Physically confronting your abusive superior might be cool and satisfying when it happens in a drama, but, as Kazuo Sugishita is learning, it's less cool when you're sitting at home afterwards, terrified to learn how you'll be punished when you return to work the next day. The sentence he faces sounds surprisingly lenient - just a temporary reassignment to the company's entertainment department while things blow over. But he changes his mind when he gets the specifics: Kazuo has been assigned as manager-in-training (read "servant") to Shiro Hoshizono, the "Star Watcher": A pompous, showoff-y, completely insufferable talent with no actual talents except using his sickeningly sweet words and foreign model looks to seduce lonely middle... more>> aged women into paying for the privilege of hearing him speak.

The day after his new assignment, Kazuo and Hoshizono leave for Saitama Prefecture, where Hoshizono has been recruited to become an image character for a campground in the mountains, alongside a group of other colorful characters, including a romance novelist with the looks of Cleopatra but the personality of someone's grandpa and a UFO obsessed conspiracy theorist.

But the morning after their arrival, their host is found strangled to death in his lodge, the road back is buried in an avalanche, and... you can probably see where this is going.

Turns out, despite how he comes across normally, Hoshizono is actually a genius detective!

The novel features a unique chapter naming scheme where each chapter is titled as a three to four sentence summary of its own contents, focused upon what information about the case is discovered and what evidence appears, for ease of reference.

A nominee for the 50th annual Mystery Writers Association of Japan Award, long story category. <<less

The once wealthy and powerful Ryuuzen clan has been all but destroyed. Their misfortune began in 1960, when a majority of the family was wiped out when their vacation villa was buried under a landslide. However, search and rescue teams discovered something even more shocking: A majority of the bodies they discovered showed obvious signs of having been mu*dered before the landslide.... more>>

As though it were a trigger, what came to be known as "The Curse of the Ryuuzen Clan" spread throughout the descendants of the family's only survivor. By mu*der, by su*cide, by accident... it seemed none who held the name "Ryuuzen" could live to see the age of 35, and now, the family has been reduced to a single woman, lying in a hospital bed, days away from death.

Kamo Touma was once just another of the endless parade of sleazy tabloid journalists looking to exploit a prominent family's tragedy to sell magazines, but Ryuuzen Rena's kindness melted his frozen heart, driving him to quit his old job and become an investigative journalist specializing in overturning cases of false arrest. Eventually, he and Rena were married, but now, the curse threatens to steal away their happiness.

Kamo prays for a miracle, and his prayers are answered by the Hourglass of Miracles, an artifact spoken of in rumors and urban legends, said to grant one wish to anyone who obtains it.

"Meister Hora", a guide for those who obtain the hourglass, tells Kamo there is only one way to break the curse and save Rena: He must travel back in time to the year 1960 and catch the culprit of the original Ryuuzen Family massacre.

Who was the culprit of the mu*ders that took place almost 60 years ago? Why did they steal away the lives of the Ryuuzen clan? What is the true nature of the "Curse of the Ryuuzen Clan?" And perhaps most mysteriously of all... What is Meister Hora's goal in all this?

Winner of the 29th annual Ayukawa Tetsuya Award. <<less

There exist in this world a set of six daggers that carry a terrible curse: the ability to inflict a death beyond time. Those under the daggers' curse shall reincarnate without end, never able to know happiness and always drawn to die once more by the dagger. This is the story of "Raine" and "Marie", two souls bound by the daggers' curse to kill one another, over and over again.... more>>

France, 1243. Lapis Lazuli Castle is the name of an insignificant relay fort nestled away in a forest east of Carcassonne. Its ruler, Count Geoffroy, and his only daughter, Marie, are both believed to be insane. The root cause of their shared madness is the mysterious disappearance of Geoffroy's wife three years ago, which caused Geoffroy to grow detached from humanity and cast Marie into a deep depression. After three years of wandering in a state halfway to nonexistence, Marie works up the nerve to ask her chief bodyguard, Sir Raine, to investigate her mother's death, confiding that on the night of her mother's disappearance, she had witnessed something impossible. However, her investigation only prompts a new tragedy.

The French-German border, 1916. As World War I rages on, Raine and Marie's latest reincarnations live the life of a sub-lieutenant in the French army and a medic with the Red Cross, respectively. The two lovers are reunited at the site of the Battle of Verdun, but no sooner have they met then Raine finds himself faced with a barrage of impossible circumstances. An enemy soldier's head suddenly vanishes, right before his eyes. One of his subordinates reports the same thing happening to an ally. Four more headless bodies vanish from a flooded bunker in the minute he looks away. These baffling events are a prelude to the return of their old tragedy.

Northern Hokkaido, 1989. Kimiyo, age eighteen, is already dying, an inoperable tumor in her hypothalamus leaving her with less than a year to live. Refusing to despair in the face of her tragic circumstances, she spends her remaining days with her friends at "The Library at the End of the World", a private library so called due to its isolated nature. One day, a man named Kito approaches her out of the blue, regaling her with a story about a set of cursed daggers, knights in the 13th century, and the two of them being cursed, fated lovers. Naturally, Kimiyo is intensely skeptical, but the events that come next don't require her to believe in them.

Arriving at the scene of these three tragedies is Snowy, an enigmatic figure of indeterminate gender who claims to be "a detective charged with managing the world's chaos". <<less

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the gaming industry has seen an explosion in popularity. One of the most popular games ever released is Mystery Maker, a VR RPG where players can create baffling puzzles in a virtual space and challenge other players to solve them.... more>>

As a promotional stunt for the game's upcoming sequel, eight real life great detectives have been hand chosen by Kurata Chikage, executive director of MegalodonSoft, to challenge each other to a match in a demo of Mystery Maker 2. Among them are Kamo Touma, a magazine contributor well known for his investigative work overturning false convictions, and his wife's cousin Ryuuzen Yuki, a recently debuted mystery novelist.

However, on the day of the demo event, the detectives are all drugged. When they awaken, they find their smartwatches are locked to their wrists and they are shown videos of their families and loved ones being held hostage. They are contacted by a Gamemaster, who tells them that if they wish to save themselves and their families, they must play a death game called "Delicious Death for Detectives".

As scheduled, the eight of them will play Mystery Maker 2's demo, and the Detectives will challenge the mu*der puzzles created by the mu*derer. If the Detectives are not able to reveal the mu*derer and their tricks before the time limit, all players will be killed. However, if the mu*derer is exposed, both they and their hostages will be killed. And if a Detective makes an accusation but gets even the tiniest detail wrong, they will be mu*dered by the Gamemaster's secret accomplice, the Executioner.

Now the only way for the eight detectives to survive is to expose the mu*derer and Executioner lurking among them, even if they must risk their lives and those of their compatriots to do so.

Which is an especially big problem for Kamo, because he's the one who's been chosen as the mu*derer! <<less

During a dinner party at a secluded mountain villa, while the invited guests are engaged in a strange game over an ultra-luxury clock, the owner of the villa, a female writer named Mori Reiko, is met with an unnatural death in her study.... more>>

With this, the curtain rises on a deadly game of deduction!　

Embroiled in the game are Enomoto, a crime prevention consultant (whose main profession is a thief!?), and the lawyer Junko, who tries to solve the mystery of a perfectly locked room protected by the wall of time…

Note: "Wall of time" here means alibi. <<less

As an extraordinarily handsome young character, rookie police officer Akechi, along with middle-aged Kobayashi and other amusing companions, faces challenging cases. Will Akechi be able... more>> to solve these cases successfully? <<less

This is a mystery short story about an age-old case

The Rainy Mansion was a house that looked damp and gloomy even on a sunny day. It was a place where the boundary between the living and the dead was ambiguous.... more>>

When a mu*der case happened at the Rainy Mansion, it seemed it could be easily solved because the heritance dispute among the residents was well known.

The detectives investigating the case were perplexed by the strange deduction made by Ayano Hayase, a beautiful woman who was freeloading at the mansion.

“The open roof is a locked-room.”

“There is a granny ghost inside the closet.”

It was said that the criminal cases at the Rainy Mansion would always end up being cold cases. And now, a serial mu*der had occurred there.

A rookie detective, Tanimoto, was working hard to solve the case while being puzzled by words and action of the poker face beauty Ayano. <<less

Luke has transmigrated to the United States, but eventually realizes that this United States is different from the United States of his previous life. Here, the superpowers and characters from the movies in his previous life actually exist. How will Luke fare in a world where such terrifying superpowers exist?... more>>

Fortunately, he has a cheat – the Super Detective System.

Join Luke on his new journey toward becoming a detective. <<less

Those 3.45 seconds of hesitation were enough to make me doubt the remainder of my life.

Midori’s mother has finally acquired her dream home, but it isn’t long before supernatural phenomenas disrupt the peace of the family. And if unexplained electricity failures, strange phone calls, and the eerie presence of spirits weren’t enough, finding unexplainable blood in the bathroom becomes the last straw. Mai and Shibuya Psychic Research are brought in to investigate, but what horrors will they find in the ‘dream’ home that turns out to be nothing but a nightmare?... more>>

The two books are a continuation of the Evil Spirit Series (Akuryou), but in a different setting. <<less

Lu Hui is a genius, but he has an odd temperament. ... more>>

The director of Linhua City’s Bureau of Public Safety, Gao Zhengcheng, personally invited Lu Hui to head the serious crimes division, taking over to solve particularly tricky homicide cases.

And so opens Linhua City’s collection of cases. <<less

She is a street-walking prostitute; he is a cog in the law enforcement machine; they live in different worlds, but life has brought them together.... more>> This is a beautiful love story, this is a series of mysterious mu*ders, this is the story of a fantastic supernatural power. Perhaps they live right beside us, or perhaps they never really existed at all… <<less

Fifty years have passed since the demon lord’s defeat.... more>>

Working as a lawyer in a country that honors law, justice, and order, Daniel Lockhart became the court-appointed attorney for the defendant of a certain incident.

The girl who proclaims herself the descendant of the hero has been arrested for mu*der charges. <<less

At 3:30 in the morning, Ye Zun suffered from insomnia and entered a supernatural forum. With this, he was taken into a world composed of countless horror games.... more>>

[ There is a ghost in your room. Please escape immediately. ]

[ Neighbours, family, classmates; all are ghosts. Who will kill you first? ]

[ There is a serial killer loose on the train and people are endlessly dying. When will it be your turn? ]

……

In the Demon God’s Amus**ent Park, all humans have only one of two identities: pet or food. You look cute and delicious!

*

The great demon and little angel are both acting. More specifically, their performance goes like this——

Ye Zun: Don’t, don’t come here (wu), if you come closer, I will pretend to be a BOSS (crying noise)!

Demon Lord: I am just an ordinary NPC. But, if my dearest wishes it so, I can also be your pet.

*

My dear,

You are the moonlight beneath the abyss, the flower from Heaven kissed away by Death.

……

I am the abyss. I am Death.

*

The world is a terrifying thing. You are the most terrifying thing. As long as you face your fear, you will no longer be afraid. I have travelled into the deep darkness. I still fear you, but I can’t help loving you. In this nocturnal wasteland, there is a golden sunflower field blooming along our path.

——Ye Zun <<less

Why did my big brother have to die?... more>>

Kyousuke loses his older brother, his only family, in a mysterious bombing incident. As he is trying to overcome the shock, a man by the name of Kanou, who claims to be the wakagashira from the Okawa, appears before him.

“I was the one who killed your brother.”

His older brother was involved with the yakuza and was killed by this man!? This cold, expressionless man, all clad in black and looking as if he could just disappear into the darkness of the night? In order to find out the truth about why his brother was killed, Kyousuke joins the Okawa. However, Kanou becomes interested in him and says, “I’m going to make you my woman.” <<less

*The Four Great Female Constables – Book 4/4... more>>

To work as a constable, it was inevitable for enemies to take revenge, so Shangguan Yan never gave others the opportunity to seek revenge.

“Miss looks a bit familiar.” The cold and handsome Gongzi stared at her.

“I never venture out the main door nor cross over the threshold of the side door. Gongzi must be mistaken.” She replied shyly.

When both of them met again the second time, the cold and handsome Gongzi stared at her.

“For someone who doesn’t venture out of the main door nor cross over the threshold of the side door, how come you have started to do business?”

“My family is in difficulties and there are elders and young in the family. It’s beyond my control.”

The third time they met, the cold and handsome Gongzi stared at her.

“Miss is decked in expensive finery from head to toe. Your family doesn’t seem to be in difficulties.”

“Don’t just look at my glamorous appearance, in fact, I am not favored in my family.” She said tearfully with grievance.

When the criminal case was brought to court, it was only then she saw the Lord Imperial Commissioner sitting on his high seat and she finally understood what it meant by ‘being crushed to death by government officials’.

“Constable Shangguan, what else do you have to say?” The cold and handsome Gongzi stared at her.

She was dumbfounded and screamed in her heart.

This fellow is indeed here to seek revenge! <<less

Before being framed and sentenced to a lethal injection death penalty, Zhao Yu used to be a street ruffian who fought recklessly without morals or a bottom line. But when Zhao Yu woke up reincarnated in a parallel universe, he found that he was no longer a criminal but a Key Case Investigation Team agent.... more>>

The change from a criminal to a police officer had thrown Zhao Yu off and had him wreak havoc for the first few days in the station. But with the help of a mysterious “Miracle system,” Zhao Yu was able to embark on a new life where his goal is to solve the unsolvable cases and make amends for his past life’s mistakes. <<less

On the will left behind by the 14 year old su*cide victim K:... more>>

"Taku Sugawara is the devil. Nobody should believe his words." <<less

We follow the story of Song Lang, a genius in the police field, who due to unfortunate circumstances caused by his mortal enemy, now assumes... more>> the identity of a driver named Chen Shi. Although he had wanted to live out his days as an ordinary citizen, fate has other plans in store him. Finding himself in the position of prime suspect to a case, he assists a police officer to uncover the truth. Follow the adventures of Chen Shi as he is plunged back into the world of bizarre homicide investigations. Will he be fated to meet his enemy once again? <<less

Liang Shu sent his people to Baihe Village and ordered them to discover what Liu Xian’an hated the most.... more>>

Several days later, his people returned with the information. Firstly, Second Young Master Liu hates copying books, and secondly, he hates you, my lord.

*
Liang Shu (gong) x Liu Xian’an (shou) <<less

Ghost Hunt follows the ghost hunting adventures of Mai Taniyama, a first year high school student, who becomes involved with the Shibuya Psychic Research Center... more>> (SPR) and its young manager, Kazuya Shibuya. When Mai accidentally injures Shibuya's assistant Lin Koujo, and breaks an expensive video camera being used by SPR in an investigation at her school, she works as a part-time assistant with SPR to repay her debt. <<less

Every Thursday at midnight, tune the FM button. Behind a blank hiss, maybe you will hear a broadcast like this: “Welcome to Midnight Radio Station “Thriller Night Talk”. This is the anchor Bei Quan. Please tell us about your story; no matter how bizarre it is.”... more>>

The rich second-generation Wei Fuyuan broke up with his family and was cut off from his financial source. He accidentally broke into a broadcasting studio to apply for a part-time job.

Wei Fuyuan: This place is small and shabby. The front desk lady is so fierce and her assistant is a three-year-old child laborer?? Are you really a regular company!

Bei Quan: During the internship period, the monthly salary is 7800 Yuan, including three meals and accommodation. Do you want it or not?

Wei Fuyuan : I’ll do it if I can live next door to you!

On the first night at work, Master Wei found out that this company called Sāntúchuān was more irregular than he thought.

Colleagues felt that there were ghosts in the world, and the audience said that they were dead, and they had to follow the poisonous anchor. The crime scene…

Wei Fuyuan : Wait, isn’t this the job of the police?!

Bei Quan: Look over there, the ghost is here.

Wei Fuyuan: Ah, ah, don’t come near me! The young master doesn’t like women’s ghosts. Don’t get me… Eat my righteous face-breaking fist!

What you see may not be true, and what you hear may not be true.

The truth and falsity interweaved between the story, the stand-in for a crime they didn’t, betrayal after betrayal, money and love…

Pursue the mystery, punish evil and promote good

This is the Thrilling Night talk for you—

Don’t be afraid.

[Wei Fuyuan the rich second generation born with aura to attack x mysterious poisonous tongue Bei Quan] <<less

Wen Han has arrived in Nepal on vacation and, as a Buddhist believer, also a pilgrimage. But very shortly after entering the borders, she runs in again into someone she had had one encounter with six months ago, hundreds of miles away on the far-off Tibetan Plateau. He, at the time, had been a monk. But now, when she saw him, he had returned to the secular life and carried a gun on him.... more>>

She inadvertently gets to know this man, Cheng Muyun, more, and each time, as another layer of him is revealed, she is both terrified and drawn to him. A rogue? A criminal? Or something else? Dangerous, yes. Yet, he can be so tender. But always magnetic.

With each step closer that she gets to him, though, Wen Han, an ordinary, 1/4-Chinese girl from Moscow, is drawn more into a dangerous, frightening world she had never before imagined. And with each step, as she understands this man named Cheng Muyun more, her heart falls more for him, deeper and deeper, until the thought of being apart from him is too hard to bear. But, they are fated to separate—from the very first day, he had told her that. <<less

Luo Yi, a high school dropout in his original world, was isekai’d into the world of the Witcher 3. Starting out as a weak boy... more>> named Roy in the village of Kaer, Lower Posada, he was determined to grow stronger, no matter what it took. The first step toward becoming a legend was to kill. And his first kill was… a rooster. ‘You gain 1 EXP.’ Of course, Roy had his own cheat system like all the other isekai protagonists. His first step to becoming a legend started now… <<less