The Lady Killer

<b>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.<br><br>“An outstanding puzzle mystery.” - <i>Publishers Weekly</i>, starred review</b> <br><br>A hunter prowls the night spots of Shinjuku.<br><br>But he's the one walking into a trap...<br><br>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.<br><br>While Ichiro meticulously documents these encounters in his diary, the daily newspaper reports of local murders seem to throw up a disturbing pattern.<br><br>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.<br><br>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?<br><br>From the beloved Japanese mystery author of <i>The Master Key</i>, this gorgeously redesigned paperback of his cult classic thriller will keep fans old and new guessing until the very end.