BEAST IN THE SHADOWS by Edogawa Rampo

Translated by Ian Hughes

Having spent the last few days in Tokyo, I thought I’d lean into my absolutely-not-guilty-at-all pleasure of reading some Japanese crime fiction. And who better to satisfy that yen (#sorrynotsorry) than Edogawa Rampo, considered by many to be one the country’s all time greats. Like any decent mystery worth its otoro, Beast In The Shadows has a pretty cool setup.

A successful crime writer is contacted by a woman who says she is being stalked by his main literary rival, Oē Shundai. She’d recently broken off an affair with Sundai and he was now threatening to kill her and her husband. The writer meets the woman and does some basic inquiries but thinks little of it. Until the husband is murdered. So begins a very strange investigation into the reclusive Shundai, and a torrid affair between the writer and widow.

Enticing as the whole thing is, Beast In The Shadows suffers from one fatal flaw. It only has three real characters and, once you decide the obvious suspect can’t be the killer, it becomes pretty obvious who is. Sure, it’s still fun watching the writer figure it out but there’s no AHA! moment or smug satisfaction to be had. Bummer.

Beast In The Shadows by Edogawa Rampo (Tr. Ian Hughes)
Penguin, 2023
97 pages