Confessions

"Kazu-kisa Fukase is a murderer." And nothing more—just that one ringing line in a letter sent to an unnoticed, shy young man named Fukase. And exactly the same anonymous accusations of murder were received by three more of his friends. There is no doubt that the author of these letters is hinting at the tragic event that happened to their friend a few years earlier. Back then, five best friends went on vacation to a country house near a ski resort. And one of them drove his car into a ravine. The tragedy was ruled an accident. But the remaining four, tormented by guilt, know perfectly well what they have to keep silent about. To the very end. An absolute bestseller in Japan. Over 1,000,000 copies sold. The novel has been read by every one-hundredth resident of the Land of the Rising Sun. A popular television series was made based on it.

The author is the recognized queen of yamisu—an acclaimed Japanese detective genre exploring the dark sides of the human soul. You are innocent. But that doesn’t mean you’re not guilty. A hidden inner world of modern Japanese people will open before you—their complex mentality, their special attitude toward friendship and love, crime and punishment.