Two years after the publication of The Tattoo Murder, which was well received in the UK, English publisher Pushkin Press is back with an unpublished book by the Japanese author entitled The Noh Mask Murder. This crime novel is being translated into English for the first time. Originally published in 1950, it won the prestigious Mystery Writer’s Club Award that same year. Here is the summary provided by the English publisher:
Strange things are happening in the Chizui mansion…
At night, a figure wearing a Hannya mask is seen wandering around the house. Mystery writer Akimitsu Takagi is sent to investigate, but tragedy strikes. The head of the Chizurui family is found dead in his study, locked from the inside, with the only clues to his mysterious death a Hannya mask and the smell of jasmine.
As Takagi digs deeper into the case, can he uncover the link between the family and the curse of the Hannya mask? Who is the person who called the funeral home asking for three coffins? And how many buried secrets lie behind this inexplicable murder?
The book is published in the Pushkin Vertigo collection. It brings together the best crime novels from around the world, particularly those by Japanese masters of the mystery genre such as Akimitsu Takagi, Seishi Yokomizo and Yukito Ayatsuji.
To order the book, visit the Pushkin Press website.
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