The Lady Killer

A dizzying tale of lust and murder in the shady world of Tokyo’s cabaret bars, from one of Japan's greatest mystery writers—now with a striking new cover design.

“An outstanding puzzle mystery.” - Publishers Weekly, starred review

A hunter prowls the night spots of Shinjuku.

But he's the one walking into a trap...

Ichiro Honda leads a double life. By day, he is a devoted husband and a diligent worker, but bynight, he moves through the shadow world of Tokyo's cabaret bars and nightclubs in search of vulnerable women to seduce, and then abandon.

While Ichiro meticulously documents these encounters in his diary, the daily newspaper reports of local murders seem to throw up a disturbing pattern.

A trail of bodies is appearing in his wake, so it seems. First Keiko Obana, a typist, jumps from a second floor window. Then others start to follow: a supermarket cashier strangled in her apartment in Kinshibori. A girl he picked up about two months ago at a dance hall in Koto Rakutenchi, is found murdered in the same gruesome way. The hunter becomes the prey and Ichiro realises he has been caught in a snare.

As the trap closes around him, even Ichiro begins to doubt his innocence. Can he find the real killer before it’s too late, and – more importantly – will anyone believe him?

From the beloved Japanese mystery author of The Master Key, this gorgeously redesigned paperback of his cult classic thriller will keep fans old and new guessing until the very end.