Overview
Three deaths come in quick succession: one girl jumps from the roof of a six-story building; another falls in front of a train; and a third is hit by a late-night taxi. But how are they related? And are they accidents, suicides -- or murder?
Slowly, the answers are uncovered by sixteen-year-old Mamoru, the nephew of the taxi driver currently being held by the police on charges of manslaughter for the death of the third victim.
Determined to help his uncle, Mamoru discovers that the girl killed by his uncle's taxi had participated in a devious scam to separate vulnerable men from their money, and that three of the four girls involved in the plot are now dead. When a powerful businessman reveals new evidence that could free Mamoru's uncle, Mamoru decides he must go all out if he is to save the last of the four girls being targeted by the real killer.
And then the killer contacts him...
Synopsis
Sixteen-year-old Mamoru Kusaka has recently moved to Tokyo to live with his aunt and uncle after the death of his mother. Just as he is beginning to adjust to his new life, his uncle is involved in a late-night accident while driving his taxicab. A young coed is dead and Uncle Taiko is charged with manslaughter, even though the circumstances seem suspect.
Struggling to help his uncle, Mamoru discovers that the victim had been involved in a cruel scam with three other young women. Two of the four have also recently died in similarly violent incidents.
Several days after the accident, a powerful businessman comes forward as a witness. But instead of making things clearer, the mans testimony only adds more confusing lies and deceptions to an already puzzling case, as Mamoru races to save the last of the four women targeted by the real killer.
The New York Times - Marilyn Stasio
Miyabe's forte is suspense, and here it's built around the strange behavior of young women being driven to suicide. But the peculiar fascination of the story lies in its acute observations of the way masochistic shame and guilt play into the social conformity so inhibiting to the Japanese identity.
Editorials
Art Taylor
…the novel consistently surprises us along the way. Each mystery solved reveals yet another mystery to be explored, and each layer peeled away deepens the moral complexity, ultimately leaving Mamoru with some heavy choices—each path wrong, each path right, and no answer easy, right up to the final page.—The Washington Post
Marilyn Stasio
Miyabe's forte is suspense, and here it's built around the strange behavior of young women being driven to suicide. But the peculiar fascination of the story lies in its acute observations of the way masochistic shame and guilt play into the social conformity so inhibiting to the Japanese identity.—The New York Times
Publishers Weekly
Miyabe (All She Was Worth), Japan's bestselling mystery author, should garner new fans in the U.S. with this eerie tale that recalls some classic Japanese horror films. Mamoru Kusaka, a sensitive and intelligent teen, is troubled by the loss of his parents. Twelve years after his father disappeared following a municipal financial scandal, his mother has died of a stroke. As Mamoru tries to start a new life with relatives in Tokyo, his uncle, taxi driver Taizo Asano, is arrested after running over a young woman. While working to exonerate Taizo, Mamoru stumbles upon evidence that the victim may have been fleeing the person responsible for two other recent strange deaths that were officially classed as suicides. Miyabe excels at creating a supernatural feeling in a prosaic urban setting, and Mamoru is an engaging and original amateur sleuth. Both horror fans and mystery fans will savor this spooky mystery and want to seek out Miyabe's other work. (Oct.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business InformationLibrary Journal
Award-winning Miyabe (Crossfire; All She Was Worth) presents a mystery told through the voice of a 16-year-old boy. After his mother's death, Mamoru Kusaka moves to Tokyo with his aunt and uncle. Tragedy strikes again when Mamoru's uncle kills a woman when she runs in front of his taxi cab while fleeing a deadly pursuer. While his uncle is held in jail under investigation, Mamoru tries to clear his name. He returns to the crime scene, tracks down clues, and researches at his job at a bookstore. He finds the victim was part of a cruel scam involving four other women. Two of the women have already died mysteriously. Drawing closer to the last surviving woman and the killer, Mamoru must face his past and stop the dying. Miyabe's suspenseful tale touches on the occult and the manipulation of desperate men seeking revenge. A good selection for mystery collections.
—Ron Samul