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