Murders in Lost Paradise

Detective and horror are the most popular genres in modern Japanese literature. How did they evolve to reach their current state? What were the first steps of the detective genre in Japan? How did the fusion of traditional Japanese horror stories and the Western horror school turn into what we now call Japanese horror literature? The stories presented in this collection can be considered the foundation upon which the concept of modern Japanese literature of mysticism and detective fiction was built in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Among the authors are the classic Japanese detective Edogawa Rampo, whose captivating narrative merges with unpredictable intrigue; the lover of 'impossible' crimes and occult motives, Oguri Mushitaro; the master of short prose Nishio Tadashi, whose work shows significant influence from H.P. Lovecraft; and others.