A dream-like Tokyo is in the grip of a brutal predator. A sadistic killer who turns his victims into works of art; then leaves letters behind taunting his pursuers. The police are clueless. The brilliant criminologist on his trail is always one step behind. Can anyone stop this phantom before he completes his hellish masterpiece? First published in 1929, this is the second full-length novel to feature the private detective Akechi Kogoro. Born as Hirai Tarō, Edogawa Ranpo (1894-1965) was an influential author and critic known for his tales of the mysterious and macabre. His pseudonym is a rendering of ‘Edgar Allen Poe’ using Japanese characters. Ranpo often dealt with themes of sexual perversion and the grotesque, as well as writing more conventional detective fiction. Alexis J Brown is a translator living in London.