The Tattoo Murder Case

Foreword by Barry Lancet
Translated by Deborah Boehm
Kinue Nomura survived World War II only to be murdered in Tokyo, her severed limbs discovered in a room locked from the inside. Gone is the part of her that bore one of the most beautiful full-body tattoos ever rendered. Kenzo Matsushita, a young doctor who was first to discover the crime scene, feels compelled to assist his detective brother, who is in charge of the case. But Kenzo has a secret: he was Kinue’s lover, and soon his involvement in the investigation becomes as twisted and complex as the writhing snakes that once adorned Kinue’s torso.

The Tattoo Murder Case was originally published in 1948; this is the first English translation.
Akimitsu Takagi (1920–1995) studied engineering at Kyoto University and later worked for the Nakajima Aircraft Company. Over the course of his writing career, he published fifteen popular mysteries, including Honeymoon to Nowhere, The Informer, and The Tattoo Murder Case, and he won the Japan Mystery Writers Club Award. View titles by Akimitsu Takagi

About

Kinue Nomura survived World War II only to be murdered in Tokyo, her severed limbs discovered in a room locked from the inside. Gone is the part of her that bore one of the most beautiful full-body tattoos ever rendered. Kenzo Matsushita, a young doctor who was first to discover the crime scene, feels compelled to assist his detective brother, who is in charge of the case. But Kenzo has a secret: he was Kinue’s lover, and soon his involvement in the investigation becomes as twisted and complex as the writhing snakes that once adorned Kinue’s torso.

The Tattoo Murder Case was originally published in 1948; this is the first English translation.

Author

Akimitsu Takagi (1920–1995) studied engineering at Kyoto University and later worked for the Nakajima Aircraft Company. Over the course of his writing career, he published fifteen popular mysteries, including Honeymoon to Nowhere, The Informer, and The Tattoo Murder Case, and he won the Japan Mystery Writers Club Award. View titles by Akimitsu Takagi