Kyojiro Tsubaki, a struggling drummer in Osaka, notices a hearing-impaired middle school boy named Haruto sending an SOS hand sign while being harassed by rough men, and steps in to help him. This act of kindness draws the unwanted attention of yakuza, semi-organized crime groups, and suspicious detectives. Racing across Osaka with a cast of colorful companions, Tsubaki is pulled into the murky world of development rights surrounding a real wetland in northern Osaka Prefecture. This debut novel, winner of the 29th Japan Mystery Literature Award for New Writers, blends the breezy cadence of Osaka dialect with classic hardboiled fiction.

Told in a breezy Osaka dialect, yet at its core an utterly orthodox hardboiled novel. — Selection committee member Ryoe Tsukimura

Seven people selected as potential jurors are gathered at an orientation venue when a sudden announcement declares: prove the correct verdict before midnight, or the building will be detonated. As the participants are trapped in a sealed deliberation room and must solve the mystery under extreme pressure, a lawyer named Hamizu independently investigates the case from outside, convinced of the defendant's innocence. A taut time-limit suspense combining courtroom drama, death game, and orthodox mystery. Winner of the 28th Japan Mystery Literature Grand Award for New Writers.

Courtroom x death game x orthodox mystery — expose the truth before midnight in a sealed deliberation room.

Around the investment consultancy “60%,” which specializes in money laundering, a charismatic gangster and a former banker expand their influence in the underworld. A noir novel dealing with illicit funds, hidden assets, and drug money.

Illicit funds, hidden assets, and drug money...

A long-form suspense novel that incorporates scientific motifs. It uses infectious disease and institutional problems to create a hard-edged tension.

Science and the case advance at the same pace.