The Master Key

Translated by Simon Grove

A new edition of this prizewinning classic mystery from one of Japan's best-loved crime writers.

A building full of secrets. A key that will unleash them all...

The K Apartments for Ladies in Tokyo conceals a sinister past behind each door; a woman who has buried a child; a scavenger driven mad by ill-health; a wife mysteriously guarding her late husband's manuscripts; a talented violinist tortured by her own guilt. The master key, which opens the door to all 150 rooms, links their tangled stories. But now it has been stolen, and dirty tricks are afoot.

For a deadly secret lies buried beneath the building. And when it is revealed, there will be murder.

'A twisted locked-room fable, made creepily seductive by masterful portrayals of the residents' eccentricities and hints of malevolent supernatural forces' — Booklist

ISBN: 9781782277729 | Published: 1 February 2022 (first published 1962) | Paperback | 192 pages