Murder at Lake Ashinoko
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Murder at Lake Ashinoko
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See moreA classic mystery from Japan's Queen of Crime, the Sunday Times bestselling author of Murder at Mount Fuji.
At an elegant hotel on a stormy night, travelling businessman Kohei Daigo meets a shadowy yet captivating woman, Fumiko. Their faces obscured in the darkness, they pass the hours by talking. Until the night takes an unexpected turn, and the strangers make a confession. They both have good reason to want someone dead.
They fantasise about the perfect murder: each one enacting cold-blooded revenge on the other's enemy, with nothing to tie them to the crime.
In the light of day, Daigo resolves to put the unsettling night behind him. But back home in Fukuoka, he soon receives news of a tragic accident. To his horror, it appears that Fumiko has followed through on her side of their deadly bargain - and now it's his turn.
Brimming with atmosphere, and with a dark, twisty mystery at its heart, Murder at Lake Ashinoko is the perfect, nostalgic, rediscovered novel for fans of Japanese translated fiction and classic crime.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781529997286
Publisher: Cornerstone
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 12 November 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Hutchinson Heinemann
Contributors:
- Translated by Robert B. Rohmer
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 20.0mm
Width: 135.0mm
Height: 216.0mm
Weight: 300g
Pages: 256
About the Author
Shizuko Natsuki was born in Tokyo in 1938. She graduated from Keio University with a degree in English literature, marrying in 1963 and moving to Fukuoka, where she lived throughout most of her life. Natsuki is not only one of Japan's bestselling mystery writers but also one of the most prolific, having written more than eighty novels and short story collections in her lifetime. More than forty of her novels and stories have been made into films. She died in 2016.
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