A horror-mystery novel by Ko Amemura. Against wartime Japan and the jungles of Southeast Asia, bizarre incidents unfold around reptilian beings known as Herubino. Combining violence, grotesque imagination, and dark absurdity, the novel expands the warped world of the Nenmakku series.

Wartime jungle settings and legends of reptilian beings draw in brutal and uncanny incidents.

A social mystery by Tokuro Nukui. Small acts of irresponsibility involving street trees, medical care, administration, and pet ownership accumulate and lead to the death of a child. As the bereaved father seeks the truth, a form of guilt that the law cannot fully judge comes into view.

A chain of small irresponsibilities creates a killing the law cannot judge.

A police short story by Yoshiaki Ando. Set inside a police organization where discipline and field judgment collide, it depicts supervisory responsibility and the loneliness of those who command subordinates. Collected in Utenai Keikan, it forms part of the uneasy restart of the police officer Reiji Shibasaki.

A short story in which police supervision and the pain of the field quietly collide.

A study of classic mystery fiction by Kentaro Komori. From an essay on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to studies of Queen, Carr, Van Dine, and the sources behind Ruiko Kuroiwa’s adaptations, it uncovers hidden channels connecting English literature and detective fiction. Though critical in form, it often reads like an investigation.

A collection of criticism that traces hidden links between classic literature and formal detective fiction.