作品严谨厚重,其布设情节和诡计的功力独到而精湛。他继横沟正史之后日本最重要的本格推理作家,其作品是经得起时间验证的不朽经典。对于日本本格推理以及整个战后推理文学,高木彬光是绝对不能被忽略的一代宗师。

一九九五年九月九日,高木彬光因病逝世,享年七十四岁。