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A Quiet Place

By Seicho Matsumoto
Penguin Classics
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Brief Description
A Quiet Place, described as a thrillingly dark novel from 'Japan's Agatha Christie' by The Sunday Times, unravels a mysterious and unsettling tale. While on a business trip to Kobe, Tsuneo Asai receives the distressing news that his wife Eiko has died of a heart attack.... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A Quiet Place, described as a thrillingly dark novel from 'Japan's Agatha Christie' by The Sunday Times, unravels a mysterious and unsettling tale.

While on a business trip to Kobe, Tsuneo Asai receives the distressing news that his wife Eiko has died of a heart attack. Despite Eiko's known heart condition, which made her death somewhat expectable, the circumstances leave Tsuneo, a softly spoken government bureaucrat, perplexed. How did his wife, usually shy and withdrawn, who only ventured out twice a week for haiku meetings, end up dead in a small shop in a shady Tokyo neighbourhood?

As Tsuneo apologises to the boutique owner for the inconvenience caused by his wife's death, he discovers the nearby villa Tachibana, reputed as a meeting place for secret lovers. As he delves deeper into Eiko's recent past, he finds himself confronting the startling truth: his wife may have led a double life...

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241744208

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 07 August 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Contributors:

  • Translated by Louise Heal Kawai

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 15.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 200g

Pages: 240

Collections

Classic Crime & Mystery Fiction Classic Fiction Crime & Thriller Fiction Fiction in Translation General Fiction Penguin Books Penguin Classics Penguin Classics: Crime & Thriller Psychological Thriller Seicho Matsumoto

About the Author

Seicho Matsumoto (Author) Seicho Matsumoto was born in 1909 in Fukuoka, Japan. Self-educated, Matsumoto published his first book when he was forty years old and he quickly established himself as a master of crime fiction. His exploration of human psychology and Japanese post-war malaise, coupled with the creation of twisting, dark mysteries, made him one of the most acclaimed and best-selling writers in Japan. He received the prestigious Akutagawa Literary Prize in 1950 and the Kikuchi Kan Prize in 1970. He died in 1992.

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