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The Dark Maidens book cover
The Dark Maidens
2013
First Published
4.23
Average Rating
247
Number of Pages

In this Rashomon-style mystery story, each member of a high-school literature club presents her own version of the death of the group's leader. When the high-school literature club meets, the usual routine is for each member to read her own original story. But this time, the assignment has changed. Everyone is given the same topic: "The Death of Itsumi Shiraishi." Itsumi. who had been the head of the group and the most beautiful and charismatic student in the school, had died under mysterious circumstances. Rumor has it that a member of the club was responsible for her death. As one after the other reads her piece, it's revealed that the girls have completely different theories about who killed their classmate, and each points her finger at a different culprit among them. It's not until a letter from Itsumi herself is shared, that the story reaches a most unexpected and shocking conclusion.

Avg Rating
4.23
Number of Ratings
5,014
5 STARS
42%
4 STARS
42%
3 STARS
13%
2 STARS
2%
1 STARS
1%
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Author

Rikako Akiyoshi
Rikako Akiyoshi
Author · 13 books
Rikako Akiyoshi (in Japanese, 秋吉 理香子) studied literature at Waseda University and received her Master’s degree in Film and TV Production from Loyola Marymount University. Her debut work Snow Flower won the Yahoo! JAPAN literature prize and was adapted into a short film. She is the author of several works of fiction. The Dark Maidens has also been adapted into a movie.
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